Region Archives: United States

Business & Politics

US Lumber Coalition comments on 2019 antidumping order, says majority of $7.2B paid to date by Canadian mills will go US Treasury

The US Lumber Coalition
September 16, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Zoltan van Heyningen

WASHINGTON — The US Lumber Coalition supports Canada’s decision to drop its appeal of the second administrative review of the antidumping order in the trade case against unfairly traded softwood lumber imports from Canada. This step finalizes the total antidumping liability for Canadian softwood lumber producers who dumped their product into the US market in 2019. …“With the conclusion of this appeal, Canadian lumber producers will now owe US taxpayers an additional $236 million. That liability reflects the high level of dumping that occurred in 2019 and sets the stage for a total estimated payment of $760 million once the anti-subsidy portion of that review is completed,” stated Zoltan van Heyningen, Executive Director of the U.S. Lumber Coalition. To date, Canadian softwood lumber producers have paid an estimated $7.2 billion in duties as a result of their unfair trade practices, the majority of which will be liquidated into the US Treasury.

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Insurance Association urges lawmaker action on Fix Our Forest Act

By Josh Recamara
Insurance Business Magazine
September 18, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) is pressing lawmakers to advance federal wildfire legislation, warning that inaction risks worsening losses for communities nationwide. …Sam Whitfield explained that federal reforms are essential to reduce wildfire risks, strengthen community resilience and protect lives and property. The House has passed its version of the Fix Our Forests Act, or H.R. 471, in January. In April, a companion bill, or S. 1462, was introduced in the Senate. Both bills align with recommendations from the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission. Provisions include reducing fuel loads in forests and rangelands, preventing utility infrastructure from sparking fires through vegetation management, and promoting community wildfire risk reduction. …The insurance industry has faced mounting wildfire-related losses. …Insurers have responded by tightening underwriting standards, reducing capacity in wildfire-exposed areas, and relying more heavily on reinsurance to absorb catastrophic risks.

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Industry trade groups slam proposed rail merger

By Rachel Frazin
The Hill
September 16, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

Trade associations representing various industries issued a letter Tuesday expressing “serious concerns” about a proposed merger between major rail companies Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific. “We write to express our serious concerns and reservations about the proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern,” said the letter, which came from trade associations representing manufacturing, chemical, energy and agriculture firms. “Past rail mergers have shown what happens when consolidation goes unchecked: service suffers, costs increase, and jobs disappear,” the trade groups wrote to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. …The railroad companies, however, have argued that the merger will be a benefit to the country, improving efficiency and allowing for more routes. …In addition to the American Chemistry Council, signatories of the letter include the American Petroleum Institute, International Dairy Foods Association and the American Forest and Paper Association.

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Wood Pulp Imported to U.S. Added to Duty-Free List Under New Executive Order

PaperAge
September 12, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

The American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA) announced that on September 5, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) making changes to EO 14257 from April. The new EO outlines what products and materials can enter the U.S. duty-free (zero percent tariffs). Three wood pulp tariff codes were added to the list. Pursuant to this new EO, imported wood pulp will come into the U.S. duty-free — an important development in the long-term trade and tariff policy discussion. This new list is meant to capture products and materials that are not produced in the U.S. — or not produced at scale. AF&PA has continuously made this argument for specific kinds of wood pulp, such as bleached eucalyptus kraft or BEK. … Importantly, this new EO also delegates authority to add items to the duty-free list to USTR and Commerce.

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How polluted is Cosmopolis’ defunct pulp mill? We don’t know, Washington state says

By Conrad Swanson
The Seattle Times in the Chronicle
September 11, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

Washington’s Department of Ecology is escalating its cleanup strategy for a once-prosperous pulp mill outside of Aberdeen, while its latest owner continues to push back against regulators. The first order of business is finding out just how bad pollution spread from the Cosmo Specialty Fiber mill, about 100 miles southwest of Seattle, is. State environmental regulators know the place is leaking acid and other toxics, sometimes in residential neighborhoods or into the Chehalis River, but they say the true scope of the contamination remains unknown. …The defunct mill’s current owner, Richard Bassett, has proved a difficult partner for state and federal officials, increasingly defiant as he struggles to reopen the site while arguing about the conditions there. Whether he can reopen the mill or not, Ha Tran, Ecology’s project coordinator for the site, said Bassett and past owners will be expected to clean up the site in Cosmopolis. 

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Sinking lumber market chills Trump’s timber ambitions

By Marc Heller
E&E News by Politico
September 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

EUGENE, Oregon — President Trump’s demand that the US increase timber output by a quarter is running into a math problem: Lumber companies may not make as much money on wood in the coming months. A steep drop in lumber futures prices nationally is jolting the wood products business just as the Trump administration is prodding the industry — including the government’s own forest managers — to ramp up production so the US doesn’t have to rely on imports. Futures prices on lumber at the end of last week dipped to $527 per MFBM, the lowest point in a year. For Weyerhaeuser, which operates a mill in Cottage Grove, Oregon, the pricing signal isn’t sounding alarms just yet. The mill’s in the middle of a multiyear modernization said representatives who figure the market is doing one of its usual seesaws. [to access the full story an E&E News subscription is required]

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Future of Domtar’s Glenwood sawmill in question after announcement

Southwest Arkansas News
September 11, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

GLENWOOD, Arkansas — Reports of a temporary shutdown at the Domtar Glenwood sawmill has left local residents wondering what the future holds for the mill. Word of the shutdown first came last week when Pike County Judge Eddie Howard… stated that Domtar officials had told him that a phased curtailment of the facility had begun immediately with the schedule showing everything would be down by Oct. 10. The judge added that he had been told that they would reevaluate the matter Dec. 1 with production possibly restarting at that time.Domtar officials said … it’s simply a question of supply and demand, and right now there’s way too much supply – interest rates and the economy have just led to less people building.” The sawmill, which employs approximately 150 people, could look to reopen after Dec. 1, but Howard said that could be tough assuming that their employees find other employment in the meantime.

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Arkansas State University Trustees name workforce training center ASU Three Rivers for West Fraser

By Ryan Anderson
The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette
September 13, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

JONESBORO — The Arkansas State University System board of trustees approved several policy changes during a meeting Friday at Arkansas State University. Trustees approved a policy to “ensure the efficient disposition of real property,” effective immediately. …Trustees also approved creation of a new hire and annual employee training policy — effective Jan. 1, 2026 — as the system doesn’t currently have a mandatory training policy. …Trustees approved naming the workforce training center at Arkansas State University Three Rivers for West Fraser for the next decade. …West Fraser “has made significant contributions to ASU Three Rivers, of a magnitude worthy of special gratitude and lasting recognition, including funding that will provide program support for workforce development and generous support through sponsorships, donations, resources, and collaboration that has created significant revenue for the college,” according to the resolution. …Over the past eight years, the college has collaborated on more than 15,000 training hours with West Fraser.

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Georgia-Pacific Announces $800 Million Capital Investment in Alabama River Cellulose Mill

By Georgia-Pacific
PR Newswire
September 10, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

PERDUE HILL, Alabama — Georgia-Pacific announced a new capital project for the company’s Alabama River Cellulose mill in Perdue Hill, Alabama. The $800 million investment will modernize and expand the facility’s production capabilities. The project, scheduled to begin in Q4, 2025 and conclude in 2027, will enhance and expand essential manufacturing equipment. This is expected to augment the mill’s operational efficiency and increase its production capacity by about 300 tons per day. Close to one million tons of fluff and market pulps will be produced yearly at the mill. A state-of-the-art digester, new pulp dryer and a more efficient power boiler will be installed. Modifications and upgrades will also be made to the brown stock washing and recausticizing systems, recovery boiler, evaporators and lime kiln. Once the project is completed, the Alabama River Cellulose mill will be the largest and one of the most technologically advanced softwood pulp mills in the US.

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Finance & Economics

2025 forest product trade trends

By George Lauriat, Editor in Chief
The American Journal of Transportation
September 16, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

…The all-out tariff war initiated by the Trump administration has thrown international trade into chaos and forest products are no exception and retaliation isn’t always in the form of more tariffs. For example, back in March the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) announced it was banning the imports of US logs. GACC stated that these suspensions were in response to recent detections of forest pests such as bark beetles and longhorn beetles in US shipments. …On August 22nd President Trump announced that the administration would complete a Section 232 investigation into imported furniture within 50 days. …Of course, in July President Trump signed an executive order to impose a 50% tariff on imports from Brazil which also includes wood and wood products which took effect on August 6th. The main forest product exemption to the tariff is imported Brazilian wood pulp. …In the short term, confusion in the forest product sector is likely to continue.

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US-Canada dispute threatens supply and American homeownership availability

By Julie Gedeon
The American Journal of Transportation
September 16, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Major concerns are being expressed on both sides of the border regarding the higher US duties on Canada’s softwood lumber. …The current 35.19% duty, along with any steeper tariff, is detrimental to US homebuilders and homebuyers longer term, warns Rose Quint, of NAHB Survey Research. Higher mortgage rates of 6% to 7% since 2022 have already weakened housing demand and caused lumber prices to edge downwards. The real effect of tariffs might be delayed by wholesalers having stocked up building materials earlier in the year to avoid higher tariffs “Years of building above and beyond our traditional baseline is required to make up the 1.5 million deficit that we have in new housing units,” Quint adds. …Affordability challenges already existed and will be further worsened by the higher costs. …The overriding hope among the Canadian producers and American homebuilders is that a suitable agreement will be reached between the US and Canada. 

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Trucking and other transport impacted by lumber dispute

By Julie Gedeon
The American Journal of Transportation
September 16, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Higher duty rate and possible additional tariffs have transportation modes on edge. The softwood lumber dispute threatens to have repercussions on various transportation modes, particularly trucking. “Our members are saying their business is still okay, even with the softer rates due to mill overcapacity, but they’re worried that if anyone pushes on this wall with more tariffs, there’s nothing to hold it up,” says Dave Earle, the BC Trucking Association’s CEO. …Trucking has already been dealing with the overcapacity that was put in place for the greater demands for deliveries for most everything during the pandemic but has not subsided. …In terms of rail services, CPKC has seen its forest product shipments rise this year to date based on revenue ton miles. …At the Port of Vancouver in British Columbia, the potential to export more lumber is significant with approximately half of last year’s containers leaving the port empty.

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US Builder Confidence Steady (at Low Levels) but Future Sales Expectations Hit Six-Month High

By Robert Dietz
NAHB Eye on Housing
September 16, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Builder sentiment levels remained unchanged in September but lower mortgage rates and expectations that the Federal Reserve will soon cut the federal funds rate led to higher future sale expectations. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was 32 in September, unchanged from the August reading. While builder sentiment has hovered at a relatively low reading between 32 and 34 since May, builders expressed optimism that a more favorable interest rate climate could bring hesitant buyers off the sidelines in the final quarter of 2025. NAHB expects the Fed to cut the federal funds rate at their meeting this week, which will help lower interest rates for builder and developer loans. Moreover, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage average is down 23 basis points over the past four weeks to 6.35%, per Freddie Mac. This is the lowest level since mid-October of last year and a positive sign for future housing demand.

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US Builders Stay Cautious as Single-Family Permits Extend Downtrend

By Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington
NAHB Eye on Housing
September 15, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Single-family housing permits slipped for the seventh month in a row, highlighting affordability headwinds and weak demand. While multifamily permits ticked up, the sector’s volatility leaves the outlook uncertain. The split underscores a housing market still under strain, with single-family softness weighing on broader growth prospects. Over the first seven months of 2025, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 565,208. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is a decline of 5.7% over the July 2024 level of 599,308. For multifamily, the total number of permits issued nationwide reached 286,836. This is 2.6% higher compared to the July 2024 level of 279,618.

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US Housing Starts Fall to Lowest Since May in Broad Decline

By Michael Sasso
Bloomberg Economics
September 17, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Housing starts in the US fell last month to the lowest since May, as bloated home inventory slowed builders’ appetites to boost production. New residential construction decreased 8.5% last month to an annualized rate of 1.31 million homes, government data released Wednesday showed. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economist was for 1.37 million starts. Meantime, starts of one-family homes fell 7% to an annualized 890,000, the lowest in more than a year. Multifamily construction, which has helped lift overall construction in recent months, also declined, falling nearly 12% to a three-month low. …Traders expect the Federal Reserve to trim interest rates multiple times this year, starting on Wednesday. And separate data out Wednesday showed mortgage rates fell last week to the lowest level in nearly a year, spurring a surge in refinancing.

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US consumer sentiment continues to point to vulnerabilities in the economy

By Joanne Hsu, Director
The University of Michigan
September 14, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

US consumer sentiment moved down less than three index points in early September. This month’s easing in economic views was particularly strong among lower and middle income consumers. Buying conditions for durables improved, while all other index components fell. Consumers continue to note multiple vulnerabilities in the economy, with rising risks to business conditions, labor markets, and inflation. Likewise, consumers perceive risks to their pocketbooks as well; current and expected personal finances both eased about 8% this month. Trade policy remains highly salient to consumers, with about 60% of consumers providing unprompted comments about tariffs during interviews, little changed from last month. Still, sentiment remains above April and May 2025 readings, immediately after the initial announcement of reciprocal tariffs. Year-ahead inflation expectations held steady at 4.8%, unchanged from August. Long-run inflation expectations moved up for the second straight month to 3.9% in September. This current reading is considerably lower than the 4.4% seen in April.

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EU Wood Pellets Consumption Expected To Expand In 2025

By Erin Krueger
Biomass Magazine
September 11, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

Wood pellet consumption in the European Union is expected to begin to rebound this year, reaching 23.45 million metric tons with increases for both residential and industrial use, according to a report filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network. According to report, EU consumption of wood pellets declined in 2023 and 2024 due to a mild winter, high stocks, lower power prices and power plant outages. Increased consumption in 2025 is also expected to push imports higher. The EU is expected to produce 20.5 million metric tons of wood pellets in 2025, up from 19.9 million in 2024 and 19.97 million in 2023. Imports are expected to reach 4.68 million metric tons this year, up from 4.48 million metric tons last year and 4.9 million metric tons in 2023. Exports are expected to reach 1.7 million metric tons in 2025, up from 1.66 million metric tons in 2024 and 1.17 million metric tons in 2023. 

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US inflation rises ahead of key interest rate decision

By Danielle Kaye
BBC News
September 11, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

US inflation rose in August at the fastest pace since the beginning of the year ahead of a key Federal Reserve meeting where it will decide whether to cut or hold interest rates. Consumer prices increased 2.9% in the year to August, up from 2.7% the previous month. The US central bank has kept interest rates unchanged since last year as policymakers continued to monitor the effect of President Trump’s import tariffs on consumer prices. …The Fed is widely expected to cut interest rates next week. The new data is unlikely to derail those forecasts but the uptick in inflation is poised to keep policymakers cautious as they weigh rate cuts in the months ahead. …As well as inflation, the Fed has become increasingly focused on job market weakness. …And on Thursday, the Labor Department reported a jump in weekly unemployment filings to 263,000 – the highest level in nearly four years.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Oregon timber town finds new life as sawmills adapt to sustainable building

By Ezra Kaplan
KPTV
September 16, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US West

PHILOMATH Ore. – When the Interfor sawmill shut down in Philomath, Oregon last year, it felt like more than a loss of jobs. It felt like a rupture in the town’s identity. The mill was the only one within city limits, and its closure eliminated more than 100 positions in a town of just under 6,000. …But six months later: Timberlab, a Portland-based company stepped in to buy the site, offering a second life not just for the property but for the town’s economic future. Timberlab specializes in mass timber. Timberlab’s work can be seen in parts of the new Portland International Airport and dozens of buildings across the region. “Back in the day, you used large trees for columns and beams,” said Timberlab Chief Executive Officer Chris Evans. “Now, with advances in technology, you can use small pieces of wood laminated together.”

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UMaine researchers are turning wood into medicine, and it could help cut drug costs

By Drew Peters
News Center Maine
September 12, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US East

ORONO, Maine — At the University of Maine, researchers are using wood to help make medicine more affordable. Researchers at UMaine are developing a method to extract glucose sugars from wood products like chips and sawdust and convert them into a chemical compound called (S)-3-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone, or HBL, a building block found in a variety of pharmaceutical drugs.  HBL has also been identified as a highly valuable precursor to a variety of chemicals and plastics by the U.S. Department of Energy. “We found a way to take advantage of what nature gives us in the sugars in wood,” said Professor Tom Schwartz, who leads the project. HBL is commonly used in medications to treat high cholesterol, as well as things like antibiotics and HIV inhibitors, and producing it the traditional way is expensive. Schwartz says their new method could cut manufacturing costs significantly.

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Forestry

Trump administration announces creation of U.S. Wildland Fire Service: What to know

By Zach Urness
Statesman Journal
September 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

@USForestService

The Trump administration announced the creation of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service in an effort officials said aims to “modernize wildfire management nationwide.” The move, announced Sept. 15 by the Department of Interior, would unify all wildland fire programs under one banner by January 2026. The two agencies said they’d work in “lockstep” to create the new service to “eliminate fragmentation, and deliver a forward-looking, mission-ready system that prioritizes common sense, efficiency, and results,” a news release said. A fire chief would be appointed to lead the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, who would “possess appropriate wildland fire management experience” and a full consolidation of firefighting operations would come together by Jan. 12, 2026, under Secretary’s Order 3443. …The new service would focus on five different priorities including inefficiencies in aviation systems, interagency coordination and response, federal partnerships, wildfire research, and integrating pre- and post-fire activities into a complete wildfire strategy.

 

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USDA and DOI Announce Bold Federal Reforms to Improve Nation’s Wildfire Response System

The US Department of Agriculture
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

US Secretary of Agriculture Rollins issued a new memorandum to modernize and strengthen America’s wildfire prevention and response system. Concurrently, US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum issued his own memorandum to streamline capabilities and strengthen federal, state, and local partnerships. ….“We started this work in the spring and have continually updated our policies and programs to properly manage our forests through common-sense timber production and management, protecting our national forests and grasslands for generations to come,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. …“We are cutting through the bureaucracy and building a unified, modern wildfire response system that works as fast and as fearlessly as the men and women on the front lines,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. …The USDA will unify operations, strengthen partnerships with state, Tribal, and local governments, and modernize tools and training to better protect American communities from the escalating threat of wildfire.

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Forest Service chief explains the need for active land management

By Kevin Lind
The Deseret News
September 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

For Tom Schultz, the 21st chief of the U.S. Forest Service, repealing the Roadless Rule is not a matter of ideology but rather a matter of “common sense land management.” Leaving land alone and letting nature run its course is not management, Schultz explained, but a “false narrative.” “The idea that if I care about something, I walk away from it,” Schultz said. “I guess I don’t buy that.” The Roadless Rule… prevented the building of roads through nearly 60 million acres of Forest Service land, conserving a small percentage of the overall American landscape from further development. Today, after carve outs by several states, the total acreage is closer to 45 million. …Schultz spoke with Deseret News to explain why it’s important to repeal the provision, why the administration is working so “expeditiously” to do so and what the public might expect from the prospect. 

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Forestry Institute for Teachers program returns this fall

The Plumas Sun
September 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Plumas County, California — The Forestry Institute for Teachers announces FIT-Focus, an immersive, three-day professional learning experience designed for both formal and informal educators from the preschool level to 12th grade and above. The program will be held from Oct. 17 – Oct. 19, in Meadow Valley. Program focuses on the tools, techniques and metrics that inform forest management, blending engaging, field-based instruction with real-world insights from subject-matter experts. “Whether you’re looking to deepen your content knowledge, explore new environmental education strategies or connect with like-minded educators, FIT-Focus provides the perfect setting — outdoors, in the forest,” says FIT. Participants receive access to environmental education curricula — Project Learning Tree Green Jobs, Our Forests, nature journaling — and focused pedagogy connecting field learning to Next Generation science standards, Common Core state standards and career technical education standards.

Related content, in the Daily Bulldog, Educators take to the woods during the 2025 Forests of Maine Teachers’ Tours hosted by Maine TREE Foundation

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Forest Stewardship Council U.S. Names Chestnut Carbon as the 2025 FSC President’s Award Winner

By Forest Stewardship Council – US
EIN Presswire
September 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

St. Louis, Missouri  — Forest Stewardship Council U.S. President Sarah Billig announced the second annual President’s Award at the organization’s 2025 Stewardship in Action Conference on Sept. 10 in St. Louis, Missouri. Chestnut Carbon, a leading developer of nature-based carbon removal projects, was selected as the winner. The President’s Award gives top-level recognition to this outstanding organization at the forefront of sustainable afforestation and improved forest management. The FSC U.S. President’s Award is the highest honor of the broader Leadership Awards program, which recognizes excellence in the use of FSC-certified products, materials, and commitment to responsible forest management across industries, as well as in advocacy, conservation and individual leadership in the FSC community. …Chestnut builds long-term projects that offset carbon emissions by cultivating biodiverse forest ecosystems, improving air and water quality, and supporting local communities. 

Additional coverage in News Channel Nebraska: Forest Stewardship Council US Announces 2025 Leadership Awards

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State scientists are planting thousands of Oregon Ash trees in invasive beetle territory, hoping to find rare natural resistance

By Karen Richards
Oregon Public Broadcasting
September 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Just outside Cottage Grove at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dorena Research Center, scientists are playing a numbers game: They’re growing thousands of Oregon Ash, sourced from up and down the West Coast, hoping to find the rare tree with genetic resistance to the Emerald Ash Borer. About one in 1,000 trees, or five of the 5,300 seedlings here, may be able to survive the beetle infestation, according to Dorena Center geneticist Richard Sniezko. “We’ve labeled each seedling, so when they’re planted out, there will be a tag on it. So we’ll know which parent tree it came off of.” It’s a gamble, but it could put the West Coast a step ahead of many other states, where people are now finding a few so-called “lingering,” living ash trees, and propagating them. …Oregon Ash grows from British Columbia to southern California.

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Lingít elders, Tongass advocates in Juneau gather in favor of keeping Roadless Rule

By Yvonne Krumrey
KTOO
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this summer it was moving to rescind the Roadless Rule, a 2001 law that protects large swaths of National Forest land from development. That includes more than half of the Tongass National Forest, where Juneau is located. On Saturday, more than 100 people gathered in the state capital to protest the move. …Alaska’s Congressional delegation unanimously supports the rollback of the Roadless Rule. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has said that most of the Tongass would still be protected without it — the parts of the forest that are already designated as wilderness. …But protesters say Alaskans have more to lose in risks to the land and waterways than what they have to gain through further development. Lingít elders and fishing and tourism industry experts took the mic Saturday to deliver a message: the Roadless Rule should be left alone.

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Cortez Masto, former women firefighters urge return of training program struck by anti-DEI cuts

By Jeniffer Solis
Idaho Capital Sun
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

©USDAFlickr

…The Women in Wildfire Boot Camp program was established in 2011 and continued for more than a decade before it was terminated because of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government. …At a July 10 U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, U.S. Forest Service Acting Chief Tom Schultz was asked to explain why the boot camp program was eliminated. He responded, “there are still ample opportunities for all firefighters to be trained without singling out solely women.” …U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, and six other senators on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee sent a letter to the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior on Friday requesting an explanation for the elimination of the boot camp program and its immediate reinstatement.

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The Secret Lives of Dead Trees

By Stephen Ornes
Scientific American
September 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Mark Harmon, a longtime faculty member at Oregon State University, has been watching number 219, and more than 500 other logs nearby, decay for 40 years. He has trekked to this site in the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest, a watershed nestled in Oregon’s western Cascade Mountains, at least 100 times. His goal: establish an exhaustive baseline dataset that any scientist could use to test hypotheses about tree decomposition or to compare patterns of decomposition in the Pacific Northwest with those in other regions. …In a 2020 analysis, Harmon and his colleagues estimated that decay rates can vary by a whopping 244-fold across species and climates. …Scientists used to assume that decomposition was instantaneous, Harmon says—that when a tree dies, it essentially disappears. “But that’s not true anywhere on Earth, and it’s never been true,” he says. A dead tree is “just a transition to something else.”

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US Forest Service seeks public comment over rescinding roadless rule: What to know

By Mariah Johnston
The Salem Statesman Journal
September 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The Trump administration is looking to finalize a repeal of a longstanding Roadless Rule with a public comment period that lasts until Sept. 19. …Environmental groups say removing the rule will threaten clean drinking water and allow for logging and roads on some of Oregon’s most iconic lands. Timber companies say that removing the rule will help mitigate wildfires, as well as support forest management moving to the hands of local officials. …The rule applies to 44.7 million acres in 10 Western states. …These are areas that have been off limits to logging and development for more than 20 years. The American Forest Resource Council says “rhetoric suggesting that rescinding the rule will result in unrestrained logging just isn’t based in reality.” Oregon Wild plans to focus on the importance of protecting areas with clean drinking water. …So far, the public comment board has recorded more than 98,000 comments. Maps of roadless areas in Oregon can be found here

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Over 2,000 sign petition to oust forest supervisor amid wildfire management concerns

By Mayra Franco
Fox 26 News
September 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Shaver Lake, Calif. — A new petition circulating online is calling for new leadership in the Sierra National Forest and the removal of current Supervisor Dean Gould. In less than two days, the petition has gathered more than 2,000 signatures. Frede Serrano, the organizer of the petition says the outcome shows a clear sign of public frustration with the current leadership, saying Gould is failing to protect the land. FOX26 spoke with residents on both sides of the aisle to hear their perspectives. …David John Hornor, long-time Shaver Lake resident says, he is against the petition and is in support of Gould. Hornor believes that Gould’s hands are tied by complex regulations and limited funding, making forest management a difficult balancing act.

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Trump wants to open forests to more trucks, logging. Which California lands are at risk?

By Ariane Lange
The Sacramento Bee
September 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture has moved to rescind the “roadless rule” that protects portions of national forests from development — including 4.4 million acres in California — and members of the public can still submit comments about the change to the federal government. Every national forest in California would be affected. Commenters can weigh in through the online form on regulations.gov through Sept. 19; the docket is FS-2025-0001-0001. Since 2001, the roadless rule has protected designated areas from development and logging, limiting or barring the construction or reconstruction of roads. About 21% of California’s national forestlands are protected. Throughout the U.S., the 2001 rule covers 59 million acres. The administration has said the move to end the rule would open up these forests to more logging and has said that more roads would help with wildfire prevention. As NPR reported, the U.S. Forest Service has previously found that roads appeared to do nothing to mitigate wildfires.

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Private timber lands restrict access due to vandalism and littering concerns

By Bobby Corser
KATU News
September 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

LINCOLN COUNTY, Oregon — Travelers exploring private timber lands along the Oregon Coast may encounter locked gates or restricted access, but this is not due to a desire to keep citizens off the property, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said. The closures are a response to increasing incidents of littering, vehicle abandonment, theft of forest products, and criminal mischief. Common acts of vandalism include property destruction by 4x4s and ATVs in unauthorized areas and damage to road access gates, officials said. These actions not only destroy the natural beauty of the forests but also incur costs for cleanup and repairs, which are paid by private timber companies and taxpayers.

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Invasive emerald ash borer has reached Portland, dooming ash trees

By April Ehrlich
Oregon Public Broadcasting
September 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

An invasive, tree-killing pest has made its way to Portland, spelling trouble for the many ash trees that cool residential neighborhoods on hot summer days. On Wednesday, Oregon forestry officials announced the discovery of an emerald ash borer infestation in the Hazelwood neighborhood in Northeast Portland. The affected trees will need to be removed. The emerald ash borer made its way to the US from Asia in 2002, first decimating ash trees across the Midwest. Many tree experts say it’s not a matter of if, but when Oregon’s ash trees endure a similar fate. Forestry officials say Oregon will lose 99% of its ash trees to this pest in time. …Oregon has its own native ash tree, the Oregon ash, which is prevalent around low-lying lakes, streams and rivers. Biologists worry that losing Oregon ash trees will make waterways more vulnerable in the face of climate change.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Forestry stakeholders call on Trump to promote biomass power, expand definition of woody biomass under Renewable Fuel Standard

By Erin Krueger
Biomass Magazine
September 15, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

The American Biomass Energy Association and Pellet Fuels Institute are among 400-plus associations, businesses and landowners representing the forest products sector that sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Sept. 8 urging immediate action to stabilize the U.S. forestry sector and its access to markets in the face of mounting mill closures, devastating natural disasters, pests and diseases, and unfair foreign trade practices. “Together, these forces are pushing many landowners to exit forestry altogether,” the groups wrote. “If forests are abandoned or converted, the consequences for our domestic timber supply, as well as markets for housing, infrastructure, consumer products, energy, rural livelihoods, and environmental security, will be severe.  …The letter outlines four immediate steps the Trump administration can take to spark job creation and economic growth. This includes promoting the use of biomass for electricity and expanding the definition of qualifying wood biomass under the Renewable Fuel Standard. 

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USA BioEnergy to transform old mill site into $2.8B biorefinery in Bon Wier by 2025

By Zoe Holman
6 KFDM
September 13, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

©USABioEnergy Facebook

Bon Wier, Texas — USA BioEnergy, in partnership with Texas Renewable Fuels, is set to convert the former Louisiana-Pacific plywood mill site on Farm to Market Road 363 into a $2.8 billion advanced biorefinery. The facility will transform forest byproducts, such as sustainably sourced wood waste and thinnings, into low-carbon fuels like renewable naphtha and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Governor Greg Abbott announced the project in 2022 with an initial $1.7 billion investment, which is expected to create over 140 permanent jobs. USA BioEnergy has secured more than 1,600 acres in Bon Wier for the refinery, aiming to turn an idle property into a clean energy hub by 2025. The refinery has entered a 20-year offtake agreement with Southwest Airlines for up to 680 million gallons of SAF.

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Health & Safety

See Tracks? Think Train® Week

Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
September 15, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, United States

See Tracks? Think Train® Week (formerly Rail Safety Week) is a concentrated week of rail safety education focusing attention on the importance of making safe choices when driving or walking near railroad tracks and trains. First held in the U.S. in 2017, this collaborative effort among Operation Lifesaver Inc., State Operation Lifesaver Programs and rail safety partners across the U.S., Canada and Mexico is now called See Tracks? Think Train® Week throughout the U.S. to better reflect the purpose of this week-long observance: Preventing railroad crossing and trespass incidents across North America and concentrating public attention on the need for rail safety education. OLI offers free See Tracks? Think Train® Week materials – including posters, billboards, a month-long social media calendar filled with assets and more for rail safety partners and supporters to increase awareness about the importance of rail safety education across the country.

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U.S. Forest Service reverses course, issues masks to wildland firefighters but keeps ban in place

By Fedor Zarkhin
Fire Rescue 1
September 11, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States

The US Forest Service will begin providing wildfire crews with masks to protect against smoke, reversing a decades-long policy banning protective gear after The NY Times spotlighted severe health impacts from smoke exposure. For decades, federal wildland firefighters were not given masks, even as researchers and labor groups warned of the long-term risks, the Times found. The Forest Service said masks could cause firefighters to overheat. …The agency now recommends masks for light use, though still bans it for arduous work. …FireRescue1 readers respond: “The policy is preposterous. No one makes such excuses for structural firefighting, where the heat load is much, much greater.” …“Heat stress is a short-term condition that can be immediately remedied by mandatory rest and work cycle adjustment. Lung issues usually last forever. A better respirator that is slimmer, lighter and maintainable needs to be created and the forest service needs to use them.

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Forest Fires

Oregon wildfire updates: Emigrant, Foley Ridge fires continue to burn

By Haleigh Kochanski
The Register-Guard
September 15, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US West

Two wildfires continue to burn in steep, heavily forested terrain in rural parts of Lane County. The Register-Guard is tracking weather updates, warnings, evacuations and fires. Here’s what you need to know. Foley Ridge Fire: Expect long delays on OR 242: The lightning-caused Foley Ridge Fire is burning just south of OR-242 east of McKenzie Bridge in Lane County. It was first reported on Sept. 6 and has burned at least 414 acres at 0% containment. …Emigrant Fire: On the morning of Sept. 15, the Emigrant Fire, burning in a rural area 20 miles southeast of Oakridge, was reported at 32,347 acres and 34% containment.

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Forest History & Archives

This Remote Forest in Idaho Looks Like a Giant “Chessboard”

By Harry Baker
NASA in Live Science
September 9, 2025
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: United States

IDAHO — A bizarre checkerboard pattern etched into the forests of northern Idaho has captured global attention after an astronaut aboard the International Space Station snapped a striking image of the area from space. The photo reveals an enormous grid of dark and light squares surrounding the Priest River, forming a vast natural “chessboard” that spans several miles. The geometric arrangement is the result of a land management strategy dating back nearly two centuries, intended to balance timber harvesting with forest regeneration. …The image was taken on January 4, 2017, by an unnamed astronaut with the NASA/ISS program. …The origins of the chessboard pattern date back to a forest management initiative developed in the 1800s. Timber was selectively harvested from alternating squares, leaving the others untouched to maintain ecological balance and promote regeneration.

 

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