Region Archives: United States

Business & Politics

International Paper statement regarding possible offer for DS Smith

International Paper
April 4, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

MEMPHIS, Tennissee — International Paper confirms that significant progress has been made in reciprocal due diligence as facilitated by the DS Smith Board and Management, and that it is now in a position to provide shareholders with more detail on the type and quantum of synergies it believes would arise from the Combination. Corrugated packaging solutions is a core component of DS Smith’s business. Due diligence has confirmed International Paper’s belief that the Combination will significantly strengthen the combined packaging business and customer offerings. …Mark Sutton, CEO, said: “Bringing International Paper together with DS Smith is a logical next step in International Paper’s strategy to create value by strengthening our packaging businesses in North America and Europe.”

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Legislation addressing biochar production allows Toledo-based Rake Force to improve operations

By Emily Fitzgerald
The Chronicle
April 10, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

TOLEDO, Washington — Thanks to a bill signed by Gov. Jay Inslee last month, Toledo-based agroforestry and conservation startup Rake Force can now use flame cap kilns to produce biochar. The legislation passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate. “It’s a big win for Rake Force and a big win for conservation efforts throughout the state,” Rake Force co-founder Jake Dailey said. A charcoal-like substance made from organic agricultural and forestry waste that is partially combusted with little to no oxygen, biochar is gaining popularity in agriculture as a soil amendment capable of improving soil health and sequestering carbon. …Rake Force has been making biochar out of cleared biomass on a small scale… but the state Department of Natural Resources did not distinguish flame cap kilns from burn barrels, making it impossible for Rake Force to apply for burn permits for larger production.

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Business, government leaders seek new buyer to save one of western Montana’s sawmills

By Austin Amestoy
Montana Public Radio
April 6, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

More than 30 business leaders and government officials met in Missoula Friday to discuss ways to keep western Montana’s wood products industry afloat after two sawmills announced closures last month. There are potential buyers for one of the mills. Pyramid Mountain Lumber in Seeley Lake and Roseburg Forest Products in Missoula have both said they would soon shut down. But, following Friday’s meeting discussing the closures, local economic leaders said they’re optimistic one of the plants might stay open. Grant Kier leads the Missoula Economic Partnership and helped organize the meeting. He said representatives from potential buyers interested in purchasing Pyramid Mountain Lumber were in attendance. …Missoula County Commissioner Josh Slotnick told MTPR the federal government floated the idea of helping buyers secure $40 to $60 million in financing to modernize the sawmill.

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Oregon’s Historic C&D Lumber in Riddle, Oregon is closing

By Mike Rogoway
Oregon Live
April 6, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

C&D Lumber in Riddle, Oregon, is closing after more than 130 years. Founded in 1890 by Alfred Johnson in Southern Oregon’s Coos County, C&D is renowned for producing the highest quality products. The sixth-generation, family-owned and operated business, has weathered many storms through the decades. However, the unprecedented challenges facing the industry today—from market fluctuations, increasing operational costs, to timber supply issues—have made it impossible for C&D “to envision a sustainable future for the company.” …“The decision to close was not made lightly. We extend our deepest gratitude to all our employees, past and present, for their hard work, dedication, and passion. Their contributions have been the backbone of C&D Lumber, distinguishing us in a competitive industry. We also thank our customers, suppliers, and community for their unwavering support and partnership over the years.” The Johnson Family plans to continue management and growth of C&D Lumber’s sister company, Silver Butte Timber.

In related coverage: Virgle Osborne Decries local lumber shutdown

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Former Allegheny Wood Products owner now facing criminal charges after plant closure

By Chris Lawrence
West Virginia MetroNews
April 10, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

MOOREFIELD, West Virginia — The former president of the now defunct Allegheny Wood Products has been hit with criminal charges in Hardy County Magistrate Court over failed payment to a pair of independent loggers. A criminal complaint, filed March 25 by Hardy County Sheriff Steve Dawson, charged John W. Crites Jr. with two felony counts of obtaining goods by means of false pretense. Court documents indicated loggers Mark Rexrode and Victoria Dyer each delivered loads of logs to the Allegheny Wood Products yard. The checks used to pay both individuals bounced because the account with United Bank had been frozen. …Crites’ attorney said.. “The bank declared a default and froze AWP’s operating accounts. For valid reasons, people are angry. Yet, a company not paying bills after a bank seizes its money doesn’t rise to the level of a criminal case. This is a civil matter. …The criminal charges should be dismissed”.

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SFPA/SLMA hosts 2024 Spring Meeting for Southern Pine Lumber Community

LBM Journal
April 10, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Southern Pine lumber was front and center during the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association’s and Southern Forest Products Association’s 2024 Spring Meeting held March 20-22 at The Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. The 2024 Spring Meeting brought 246 Southern Pine industry professionals together representing 154 companies directly involved with the production of Southern Pine lumber, from sawmills to equipment manufacturers to service providers. A trade expo was also held during the spring meeting, with 39 companies showcasing their services to support the manufacturing and delivery of Southern Pine lumber. “This was a can’t-miss opportunity to network within the Southern Pine industry,” said Bryan Smalley, SLMA’s president.

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Peak Renewables in late stages of commissioning pellet plant in Dothan, Alabama

By Maria Church
Biomass Magazine
April 9, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Peak Renewables’s flagship pellet plant in Dothan, Alabama—a joint venture with Rex Lumber—is in the late stages of commissioning. With a 150,000 tons-per-year nameplate capacity, the plant will run 100% on dry shavings. Peak Renewables’ unique ownership structure as one of six vertically integrated companies owned by the Brian Fehr Group, as well as its ability to refurbish and relocate equipment from other acquired assets, resulted in an impressive turnaround. Groundbreaking to start-up took just nine months. ….The joint venture with Rex Lumber is both in the company’s ethos of partnering locally and a practicality of today’s market, Woolard says. Rising capital costs, fiber costs, transportation costs—the list goes on to whittle away at the bottom line for pellet producers. …With their Sustainable Biomass Program certification and Europe’s Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification in hand, Dothan’s wood pellets will soon be heading overseas.

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Canfor to close aging Jackson, Alabama mill, expand nearby Fulton facility

By Canfor Corporation
Cision Newswire
April 10, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

ALABAMA — Canfor Corporation announced that it will optimize its footprint in southern Alabama by permanently closing its Jackson facility and expanding production at its Fulton facility with a second shift. These steps, together with the previously announced construction of a new, state-of-the art greenfield sawmill in Axis, will grow the Company’s regional manufacturing platform by 100 million board feet of production capacity and consolidate operations at modern facilities that are well positioned to be competitive for the long-term. …Lee Goodloe, President, Canfor Southern Pine said, “To this end, we are making the difficult decision to close the aging Jackson mill at the end of June, while expanding production at our nearby Fulton facility. …We expect the majority of our [Jackson] employees will have an opportunity at either our expanded operation in Fulton, which will add a second shift, or in Axis once the new facility opens later this year.”

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Internationally renowned forestry expert dies at 90

Legacy
April 6, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Hester Barres

Mystic, Connecticut — Herster Barres, an internationally renowned forestry expert who pioneered programs to combat climate change and diversify crops for small farmers, died March 7, 2024, at Yale New Haven Hospital after a short illness. He was 90. Dr. Barres founded and directed the nonprofit organization, Reforest The Tropics (RTT), which today manages more than 1480 acres of research forests on 17 farms in Costa Rica. More than 100 U.S. forest sponsors rely on over 500,000 trees planted on these farms (over the past 25 years) to offset their carbon emissions. “He single-handedly conceived of an improved reforestation model that solved many of the historical challenges to long-term forestry projects on private farms,” said Greg Powell, who took over as RTT director when Dr. Barres retired in 2019. …After graduating from Yale University and the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, he earned a doctorate from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. 

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AHF Products Announces Acquisition of Two Sawmills

Floor Covering Weekly
April 5, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

MOUNTVILLE, Pennsylvania — AHF Products announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire assets related to Allegheny Wood Products’ (AWP) sawmills in Smoot, Greenbrier County, and Norton, Randolph County. According to AHF president & CEO Brian Carson… AHF will retain approximately 80 direct jobs at the two mills, which were originally slated to close at the end of March, and is expected to create approximately two times that, with new jobs being created for loggers, truckers and suppliers in the region. The supply of Eastern hardwood lumber in the U.S. is currently 65% of what it was pre-pandemic and 40% of what it was before 2007. The purchase of the two sawmills recovers 100% of the lumber supply AHF would have lost due to the closure of AWP. These two mills combined will supply 25 million board feet annually.

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CEO of Beadles Lumber and Beal Award recipient dies at 87

Legacy
April 7, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Clarence Victor Beadles

GEORGIA — Clarence Victor Beadles, III, a 65-year resident of Moultrie, passed away on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at the age of 87. Mr. Beadles attended and graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Beadles soon became the Chairman and CEO of Beadles Lumber Company, a wholesale manufacturer of southern yellow pine lumber. His professional contributions to the lumber industry included being a founding member, board member, and President of the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association. He was also a board member representing the State of Georgia on the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau and served on the Norfolk Southern Advisory Board. He was appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue to serve two terms as a board member of the Georgia Forestry Commission. He was the recipient of the Beal Award for his outstanding service to the southern pine lumber industry.

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Finance & Economics

Random Lengths concludes industry consultation, seeks additional input on pair of items

By Joe Pruski
RISI Fastmarkets
April 9, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Fastmarkets has collected feedback from the industry on pricing methodologies for Random Lengths and Random Lengths International as part of its annual methodology review. …Beginning with the lumber report on June 20, Random Lengths will publish assessed fingerjointed stud prices, delivered Dallas, Texas, for ES-LP, Fir&Larch, and Western S-P-F. …Random Lengths will also make changes to the veneer report beginning on June 21, but will seek additional industry feedback until Friday, May 3. Random Lengths is proposing to eliminate all Douglas Fir 1/8-inch CD items and Douglas Fir AB-Grade. Respondents supported the discontinuation of those items, but favored keeping White Woods 1/6-inch CD in all widths. Random Lengths will publish its final decision for price guide changes to veneer on May 13. …Additionally, Random Lengths will move forward with a European Spruce #2 2×4 assessment, but is extending the feedback period. 

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Green Building Trends, Motivations, and Challenges

By Onnah Dereski
NAHB – Eye on Housing
April 8, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

NAHB and the Dodge Construction Network published research on the prevalence of green building in The Building Sustainably: Green & Resilient Single- Family Homes 2024 SmartMarket BriefThe research found that the overall share of home builders classifying more than half their projects as green is at 34% for 2023 a one-percentage point increase from 2019. Similarly, for remodelers, this figure stands at 22%, a five-percentage point increase from 2019. …The largest proportion for both builders and remodelers are those with “no green engagement”. However, these numbers have diminished since the 2019 report, decreasing two percentage points for builders and seven percentage points for remodelers. Following those with no green engagement, are those with “little green engagement” (1-50% green projects). For builders, the next highest share is “dedicated green builders” (more than 90% green projects), and then “green builders” (51-90% green projects). The opposite is true for remodelers with the least prevalent share being dedicated green builders. 

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Enviva Receives NYSE Notice Regarding Delayed Form 10-K Filing

Enviva Inc.
April 8, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

BETHESDA, Maryland — Enviva announced that on April 2, 2024, the Company received notice from the New York Stock Exchange that it is not in compliance with Section 802.01E of the NYSE Listed Company Manual due to a delay in filing its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The NYSE Notice has no immediate effect on the listing of the Company’s common stock on the NYSE. Under the NYSE’s rules, the Company will have six months from April 1, 2024 to file the Form 10-K with the SEC. …If the Company fails to file the Form 10-K within the six-month period, the NYSE may, in its sole discretion, grant an extension of up to six additional months for the Company to regain compliance.

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U.S. Economy Added 303,000 Jobs in March

By Jing Fu
NAHB – Eye on Housing
April 5, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Job growth accelerated in March, following a strong gain in February. Furthermore, the unemployment rate fell to 3.8%. March’s jobs report shows that the labor market remains resilient despite elevated interest rates. The strong job numbers likely reduce prospects for a Federal Reserve rate cut in the near-term (NAHB has just two rate cuts in our forecast for 2024). Also, for March 2024, we saw the wage growth slow down. On a year-over-year basis (YOY), wages grew 4.1% in March, the lowest annual gain since June 2021. Wage growth is positive if matched by productivity growth. If not, it can be a sign of lingering inflation. …In March, the unemployment rate fell to 3.8%, from 3.9% in February. The number of unemployed persons declined by 29,000 to 6.4 million, while the number of employed persons rose by 498,000. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate rose two percentage points to 62.7%. 

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Doubts Creep In About a Fed Rate Cut This Year

By Eric Wallerstein
The Wall Street Journal
April 8, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Wall Street’s expectation that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates several times this year has helped power stocks to records. Now, some investors think the central bank might not cut rates at all. After the latest blockbuster jobs report Friday showed continuing strength in the economy, more traders are betting the Fed may cut the benchmark federal-funds rate just once or twice this year, fewer than officials’ last median forecast of three quarter-point cuts. And a handful are even starting to wager that the central bank will leave rates where they are. The shift could pose a challenge to a stock-market rally. …Investors will get a new perspective with Wednesday’s release of the consumer-price index. Inflation has cooled significantly from 40-year highs, but two months of hotter-than-expected readings have helped reinforce the Fed’s wait-and-see approach to cuts. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Mass Timber Construction Is Evolving Rapidly

By Boyce Thompson, editor and author
Common \ Edge
April 8, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

A few years ago, architects who staked an early claim on mass timber construction had to convince clients to take a chance on an exciting new approach. They would talk about faster build times and quicker leasing, sidestep the lack of comparable projects, downplay the technical challenges, and close with a statement about the environmental imperative of sequestering carbon in buildings. That was then. Today, owners and developers seek out architects who did the first generation of timber buildings. The architects and engineers interviewed for my new book, Innovations in Mass Timber, to be published in May 2024, report a growing project backlog. Woodworks, a trade association that tracks the industry, documents 18% to 20% annual growth in projects planned or completed (roughly 2,000) in the United States. Mass timber caught on faster in Europe, which accounts for half of the worldwide volume, according to a report from Allied Market Research.

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Mass timber is creating office environments worth rooting for

Think Wood
April 9, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

Design teams are using mass timber to differentiate their office projects. Watch Think Wood’s newest video to hear industry leaders from DLR Group, Hines, Kevin Daly Architects, and Arup discuss how mass timber is reshaping modern office construction by leveraging the environmental and sustainable benefits and the aesthetic appeal of the building material itself. Not to mention the impact mass timber can have on employee well-being and productivity! “The successful use of carbon-neutral materials like mass timber in the built environment is challenging the whole industry to think differently about what materials we’re using and how this helps inform the spaces we’re designing,” said Danielle Anderson, Senior Associate and Senior Interior Designer, DLR Group

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Seattle’s Skyline Set to Go Green: Mass Timber Emerges as Affordable High-Rise Construction Solution

By Weber Thompson
Archinect
April 9, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

SEATTLE, WA – Building a hybrid mass timber high-rise is now nearly as cost-effective as building a comparable concrete tower. This could be great news for both the environment and renters in the Seattle area. A new study co-authored by PCL Construction, DCI Engineers, and Weber Thompson examines the decreasing costs of mass timber construction and its potential to expand residential space in densely populated urban regions. Intermediate high-rise towers (180 feet or shorter) are often under-built in urban areas due to an unfortunate intersection of construction cost and code requirements. Even if the zoning allows, many developers forgo developing high-rise residential projects that are under 200 feet due to the cost of concrete construction at this scale. Mass timber construction provides an alternative that can be cost-competitive or more economical under the right circumstances – paving the way for the construction of more buildings in the intermediate tower height zone, and potentially increasing housing density.

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Technology reigns at Corona Millworks’ new facility

By Karen M. Koenig
Woodworking Network
April 4, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

Tolleson, Arizona — Corona Millworks’ newest facility in Tolleson, Arizona, is abundant with state-of-the-art equipment for efficient manufacturing of its cabinet doors, drawer boxes, and other components. Along with the seamless production that comes with incorporating Industry 4.0 technology, the company also can collect and analyze data to optimize order entry, estimating/pricing, inventory management, production scheduling, and machine maintenance. Headquartered in Chino, California, Corona Millworks is #175 in the FDMC 300, a ranking of the largest wood products manufacturers in North America. 2023 sales were approximately $40 million and are projected to grow 10 to 15 percent for 2024 as the company continues to ramp up production. …The newly built 80,000-square-foot facility represents an investment in excess of $10 million by Corona Millworks to grow not only its future but also its customers’ businesses.

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Forestry

Loss of local wood manufacturing will affect you

Letter by Tom Perry, Missoula
The Missoulian
April 9, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

There is an even larger impact on our local economy beyond the significant loss of direct and indirect jobs from the impending closure of Pyramid Mountain Lumber. The mill directly affects the flow of revenue to our community’s education system and local infrastructure. State Trust lands are managed to return revenue to the school trust to fund our public school system. Forest products have been the backbone of state trust land revenue for generations. Without a mill to sell logs to, the state will not be able to generate revenue from managing forests. ….In the short term it will mean less money for public education. …Without mills, and a strong network of foresters and logging contractors this money is off the table. …There are two likely outcomes … either taxes will go up, or the funding available for education and road maintenance will go down.

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New report ‘braids’ Indigenous and Western knowledge for forest adaptation strategies against climate change

By James Urton
University of Washington
April 10, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

A report by a team of 40 experts outlines a new approach to forest stewardship that “braids together” Indigenous knowledge and Western science to conserve and restore more resilient forestlands. The report provides foundational material to inform future work on climate-smart adaptive management practices for USDA Forest Service land managers. “Our forests are in grave danger in the face of climate change,” said Cristina Eisenberg, an associate dean of forestry at Oregon State University. “By braiding together Indigenous knowledge with Western science, we can view the problems with what is known as ‘Two-Eyed Seeing’ ”. Eisenberg co-led the report team with Susan Prichard, a fire ecologist at the University of Washington. …Other members of the core leadership team are Paul Hessburg, a senior research ecologist with the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station, and Michael Paul Nelson, a professor and director of the Center for the Future of Forests and Society at OSU.

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A government proposal to kill a half-million barred owls in Northwest sparks controversy

By Clare Marie Schneider
Oregon Public Broadcasting
April 8, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

A proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to kill roughly half a million barred owls to protect the spotted owl has conservationists and animal welfare advocates debating the moral issue of killing one species to protect another. Dozens of wildlife protection and animal welfare organizations signed a letter opposing the November proposal. A group of 75 organizations urged Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, to scrap what it calls a “reckless” plan. “Non-lethal management actions to protect spotted owls and their habitats should be made the priority action,” it read. But the USFWS says if no action is taken to cull the barred owl population, the northern spotted owl faces extinction. …To ensure the survival of the northern spotted owl, a threatened species, the service is proposing the mass removal of over 470,000 barred owls across California, Washington and Oregon over a three-decade span.

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Why forest service firefighters are prepping now for wildfire season in California

By Lora Painter
ABC News 10 San Diego
April 8, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

CALIFORNIA — Peak wildfire season in California is a few months away, and the wet weather could create more fuel to burn when that time comes. Despite rain and snow still in the forecast, firefighters are preparing now for wildfire season, and new changes are coming to the firefighting workforce. With fires growing in size and duration and the needs and costs for staffing, the U.S. Forest Service is pivoting to a new business model it says will offer more flexibility when responding to wildfires. “In order to keep that workforce going and to continue to feed the system of leadership throughout the workforce, we’re constantly bringing in new folks,” said Alex Robertson with the U.S. Forest Service. There’s been a growing strain on the wildland firefighting workforce as fires become larger and more involved. In past years, a shortage of top-level type 1 teams has resulted in type 2 teams taking on bigger assignments.

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I was a wildfire fighter for six years. The reason they’re quitting is simple.

By Christopher Benz, writer, past firefighter
The Washington Post
April 8, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

…In wildfires, safety depends on your co-workers. There’s luck and there’s the strength to resist stupidity, but often you rely on the experience level of the person beside you. The U.S. Forest Service is losing experience. Federal firefighters are quitting. Leadership is leaving. Recruitment is abysmal. The reason is simple: The government hasn’t significantly raised pay in decades. Thirty years ago, a fire job could afford you a modest home. The value proposition was fair — work a year’s worth of hours in one summer and come away with a year’s pay. But wages have barely gone up since then. …Lately, longer fire seasons subject firefighters to weeks of eight-hour days in spring and fall. No overtime, no hazard pay — missing family, and usually, still on call 24 hours a day. …As firefighters quit, it guts crews of experience, leadership and tradition. The firefighters who remain will be less safe. So will homes. [Full access to this story requires a Washington Post subscription]

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Q&A: Johnson calls criticism of his forestry hearing ‘absurd’

By Seth Tupper
South Dakata Searchlight
April 6, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Dusty Johnson resents the implication that he’s looking out for the timber industry at the expense of the Black Hills National Forest. “The idea that anyone in government wants to allow the timber industry to cut what they want to cut is absurd,” Johnson told South Dakota Searchlight. “I think it does a tremendous disrespect to this process.” Johnson, a Republican who is South Dakota’s lone U.S. representative, disliked a recent commentary written by retired U.S. Forest Service employee Dave Mertz and published by Searchlight. Mertz wrote the commentary in response to Johnson’s March 2 forestry roundtable discussion in Spearfish. “Repeatedly,” Mertz wrote, “panelists stated what the timber industry needs. Never was there any concern for what level of timber harvesting the forest needs.” …The researchers said wildfires and a mountain pine beetle epidemic drastically reduced the number of trees suitable for logging.

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Kootenai National Forest plans spring prescribed burns

The Western News
April 5, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The Kootenai National Forest is conducting spring prescribed fire projects when weather, fuel conditions and air quality become favorable. Each project follows a prescribed fire burn plan. The prescribed fire projects are located and designed to be controlled to reduce the potential for adverse effects. Robust scientific data shows that strategically placed prescribed fire and mechanical treatments are vital to reducing forest fuels, lowering catastrophic wildfire risks and slowing or stopping the progression of wildfires. These projects will comply with Montana air quality standards and guided by the Montana/Idaho State Airshed Group to reduce the impacts of smoke to our neighbors, cooperators and surrounding communities.  Land and fire managers may opt to cease firing operations early, on the day of ignitions, for smoke dispersal or other factors.

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Pacific Northwest federal, state agencies to collaborate on prescribed fire, smoke management to confront wildfire crisis

By Suzanne Skadowski
The US Environmental Protection Agency
April 5, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

SEATTLE – State and federal agencies and departments in Oregon and Washington have agreed to collaborate on addressing the escalating wildfire crisis by increasing use of prescribed fire and other forest fuel management strategies at larger geographic scales while also increasing outreach to nearby communities as these strategies are deployed. These strategies reduce forest fuels on the ground and allow for strategic burning that minimizes community and public health impacts relative to impacts from uncontrolled wildfires. “One of the best tools we have for making our forests more resilient against catastrophic wildfires is controlled burning,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller. “The agreement will help to ensure federal and state agencies are working together using the best science to identify where and when prescribed fires will occur, bringing local communities into the conversation, and providing resources to residents to prepare for smoke and have access to clean indoor air.”

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Timber industry won’t concede defeat in national monument battle, experts say

By Mateusz Perkowski
The Capital Press
April 5, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

SOUTHERN OREGON — Though the U.S. Supreme Court won’t review the legality of a national monument expanding onto Oregon forestland prioritized for logging, the timber industry isn’t yet conceding defeat. The nation’s highest court recently refused to weigh in on the near-doubling of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon, ending seven years of litigation over the issue. However, the timber industry’s legal and political experts still believe the broader controversy over national monuments restricting logging and grazing will probably result in a precedent-setting Supreme Court decision. …Debates over public lands management will likely get more widespread and contentious due to the federal government’s “30 by 30” initiative, which aims to impose conservation measures on 30% of American lands by 2030, Clark Judge said. “The fastest way to get to 30% is to impose the Antiquities Act”. 

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Flathead Forest Approves Round Star Logging Project

By Tristan Scott
The Flathead Beacon
April 6, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

After more than two years of analysis, and as part of an ongoing effort by land management agencies to reduce wildfire hazards in the region’s wildland-urban interface (WUI), Flathead National Forest officials announced they’ve issued a final decision notice and environmental assessment approving a timber project on a 28,300-acre segment of the Tally Lake Ranger District west of Whitefish. Called the Round Star Project and first proposed in December 2021, the plan calls for commercial timber harvests on up to 6,324 acres and non-commercial vegetation treatments on up to 2,866 acres, as well as the construction of more than 20 miles of new roads. Implementation of the project could begin as early as June 1. According to the final decision notice signed by Tally Lake District Ranger Bill Mulholland, approximately 92% of the Round Star project area is in the WUI, where the project would reduce tree densities and fuel loading on a total of 9,190 acres of forest.

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Forest supervisor seeks to set record straight on water quality and management practices

Mike Chaveas, Shawnee & Hoosier National Forests
The Herald-Times
April 11, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

You deserve to have the facts about how the Forest Service cares for our public forests and wildlife. That’s why I’m compelled to set the record straight concerning some recent inaccurate claims about the scale of our management, the reasons for it and its impacts. In this column on water quality — part two of a series — I’ll share information on laws, facts and scientific data and consensus that help us determine how to manage our public lands. We’ve heard concerns about how forest management may affect water quality. The Forest Service was founded with a mission to protect water quality, and we continue that mission by managing for diverse, healthy forests and restoring stream health in and around the Hoosier National Forest. For example, we remove under-sized culverts and restore stream flow with future sustainability in mind. This decreases sedimentation and improves aquatic wildlife habitat.

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Scientists from dozens of countries coming to Purdue for forestry collaboration in Science-i Bridging Worlds Workshop

By Lindsey Berebitsky
Purdue University
April 9, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — In the summer of 2023, the skies throughout the Upper Midwest were hidden behind a blanket of smoke. …The gray haze had come all the way from forest fires in Canada. Jingjing Liang, an associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, said that the whole world feels the impacts of deforestation and forest degradation in different ways. “The forest ecosystem is a global commodity. We share their risks and benefits, so everybody is responsible for protecting the forests.” In the spirit of building a community to manage and protect the world’s forests, Liang and his colleagues in Science-i created the Global Big Ideas Competition and the Bridging Worlds Workshop. The workshop will be held at Purdue on May 6-7, with an optional reception May 5. Anyone is welcome to attend the free event and can register online by April 12.

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University of Cincinnati wraps up long-term study of Ohio forest damaged by tornado

By Michael Miller
University of Cincinnati
April 9, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

A long-term study at the University of Cincinnati has documented the rise of invasive species in a forest devastated by a tornado 25 years ago. The EF-4 tornado on April 9, 1999, carried wind speeds of more than 200 miles per hour through suburbs north of Cincinnati. …And it devastated a good part of the 64 acres Harris Benedict Nature Preserve and deciduous forest that UC oversees. …Since the storm, biologists in UC’s College of Arts and Sciences have documented the forest’s recovery in four detailed botanical surveys. Their findings are shedding light on how major disturbances can have lasting and unexpected consequences for biodiversity, lead author and UC Professor Theresa Culley said.The study found that forests have the capacity to regenerate after a major disturbance but often with fewer native species and more nonnative, invasive ones. …Researchers also found large stands of Callery pear trees, a tree introduced by horticulture that has spread to many wild forests.

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Forestry Immersion Program returns for a second year

The Daily Bulldog
April 5, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

BREWER – In 2023, Maine TREE and the Brewer School Department collaborated to introduce a Forestry Immersion Program. This program allowed students to spend six weeks in the forest while earning high school credits. The program is returning in 2024 thanks to a generous grant from the Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative. This year, the program is fully funded and will offer an unparalleled opportunity to fifteen students to immerse themselves in Maine’s forests and enhance their education in a unique way. The program aims to empower young adults by strengthening their essential life skills and creating better opportunities for their future. It focuses on honing skills such as teamwork, communication, a strong work ethic, and problem-solving abilities. Over the six weeks, participants camp in the Maine woods four nights a week, visit job sites, engage in online academics, and go on hands-on discovery tours in the forest to learn and grow.

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Choctaw Forestry Department moves into new home

By Assistant Chief Jack Austin Jr.
Biskinik
April 5, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Oklahoma – The Choctaw Nation Tribal Forestry Department recently moved into their new home in Talihina. …The department has grown so much since it was founded in 2022 that more space was needed for growth and the overall efficiency of the program. The Tribal Forestry Services Department is a forestry wildland fire-fighting unit within the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Located in Talihina, Oklahoma, the department serves the CNO Reservation. The department provides services such as wildfire suppression, wildfire prevention programs, forest timber assistance, Hazardous fuels reduction, and feral swine removal assistance. I’m pleased (and more than a little proud) to say our Tribal Forestry Services Department is the nation’s first tribal-led wildland fire module, sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service. …The Choctaw Nation firefighters are almost like a SWAT team but for firefighting. The unit is made up of tribal members, expertly trained to prevent wildfires.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Introducing The American Biomass Energy Association

By Carrie Annand, Executive Director, American Biomass Energy Association
Biomass Magazine
April 9, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

Carrie Annand

The Biomass Power Association has changed its name to the American Biomass Energy Association. We also unveiled an updated version of our longtime logo featuring a leaf and a lightning bolt—images that we feel well convey that we are turning low-value wood and ag byproducts into renewable, reliable and responsible energy.  Although we have a new name and a new and improved logo, very little else is changing. ABEA still has its dedicated team, including Bob Cleaves, Markus Videnieks and myself. We continue to do everything we can to build awareness about U.S.-based biomass energy and the benefits our members bring to their communities and to the nation. The rebranding is the result of a project we undertook with a Washington, D.C.-based public relations firm, Seven Letter, to understand how Americans feel about biomass.

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Origin Materials Converts Wood Residue Feedstock into Sustainable Intermediates at Commercial-Scale Plant

By Origin Materials
Business Wire
April 3, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US West

WEST SACRAMENTO, California — Origin Materials announced the successful conversion of wood residue feedstock into sustainable intermediates at Origin 1, its first commercial-scale plant. …John Bissell, Co-CEO said, “This marks an evolution from the corn starch-based production we have employed since commencement in October of last year. We are using locally sourced, Forest Stewardship Council controlled wood residues produced by a sawmill as a byproduct of lumber and wood flooring production. From that… we produced our sustainable intermediates, which can be used to make a wide variety of products that normally would be made from petroleum. Products like apparel and textiles, plastics, tires and automotive components, fuels, and high-performance polymers.” …“We look forward to continued progress in scaling our biomass conversion technology in support of our mission to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials.”

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Keeping track of carbon in the Adirondacks’ forests

By Chloe Bennett
Adirondack Explorer
April 11, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

Nearly five years ago, New York state passed an ambitious climate law intended to reduce and counteract fossil fuel emissions contributing to climate change. Storing carbon dioxide, a gas released from burning fuel, is key to achieving the goals outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Much of that can be accomplished through protecting carbon-absorbing forests across the state. Although the Adirondacks has millions of acres of forest, most land in the state is privately owned. Which puts a critical network of interconnected properties at risk of development. To achieve goals set in the climate act, experts say the state needs to roughly double the size of its carbon sink by fostering new forests and avoiding further loss. Researchers with the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry developed an accounting system with detailed satellite imagery to help agencies identify where forests are most vulnerable.

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Trouble in the wood basket: How a global push for renewable energy took advantage of rural Mississippi

By Alex Rozier
Mississippi Today
April 9, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

When Georgia Pacific closed its paper mill in 2008, it gutted the local Gloster economy. …In the last decade, towns like Gloster turned to what they saw as a new hope: the emerging wood pellet industry. While the industry is now grappling with a variety of environmental objections, the state and local governments have invested millions of dollars in wood pellets, through tax exemptions and other incentives, in an attempt to stem rural disinvestment. In 2022, the world’s largest wood pellet producer came to another Mississippi town, Lucedale, 160 miles east of Gloster. The town was in a similar economic predicament. …Enviva, was bringing one of the largest new wood pellet operations in the world to Lucedale. …But in the process, the wood pellet industry has turned parts of rural Mississippi into venues for a climate and public health debate that’s traversing the globe. 

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Researchers develop better way to make painkiller from trees

By Chris Hubbuch, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Phys.Org
April 8, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable way to make a popular pain reliever and other valuable products from plants instead of petroleum. Building on a previously patented method for producing paracetamol—the active ingredient in Tylenol—the discovery promises a greener path to one of the world’s most widely used medicines and other chemicals. More importantly, it could provide new revenue streams to make cellulosic biofuels—derived from non-food plant fibers—cost competitive with fossil fuels, the primary driver of climate change. …Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is one of the most widely used pharmaceuticals, with a global market value of about $130 million a year. …the drug has traditionally been made from derivatives of coal tar or petroleum. …The paracetamol molecule is made of a six-carbon benzene ring with two chemical groups attached. Poplar trees produce a similar compound called p-hydroxybenzoate (pHB) in lignin…

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