LOS ANGELES — President-elect Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs on top trade partners China, Mexico and Canada would deal a blow to the $1.7 trillion U.S. transportation industry and worsen a nearly three-year trucking recession, sector experts said. The industry that moves everything Americans make and buy is considered an economic bellwether, and will be among the first to signal any unintended consequences of trade policies that Trump says will help, not hurt, U.S. businesses. …Virtually every transportation company operating in the United States is exposed to tariff-related revenue downturns. …Trump’s new tariffs on Mexico and Canada, in particular, would hit one of the rare growth areas for trucking. The value of cargo that moves between those countries and the U.S. – which includes finished vehicles, auto parts and avocados from Mexico as well as steel and lumber from Canada – reached $88.5 billion in September 2024, up 7.7% from the year-earlier.
ARKANSAS — News about lumber mill shutdowns is always disheartening, and South Arkansas has had its share of that in 2024. West Frasier mothballed its Huttig mill this year, putting 140 people out of work. AHT Products closed its flooring mill in Warren unexpectedly, putting another 130 out of a job. Fortunately, there’s no lack of good news in the timber industry. PotlatchDeltic brought its $131 million Waldo sawmill upgrade online. Teal Jones Group is staffing up its new $110 million mill in Plain Dealing, LA, and will employ 125. Georgia-Pacific said it will expand toilet tissue production in Crossett, creating 50 jobs in a $90 million expansion. Canfor has completed the purchase of Domtar’s former El Dorado mill and about $50 million worth of improvements have been made. Finally, Weyerhaeuser announced a $500 million facility near Monticello that will employ about 200 workers. …That’s roughly $800 million and almost 400 new mill jobs coming online. This is positive local economic news going into 2025.
VANCOUVER, BC — West Fraser Timber declared a quarterly dividend of US$0.32 per share on the Common shares and Class B Common shares in the capital of the Company, payable on January 14, 2025 to shareholders of record on December 27, 2024. Dividends are designated to be eligible dividends pursuant to subsection 89(14) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and any applicable provincial legislation pertaining to eligible dividends.
A material that’s been around since people built shelters – wood – is increasingly being proposed for low- and mid-rise buildings. Companies behind these “mass timber” projects say that wood is a lower-carbon alternative to steel or concrete and brings other benefits, such as faster construction time and lower cost than concrete and steel. Advocates say the wood materials, made of compressed layers of wood with glue, offer good fire safety as well. As an economist who studies forestry and natural resources, I took an interest in this building trend when I heard that a local bar on campus was going to be replaced by a 13-story building made out of wood. I see any increase in the use of wood in buildings as positive for reducing the substantial carbon footprint of buildings. But it is critical to consider where wood is sourced and whether forests are managed sustainably.
Through a partnership with FSC Canada, FSC US, FSC International and the 
FSC has extended the blockage period of a Chinese bamboo plywood manufacturer by 1.5 years for repeatedly making false claims on large volumes of bamboo plywood. Despite being blocked by FSC in 2022 for making false claims, FSC found evidence that the company recertified itself under a different name. The company did not disclose its certification history to the new certification body and continued to make false claims on its products despite being blocked by FSC. …FSC considers the actions and intentions of Anji Double Tiger (and Anji Shuanghu) to be a serious threat to the integrity of the FSC system. Thus, in accordance with FSC’s Advice Note 18, FSC has blocked the company till July 2027. FSC has evidence of how this company, operating under its two names, repeatedly made false claims. 
WASHINGTON — Workforce development organization 
Renewables are currently expected to account for 23% of U.S. electricity generation this year, increasing to 25% in 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, released Dec. 10. Renewables accounted for 22% of U.S. electricity generation last year. Biomass is currently expected to account for 2.18% of U.S. renewable electricity generation this year, falling to 2% next year. Biomass accounted for 2.44% of renewable electricity generation in 2023. According to the EIA, biomass is expected to be used to generate 20.6 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in 2024, increasing to 21.1 billion kWh in 2025. Biomass generation was at 21.4 billion kWh in 2023.
The value of U.S. tall oil exports to Finland and Sweden increased significantly last year, according to a report filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network. The increase is primarily attributed to increased demand for tall oil as an advanced biofuel feedstock. Both countries are expected to further expand their advanced biofuel production capacity over the next five years, and import demand for tall oil is forecast to grow accordingly. Tall oil is produced from back liquor generated by the pulping of wood.
