La industria del aserrío mecánico en Galicia, 1856-1935

Since the early 20th century the Galician forest sector has experienced a continuous increase in activity; it is now one of the main producers in Spain. This article examines the origins and evolution of first-stage wood processing industries (or sawmills) during the 1856-1935 period, outlining their quantitative development and main lines of innovation. Following in the steps of prior research, various well-known and highly-valued quantitative and qualitative sources were used to estimate the demand and availability of raw materials, the annual timber production in private forests and, building upon this, the evolution of the area dedicated to maritime pine in Galicia. During this timeframe development of sawmills was favoured by the abundance and pronounced growth of maritime pine, changes in the structure of land ownership and increased wood demand by industries such as mining, construction and horticulture. However, most of the factories were very small, employed few workers, had low levels of capitalisation and a high degree of dispersion, specialising in the production of low value-added products.