How did British Columbia’s forest industry change after World War II?

Following World War II, the forest industry in British Columbia underwent significant structural and geographic transformations:

• Geographic Expansion: While the industry was traditionally centered on the west coast, logging, sawmilling, and pulp and paper production expanded into the central and eastern interior regions of the province during the postwar years.1
• Corporate Consolidation: The industry shifted from a decentralized ownership model to one dominated by a few giant multinational corporations, many of which were controlled by American capital.1
• Government Policy: Provincial government policies contributed to increased corporate concentration within the sector.1

These changes marked a departure from the industry's earlier, more fragmented structure, ultimately leading to a shift where the volume of timber harvested in the interior began to exceed that of the coast by the early 1970s.1