Westvaco Corp., a major manufacturer of paper, packaging and chemicals, reported third-quarter and nine-month sales and earnings, recently.

Westvaco, which includes a paper processing facility at Wickliffe, Ky., reported sales at $728 million the third quarter, down just 1 percent from the same period in 1997. Third-quarter earnings were $31.7 million.

Sales for the first nine months of 1998 were $2.2 billion, a 2 percent decline from last year. Earnings for the first nine months totaled $98.8 million, or 97 cents a share, down 11 percent from 1997.

Westvaco purchases timber from a number of Southern Illinois and Southeast Missouri timber growers.