Papermakers gaining ground from pandemic

In recent years, papermakers in the Pacific Northwest have been losing ground. However, today there is a ray of hope.

Surprisingly, that optimism results from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the first days of the pandemic, grocers couldn’t keep toilet paper on store shelves, even though paper mills were running 20 percent higher-than-normal capacity. Cardboard plants also were operating full bore making shipping boxes for medical supplies and personal protective gear.

As online sales ramp up because stores and shopping malls are locked down, paper manufacturers see new opportunities and are again in...