CASS COUNTY, Michigan — A man was sentenced to prison after he was found at a Michigan sawmill with a walnut tree that did not belong to him. Trever Wallace was sentenced to three years and two months up to 10 years in prison for his criminal concealment of a fully mature walnut tree, Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz said. …The tree’s owner was able to locate it at the sawmill before Wallace could profit from it, Fitz said. The defendant pleaded guilty as charged to larceny over $1,000. On Friday, Cass County Assistant Prosecutor Jason Ronning asked for prison time due to the defendant’s nine prior felony convictions and two misdemeanor convictions, including thefts. Fitz did not know the current state of the tree.
…Arkansas’ forestry industry is feeling the weight of a slowing housing market, a declining demand for many of its products and trade disputes and regulations that have closed off foreign markets. In recent years, several mills in Arkansas have closed — evidence of economic struggles for the industry. In September, Domtar’s sawmill in Glenwood announced a temporary shut down, affecting 150 workers. Shields Wood Products also shut down. Arkansas House Speaker Brian Evans signed on to a letter … calling on Congress to step in and help expand the export market for their states’ foresters. …the Arkansas Economic Development Commission said the state exported $6.45 billion in forestry products in 2023, the largest destinations being Canada, Mexico and Japan. The letter from the state house speakers to Congress makes specific mention of the Chinese market, which cut off the import of logs from the U.S. in March as part of retaliation for American tariffs, Reuters reported. [Access to the full story may require a subscription to the Gazette]
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’ leading industry, agriculture, is facing a crisis. But it’s not just row-crop farmers that are struggling — the forestry industry is as well. The market for timber has become so bad that mills are closing and loggers are getting out of the business. “This is devastating to the timber industry in South Arkansas. Eight of the last 11 weeks, we have experienced mill closures in Arkansas, some permanent, some temporary,” said John Dawson, president of Arkansas Pulpwood Co. in Camden. “We’re seeing loggers drop out. Lifelong families that are two, three, four generations of loggers are getting out of the business. Banks in South Arkansas are moving away from loaning money to loggers,” Dawson said. As you’d expect, demand for paper has plummeted. …But demand for lumber is down too. …There’s simply too much supply for the diminishing demand.
TILLEDA, Wis. – A groundbreaking moment in Tilleda, with the introduction of the first chip mill in the United States purchased by a logger co-op, marking the start of a new chapter for the industry. “Because it’s the first of its kind in the country there were a lot of hoops that we had to go through first to figure out what it all looked like legally and logistically,” said Dennis Schoeneck, president of Timber Professionals Cooperation Enterprises. Founded five years ago, Timber Professionals Cooperation Enterprises aims to sustain and grow the timber industry. The co-op is made up of loggers and truckers, and it was those groups who helped raise the $418,000 that went towards the purchase of the mill. They don’t want to stop here, the co-op has big plans for the future.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality permit board on Wednesday reversed a decision from earlier this year and granted wood pellet manufacturer Drax a permit that allows it to release more emissions from a facility in Gloster. The board held a two-day evidentiary hearing after denying the company the permit in April. The permit falls under Title V of the Clean Air Act and allows Drax’s facility Amite BioEnergy, to become a “major source” of Hazardous Air Pollutants, or HAPs. The board voted unanimously in favor of granting the permit said Kim Turner. Evidence from the hearing “sufficiently addressed” concerns the board previously had. MDEQ has found the facility in violation multiple times since Drax opened the Amite County plant in 2016. …Drax applied for the permit in order to better reflect its production capacity. Since violating the current permit, Amite BioEnergy has had to decrease its pellet output.
In the southeastern United States, pine plantations serve as critical components of the forestry economy, predominantly managed through intensive site preparation techniques designed to enhance tree growth and accelerate harvest cycles. These plantations often employ soil bed construction to improve drainage and the application of herbicides to mitigate competition from weeds and woody shrubs. While earlier studies have documented that such interventions yield promising early growth in pine species such as slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), the long-term efficacy of these practices remains ambiguous, necessitating comprehensive longitudinal research to unravel their sustained impact on forest productivity. Addressing this knowledge gap, a recent extensive study conducted in the Lower Coastal Plain of North Florida monitored pine plantations for up to 27 years, offering unprecedented insights into how various site preparation strategies influence extended growth trajectories and timber yield.
Ash trees are an important part of the basket weaving tradition, which has long played a significant cultural, spiritual and practical role in the lives of tribal citizens across the country, including John Daigle, a citizen member of the Penobscot Nation in Maine. But the emergence of the emerald ash borer beetle …has posed challenges for Indigenous basket makers. A grant awarded to Daigle, a professor of forest recreation management at the University of Maine, could help preserve and advance the craft. It’s part of the Indigenous Forest Knowledge Fund, a program run by the Northeastern States Research Cooperative to support projects related to tribal homelands or ancestral territories of the Northern Forest region… Daigle’s project was one of three winners this year. His team will also develop technologies to support the processing and storage of ash splints before widespread ash mortality, which could help sustain basket-making supplies.
…An ice storm 
As the European Commission prepares a further postponement of its Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR), proposals to simplify the law are abundant in Brussels. The undersigned organizations, representing the U.S. forestry and forest products sector value chain, urge the Commission to avoid a rushed process and take the time necessary to pursue simplification with great care. An additional year provides a valuable opportunity for the Commission to engage in productive dialogue with forest owners and operators in highly forested, low-risk countries like the U.S. to understand implementation challenges and reduce unintended consequences. “Simplifying a law as significant as the EUDR requires thoughtful and purposeful review,” said Eric Gee, executive director of the Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA). “A measured approach will help ensure that any changes both strengthen the law’s effectiveness and uphold fairness for producers in low-risk, sustainably managed regions like the Southeastern United States.”
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi — A fire is burning inside one of the wood pellet domes at the Port of Pascagoula. The fire started Monday afternoon inside one of the two Enviva domes at the port. Jackson County Emergency Management Director Earl Etheridge said there is no danger of explosion. Jackson County firefighters are on scene to assist Enviva and port crews. The fire started Monday afternoon inside one of the two Enviva domes at the port. …Etheridge says that Enviva is injecting the dome with pressurized nitrogen to suppress the fire. The fire is contained to the dome. Crews are working to offload the 20,000 metric tons of wood pellets. 
A study finds that replacing natural gas with electric and biomass power, along with improved energy efficiency, could help some pulp and paper mills reach zero net emissions. Researchers began with a simulation of mills defined by two characteristics: whether they used virgin or recycled fibers, and whether they were integrated or not. A virgin mill creates pulp and paper from fresh wood… while a recycled fiber mill re-uses fibers which may have been previously processed. A mill is considered integrated if it has the capability to turn wood and other biomass into pulp and paper on site, whereas a non-integrated mill uses pulp produced and dried off site. …The final strategy researchers analyzed was the use of low-carbon alternatives, like using waste wood in boilers instead of fossil fuels. The effectiveness changed depending on whether or not the mill was integrated, but all types saw reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
GLOSTER, Miss. — A group of Gloster residents has filed a federal lawsuit against Drax Biomass and its subsidiaries, alleging that the company’s Amite BioEnergy wood pellet facility in the town has unlawfully released massive amounts of toxic pollutants into their community, violating the federal Clean Air Act and Mississippi law. According to a statement from the law firm that filed the claim, Singleton Schreiber, the lawsuit seeks “injunctive relief, civil penalties, and damages for the harm plaintiffs have suffered, including diminished property values, and the loss of safe use and enjoyment of their homes.” Drax responded to inquiries with the following statement: “We are aware of the lawsuit filed in Mississippi. While we cannot comment on the details of ongoing legal matters, our commitment to the communities where we operate remains unchanged. We strive to be a good neighbor in our communities and to support their wellbeing and prosperity.”
