Instead, he said, the state should try to keep the trees that are already cut in the state for processing into furniture or other value-added products. What we seem to be attracting are these large, resource-using companies instead of companies that want to take production to another stage. Promoting the idea of a scarce resource should translate into better use of the resource and better profits for woodland owners. Rick Landenberger, an outdoor enthusiast and WVU forestry graduate student, agrees. We know people are coming here for the big, wild environment.
People like to come to West Virginia for forests and rivers.
You can't maximize both timber and tourism. Cutting more timber Tom Burns, executive director of the Development Office, thinks pulp and paper mills and chipboard plants are good for the state. All the large mills are highly automated, expensive investments that make something out of West Virginia wood, Burns said. We want to add as much value as possible and create as many jobs as possible close to this resource we have. Both segments are expected to grow by 3 percent to 4 percent through 1998.