COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 11331

Logging

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

15companies1872–1983founding years14still active1no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedUPM-Kymmene Corporation
1872
FoundedConsolidated Papers, Inc.
1894
FoundedStora Enso Oyj
1896
FoundedPotlatch Corporation
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedEmpresas CMPC S.A.
1920
FoundedGroupe Rougier SA
1923
FoundedRayonier Inc.
1926
FoundedLongview Fibre Company
1927
FoundedThe Mead Corporation
1930
FoundedBoise Cascade Corporation
1931
FoundedEmpresas Copec S.A.
1934
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedSierra Pacific Industries
1951
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedSealaska Corporation
1971
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedFletcher Challenge Ltd.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedWTD Industries, Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

UPM-Kymmene Corporation →
Active · founded 1872 · Finland
UPM-Kymmene Corporation is Finland's leading forestry company and Europe's largest papermaking concern.
Consolidated Papers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1894
Consolidated Papers, Inc., which was acquired by Finnish-Swedish paper giant Stora Enso Oyj in August 2000, is the…
Stora Enso Oyj →
Active · founded 1896 · Finland
1288: First documentary evidence of mining at the copper mountain near Falun, Sweden.
Potlatch Corporation →
Active · founded 1903
Potlatch Corporation--a mid-sized manufacturer of wood products, printing paper, and other pulp- and paper-based…
Empresas CMPC S.A. →
Active · founded 1920 · Chile
Empresas CMPC S.A.
Groupe Rougier SA →
Active · founded 1923 · France
Groupe Rougier SA is the holding company for a forestry products group specializing in the logging and processing of…
Rayonier Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Rayonier Inc.
Longview Fibre Company →
Active · founded 1927
Longview Fibre Company owns and operates a pulp and paper mill as well as 16 container and bag plants in 11 states.
The Mead Corporation →
Active · founded 1930
The Mead Corporation is one of the world's largest manufacturers of paper (producing more than 1.7 million tons each…
Boise Cascade Corporation →
Active · founded 1931
Boise Cascade Corporation has grown from a small local lumber company into a major manufacturer of wood products,…
Empresas Copec S.A. →
Active · founded 1934 · Chile
Empresas Copec S.A.
Sierra Pacific Industries →
Active · founded 1951
The largest timber company in California, Sierra Pacific Industries harvests and mills timber in northern California.
Sealaska Corporation →
Active · founded 1971
A Native-owned corporation with more than 16,500 shareholders, Sealaska Corporation is the largest private landholder…
Fletcher Challenge Ltd. →
Defunct · founded 1981 · New Zealand
Fletcher Challenge Ltd., New Zealand's largest group of companies, specializes in transforming resources into…
WTD Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
WTD Industries, Inc.
Build It Today

Starting a logging company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories with today's tools and capital.