Four chip mills have arrived in the Ozarks seeking oak trees needed for production of high-quality paper for computers, books, newspapers, and magazines. Chip mills are portable machines that grind whole trees into stamp-size chunks in a matter of minutes. The chunks are then shipped to pulp mills, or overseas to make plywood. On average, chip mills produce 400,000 tons of chips per year by clearing 10,000 acres of forest. The four mills in Missouri have a combined one-million ton capacity that can consume 25,000 acres of Ozark woodland each year.
Promoters claim that chip mills are the most efficient method of converting trees into paper.
Any size tree can be logged, not just large timbers that are bought by local saw mills. This allows landowners to manage woodlots for high quality timber because there is a market for the smaller trees thinned out of a stand to encourage growth of the remaining trees. The industry provides local jobs to run the mills, and a larger tax-base for local governments to collect from. And transportation of chips is far cheaper than hauling whole logs, thereby decreasing waste and improving efficiency for both corporate and local interests. However, the critics argue that the efficiency of chip mills will create long-term problems.