Much of Florida, particularly in the north, has an excellent physical environment for the growth of trees of commercial value. During the late nineteenth century millions of acres of longleaf (yellow) pine were cut by lumber companies and sold throughout the eastern United States. In the 1930s much of this acreage was purchased by large paper companies and managed as tree farms, several exceeding 500,000 acres. The federal government also acquired large areas for national forests. Acreage is leased in these forests for commercial cutting. The land has been largely replanted in fast-growing slash pine, which today provides most of the wood for a string of pulp and paper mills between Pensacola and Jacksonville. These mills produce a variety of products. Among the most important is kraft paper used in packaging. One of the nation's largest producers of toilet paper is located in Palatka.
Lumber is also produced in Florida. The majority of this lumber comes from softwoods, primarily longleaf pine and cypress. Florida hardwoods, mainly gum and oak, are far less important than softwoods. Income derived from forest products is especially high in Jacksonville, Ocala, Lakeland, and Miami, where factories that use wood as raw materials are concentrated.
