The Glatfelter Pulp Wood Company, incorporated in 1918, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the P. H. Glatfelter Company. Its mission is to ensure a continuous supply of high quality pine and hardwood fiber for use in the manufacturing operations of the Spring Grove mill. Fulfilling this mission requires a dual focus of effort:

1. providing the wood for papermaking
2. managing the forest from which the wood is harvested

A staff of eighteen foresters leads this effort. Most of the foresters have responsibilities in both wood procurement and forest management.

The Spring Grove mill requires approximately 900,000 tons of wood fiber annually. This is about 160 truck loads per day, five days per week. One-half of the fiber is softwood (pine) and one-half is hardwood. More than one-third of this requirement is met by reclaiming material from other wood processors. Sawmill chips, a by-product of the lumber industry, are purchased from 120 sawmills throughout the procurement area. Roundwood used for paper making is delivered to Spring Grove by more than 400 individual suppliers in lengths of five feet to twenty-two feet and diameters from four inches to twenty-four inches.

The company owns 110,000 acres of managed forests in four states -- Virginia (37%), Pennsylvania (25%), Maryland (23%), and Delaware (15%). Seventy five percent of the land is managed to grow pine, and 25% is managed to grow hardwood. All of the land is managed for the multiple-use benefits of soil and water protection, wildlife habitat enhancement, recreational activity and the aesthetics of undeveloped open space.

Company owned land provides 22% of the total fiber requirement. Publicly owned or government lands provide 3%. The overwhelming majority of our wood supply, therefore, is harvested from private woodlands. Glatfelter foresters work closely with local landowners to support sustainable forestry initiatives.