In the state of Oregon, each pair of spotted owls is allocated 2000 acres of habitat, and that land is closely controlled by the Government in terms of what the landowner can and can not do. By 1998, there remained very few sulfite pulp mills actively producing lignosulfonates for sale. It is not exactly to scale, and could be refined to show greater detail. But, it illustrates the nature of lignosulfonates growth and ultimate decline as most of the current demand will be supplanted by alternate materials. Presently, countries with pulp mills which actively supply lignosulfonates are the United States, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, China, Japan and South Africa.
Small amounts are available in Australia, New Zealand, and some Western European countries.
The South African mill is the newest, and it is already under scrutiny from the environmentalists. Thus, future supplies will undoubtedly continue to diminish.