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Entergy Economic Development - Wood and Paper Products

Wood and Paper Products

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Arkansas and Mississippi are prime locations for companies serving the wood and paper products industry. The paper products manufacturing industry in the U.S. represents more than 3,000 companies with annual revenue of $180 billion, much of that in the corrugated cardboard boxes market.

18.8 Million

Acres of Forest in Arkansas

20 Million

Acres of Forest in Mississippi

Arkansas and Mississippi are prime locations for companies serving the wood and paper products industry.

Arkansas

11 Wood and Paper Products Companies in the Entergy Arkansas Service Territory

Raw Materials

  • Arkansas has 18.8 million acres of forest, 56% of total land in the state.
  • Arkansas is the fifth largest softwood producing state in the country.
  • 42% of all woodland is made up of oak/hickory forest types, followed by loblolly/shortleaf pine at 29%.
  • Private landowners, including farmers, ranchers and other individuals, own more than 58% of the timberland in the state, and many actively manage their woodlands.
  • Forest resource companies own or lease 23% of the state’s timberland.

Workforce

  • Entergy Arkansas’ workforce is almost one million strong, with 11% employed in manufacturing and 29,580 employed in the wood and paper products cluster.
  • Average wages in the Entergy Arkansas territory are more than 16% lower than the U.S. average.
  • More than 1,600 businesses in Arkansas are involved in the wood and paper products industries.

Transportation

  • Three major interstates cross Arkansas:
    • Interstate 40 runs east/west from North Carolina to California.
    • Interstate 30 links Arkansas to areas to the southwest such as Texas and Mexico.
    • Interstate 55 connects Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans and runs through eastern Arkansas.
    • Interstate 49, which will ultimately connect New Orleans and Kansas City, runs through portions of southwest and northwest Arkansas.
  • Arkansas is home to three Class 1 rail systems: Union Pacific (major yards in Little Rock and Pine Bluff), BNSF Railway,and Kansas City Southern Railway.
  • Arkansas also has 22 short-line railroads with 2,700 miles of track.
  • The five commercially navigable rivers in Arkansas are the Arkansas, Mississippi (which connects to the Gulf of Mexico and deep-water ports), Ouachita, Red and White rivers. Together, they have 1,000 navigable miles.
  • The largest ports are located at Little Rock and Pine Bluff and are a part of the McClellan-Kerr system. Both have access to the Union Pacific and BNSF railroads, and the Little Rock port is also easily accessible from Interstates 40 and 30.
View Wood and Paper Products Incentives in Arkansas

Mississippi

More than 1,500 companies in the wood and paper product cluster are located in Mississippi.

Raw Materials

  • Mississippi has nearly 20 million acres of forest land, or about 65% of total land in the state.
  • The state ranks first in the nation for the total number of Certified Tree Farms with more than 3,000. The Certified Tree Farms program focuses on sustaining forests, watersheds and wildlife habitats.

Workforce

  • Average wages in the Entergy Mississippi territory are more than 30% lower than the U.S. and nearly 36% lower in the manufacturing industry.
  • The Entergy Mississippi area’s workforce is nearly 650,000 strong, with 10% employed in manufacturing.
  • More than 12,000 workers are employed in the wood and paper cluster in Entergy Mississippi territory.
  • More than 1,600 of those are employed in paper mills and corrugated paperboard manufacturing.

Transportation

  • Mississippi has 28 rail systems including these Class 1 carriers: Burlington Northern Railway, CSX Transportation, Canadian National Railway, Kansas City Southern Railroad and Norfolk Southern.
  • Bordering the state of Mississippi to the west, the Mississippi River begins in Minnesota and runs more than 2,000 miles south to the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Six ports are located within the Entergy Mississippi territory with access to the Mississippi River. The Mississippi ports include the Port of Rosedale, Port of Greenville, Yazoo County Port, Port of Vicksburg, Port of Claiborne County and the Natchez-Adams County Port.
  • The Port of Memphis, the nation’s fifth largest inland port, is easily accessed in adjacent Shelby County, Tennessee.
  • Mississippi’s highway system, ranked one of the best in the nation, connects to essential regional markets including New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville and Atlanta with six interstates and 14 federal highways.
View Wood and Paper Products Incentives in Mississippi

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