A   threatened   Economy

The Hardwood Economy

Wood crafts are a long-time
tradition in the Appalachians,
with skills handed down through
the generations. In recent 
years, such artistic work has 
become a stable source of income
and employment in small factories
and shops in the mountain towns.
  In addition, the hardwoods of 
the region are the primary source
for the giant furniture and wood
fabrication factories located 
adjacent to the mountains in 
North Carolina, West Virginia,
Virginia, Tennessee, and 
elsewhere that depend on the 
arboreal cornucopia provided by 
the mountains.
  Thus air pollution and tree 
clearing for mining and chipping
mills will increasingly affect 
the hardwood manufacturing and 
craft economy. For example, the
largest fab-ricator of stairway
parts in the United States has 
found that it can no longer count
on a steady supply of beechwood, 
the best wood for its products, 
in view of the widespread decline
of this tree throughout the 
Appalachians.

(An Appalachian Tragedy.Page 139)

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