The Wood Dealer System in Mississippi: An Essay on Regional Economics and Culture

T he forest industries have a long and significant history in Mississippi. Although always changing, the industry has been an important part of Mississippi since the earliest frontier days, largely because of an enormous natural endowment of virgin pine forests.' That forest and the capacity to grow additional forests has nurtured what is now Mississippi's largest manufacturing industry. Forestry and associated industries are inextricably linked to many aspects of Mississippi life. One of the most important links, the wood supply system, connects Mississippi's thousands of timber owners and even more thousands of woods workers to the forest products industry. Historically, the wood supply system has two parts-that used by the lumber and wood products (including plywood) industry and that used by the paper and allied products industry. The system used by the paper and allied products industry is known as the dealer system because of the role of one of the prominent players, the wood dealer. Wood dealers are independent businessmen who contract to deliver wood to the South's large pulp and paper mills. Their storytheir origins, operations, and economic functionsis a fascinating example of how the potential for economic