Economic Contributions of Forest Product Manufacturing in Fernandina Beach, Florida
Summary
The community of Fernandina Beach, Florida is home to three forest product manufacturing operations: Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. (“RYAM”) produces high-purity cellulose fibers; Smurfit Westrock produces paperboard and packaging materials; LignoTech Florida, LLC (“LignoTech”) produces lignosulfonates products. The RYAM and Smurfit Westrock mills source wood fiber from forests across northeast Florida and southeast Georgia, while LignoTech utilizes byproducts from the RYAM mill under a joint venture agreement.
The analysis considered annual operating revenues and employment in 2023–24, and capital improvement expenditures during the three year period 2021–23. The three companies reported combined direct employment of 1,445 full-time equivalent employees and $136 million in capital improvements.
Economic contributions of these three forest product manufacturing operations were analyzed, updating the results of a previous study for 2015. Economic contributions were estimated and detailed in the report for Nassau County, Florida, and for the 41-county wood resource region in NE-FL/SE-GA. In Nassau County, the economic contributions were 2,883 jobs, $1.218 billion in output, $442 million in value added, and $90.0 million in taxes. The economic contributions of forest product manufacturing by the three firms in Nassau County represented 6.6 percent of total county employment and 9.6 percent of county GDP in 2023.
Downloads
- Fact Sheet: Economic Contributions of Forest Product Manufacturing, Fernandina Beach, Florida
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Suggested citation: Court C.D. & Hodges, A.W. (2025). Economic Contributions of Forest Product Manufacturing, Fernandina Beach, Florida Fact Sheet. UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program, Food and Resource Economics Department, University of Florida.
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- Full Report: Economic Contributions of Forest Product Manufacturing, Fernandina Beach, Florida.
- Suggested citation: Court C.D. & Hodges, A.W. (2025). Economic Contributions of Forest Product Manufacturing, Fernandina Beach, Florida. UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program, Food and Resource Economics Department, University of Florida.
Suggested Webpage Citation
Economic Contributions of Forest Product Manufacturing, Fernandina Beach, Florida, March 2025, Christa D. Court, Alan W. Hodges