"Some people may be surprised to hear that because they think, 'Paper, gee, everyone uses paper, that’s got to be a stable industry.' But paper production has actually been trending downward," says Dr. Walden, a North Carolina Cooperative Extension specialist.

"One reason is computers: More and more information and more and more reports being stored digitally rather than on paper, and this has reduced the demand for paper," he says. "Also as with many other industries there is now the element of foreign competition from paper producers in countries like Russia and China.

"So although this has been a really mainstay industry in North Carolina, it’s future is not secure," he concludes.