COLUMBIA, S.C. — Adeptus USA, a wood products manufacturer, announced it has selected Anderson County to establish its first South Carolina operation. The company’s $215.56 million investment will create 217 new jobs. Adeptus’ new facility, located at 1205 Hamby Road in Honea Path, will manufacture value-added and processed pine wood products for a diverse range of building products and millwork applications. The company’s primary product offerings include painted and primed moulding, boards, shiplap, and a variety of panel products and grades. “The tremendous commitment shown by the state of South Carolina, Anderson County and the local forestry community made it clear that this is the right place for Adeptus to invest and grow,” says Adeptus USA CEO Billy White. “We are proud to become part of South Carolina’s well-established wood products industry and look forward to building lasting partnerships throughout the region.
Washington, D.C. — A steep decline in hardwood exports, the growing popularity of man-made wood alternatives and surging fuel prices have been battering the American hardwood lumber industry. In Kentucky, 78 wood industry facilities, mostly sawmills, have closed in the last four years, according to the University of Kentucky Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. The U.S. relationship with China has been a major source of the industry’s problems and a focus of proposals to address them. China once bought about half of U.S. hardwood exports, according to the Hardwood Federation. Then, eight years ago, President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on imports from China, and China retaliated with tariffs on hardwood and other American imports. The reciprocal tariffs were eventually rolled back, but China’s purchases of American hardwood never returned to their previous levels. …advocates are pushing for lawmakers to pass legislation for $12 billion in agriculture relief, including $200 million for the hardwood industry.
The United States and the state of North Carolina have filed a 
Regulators in Vermont have issued a waiver to permit biomass plants Ryegate Power and the McNeil Generating Station in Burlington to purchase low-grade wood that had been destined for a Glens Falls mill, Finch Paper, before it suddenly discontinued its pulpwood operation in July. Typically, per a condition in its permitting, Ryegate’s wood comes from harvests that are initially reviewed by Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists. “A temporary waiver of [Ryegate’s] harvesting policy requirements would allow wood that was intended for Finch to be sold to the Ryegate Power Station without otherwise required Department of Fish and Wildlife review and approval,” the Vermont Public Utilities Commission (PUC) order stated. According to testimony provided to the PUC, Finch purchased approximately 2,000 tons per week of softwood and hardwood from Vermont. It was the primary market for about 40% of the state’s pulp and nearly all its hemlock pulpwood.
There has been significant recent conversation about Canadian tariffs on many products, more specifically timber. This matters to Mississippi because timber is one of our state’s most important agricultural and economic commodities. Over 80% of the timber in Mississippi is privately owned. In 2003, Senator Thad Cochran warned: “Canada subsidizes its lumber mills by subsidizing the cost of stumpage price for pine timber, and those mills are dumping lumber in our domestic market.” The issue remains the same today. Most of the timber in Canada is owned by their government. The various provinces set the price at the stump. Most are significantly lower than the price paid here to private landowners. …This issue continues today to be challenged in various courts. …That is why Senator Cochran was right. And we need to support a final resolution by President Trump which provides us a fair ability to compete with this valuable Mississippi commodity.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills says tariffs on lumber products have been difficult for the state’s economy to absorb. [CBC video 1.42 min]
SAVANNAH, Georgia — The South, and Georgia in particular, have borne the brunt of a historic run of pulp and paper-mill closures as recycled boxes, cheap imported pulp and more thrifty packing by e-commerce giants, including Amazon.com, have hit demand. Last year, the US shed roughly 10% of its capacity to produce containerboard. …Demand for pulpwood plummeted. So did demand for wood chips, sawdust and other byproducts. Prices across the South are at the lowest level in nearly 40 years before factoring in inflation. In some parts, there’s essentially no market. Some growers are, for the first time, having to pay to have their pulpwood removed. …A search is on to create new sources of demand. Weyerhaeuser, the South’s largest timberland owner with about 6.6 million acres in 11 states, is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build facilities in Arkansas and Mississippi to turn pulpwood surpluses into engineered lumber and an alternative to metallurgical coal, respectively. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]
This month’s Lumber Shorts includes these stories and more:
The fight for restitution is on at a fallen green-energy giant, following one of the most disastrous commodity trades of the decade. The ill-fated wood-pellet trades that bankrupted Enviva during the sustainable-investing boom were made by executives hoping to trigger their own bonuses, according to creditors who are seeking more than $2 billion in damages. Instead… the nine-figure trades backfired and bankrupted the company, which once had a nearly $6 billion market value. Five of the company’s top executives concealed the inordinately large and risky trades from its board, according to a lawsuit, suppliers and others with claims. …Enviva said it wasn’t involved in the litigation, and none of the former executives named in the suit are affiliated with the reorganized company, which emerged from bankruptcy in December 2024 with new owners and leadership. …The company was considered one of the winners of the green-energy boom. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]
A century-old Philadelphia packaging company is closely watching tariffs and trade negotiations with Canada as it deals with rising costs for materials it uses every day. F. P. Woll & Company, a family business in Northeast Philadelphia, makes packaging for other companies and their products, ranging from cameras to kitchen sinks. Fred Woll runs the company, which has about a dozen employees and a sprawling production operation. …The latest tariffs and trade negotiations with Canada are creating another challenge for the business. One key material the company uses is CDX plywood from Canada. …The company’s concerns extend beyond the materials it needs for its own products. Woll said tariffs on materials used by its customers, including aluminum, can also affect his business if those customers cut production. …Canada is Pennsylvania’s biggest trading partner. Data shows the state sent about $14 billion in goods to Canada last year and imported about $13 billion.
From the Arkansas line, in all directions down through much of Louisiana, dipping even into Cajun country, you see trees. Everywhere. The depth and breadth of our pine and hardwood stands and forests are almost indiscernible. …For as long as most can remember, this industry was the heartbeat of rural Louisiana and stood as the backbone of our economy in Louisiana, producing lumber, paper, and dozens of other wood products that generated living wages and pockets of prosperity through nearly every parish. …Total industry output still registers in the billions, yet the practical reality on the ground is stagnation. Major paper mills that once absorbed millions of tons of fiber have closed. …Meanwhile, pulpwood prices sit near multi-decade lows. Our loggers wrestle with rising insurance and operating costs propelled by our judicial and litigious climate while landowners see returns on investment shrink. The giant that was our timber industry is still standing, but it is staggering.
CAPITAL REGION, New York — Starting next week, Canadian retaliatory tariffs are taking effect. The tariffs are up to 50% on American products. The tariffs are projected to impact $20 billion worth of American goods; materials like lumber, steel, and dairy could be the hardest hit. We see data coming out of the Fed that shows that 90% of the costs of tariffs are passed along to, you know, U.S. businesses and consumers,” said Justin Wilcox, of Upstate United. “That’s having an impact on people’s pocketbooks at a time when they can least afford it.” …The National Association of Home Builders predicts a $10,000 to $14,000 increase per home. …According to an April 2026 report from the New York State Comptroller, Canada is the state’s most significant trading partner. In 2025, exports to Canada declined by $3.8 billion due to tariffs.
BUFFALO, New York — The changing tariffs policies for the U.S. and Canada are raising cost and supply issues for the home building and remodeling field with possible impact on their customers for planned and future projects… said a contractor and the operator of a lumber and building supplies business. …Domenic Cortese, of Cortese Construction, said “The implications to a new home on the costs of that home are about $10,000 more because of the tariffs. You know you’re probably going to be looking at $2,000 or $3,000 more in lumber costs for a deck just because of the tariffs.” …”The problem is we don’t have the infrastructure in place to ramp up productivity to be able to supply lumber for our needs.” …Lenco’s Stephen Coppola said, “We love the Canadian lumber. Our customers tend to like it quite a bit. But we’ve been very active in trying to find other sources.”
CONCORD, New Hampshire — The State of New Hampshire has enacted legislation requiring state-funded building projects to give preference to lumber harvested in the United States. 
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The tallest mass timber student housing structure in the U.S. in Columbus, Ohio, recently topped out. The 13-story, 186-unit off-campus development, located near the Ohio State University, stands at 158 feet. 
Lexington, Ky.— Wood has been used to build homes and other structures for thousands of years. Now, new technology is allowing builders to use it in ways that would have been difficult to imagine just a few decades ago. Chad Niman, forest products Extension specialist in the University of Kentucky Department of Forestry and Natural Resources says cross-laminated timber (CLT) is changing the way that structures are built around the U.S. and world, making it important to keep up with the development of this construction method to improve the health of our forests and buildings. The UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment will bring together experts from across the nation for the 2026 Regional Cross-Laminated Timber Conference, Oct. 12-14 at The Campbell House in Lexington. The three-day conference will focus on CLT and other types of mass timber. 
SOUTH BEND, Indiana — A massive fire early this morning in downtown South Bend, bringing in a ton of resources. The flames engulfing what had already been built at Stadium Flats apartments, hours before a groundbreaking ceremony was set to take place. …Assistant fire chief Derek Erquhart said the amount of wood at the construction site helped feed the flames. “It was type 5 wood frame construction, so a lot of lumber. The heat was very intense, is what the firefighters were dealing with when they arrived, and considering the conditions on arrival… that building that was under construction essentially a loss, and our priority was protecting the structures around there,” said SBFD Assistant Chief Derek Erquhart. …Stadium Flats is owned by Real America. …The company’s president telling ABC57 he’s grateful for the first responders, and also that the building process wasn’t further along.
With the US imposing new tariffs on select Canadian exports, North Carolina State University experts warn that the escalating trade war could raise the price and reduce the quality of toilet paper and other tissue products. …Canadian NBSK is a critical raw material in global tissue manufacturing, accounting for roughly 15% to 30% of the fiber blend in premium bath tissue products and 50% to 65% in premium paper kitchen towels. Brazilian eucalyptus fiber makes up the remaining share. Gonzalez said the 50% tariff on Canadian NBSK could raise manufacturing costs for premium toilet tissue by 11% to 20%, while costs for premium paper kitchen towels could increase by 31% to 38%. …“If tissue producers choose to switch to Southern Bleached Softwood Kraft, the softness of premium tissue products will be compromised,” Jameel said. On the other hand, Gonzalez said the tariffs could create an opportunity to use more local fibers for tissue manufacturing, though they are less soft than northern softwood.
MILAN — In a business setting perfect for the moment, Gov. Kelly Ayotte last Friday ceremonially signed into law a bill seen as crucial to the state’s lumber industry, one that puts it on an even playing field with how Canada grades its lumber. Local elected officials, employees and guests gathered at the Milan Lumber Co., for the signing of House Bill 1204, that changes how New Hampshire grades state-grown timber for sale. The change removes an “s” at the end of three other letters, s-p-f, standing for spruce-pine-fir, which is how Canadian lumber is marked. Before the Legislature passed the bill, the state’s lumber was marked as s-p-f-s. The “s” at the end stands for “south,” meaning south of the Canadian border. Removing the extra “s” at the end of New Hampshire milled lumber means it is graded the same as Canadian milled lumber and should be sold at the same price.
NORTH CAROLINA — A few weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the draft environmental impact statement for its plan to open the remaining pristine roadless areas of our national forests to mining, logging and road building. Pushed by anti-public lands corporate and industry interests, this raid on the lands that belong to all Americans raises the alarm about the ability to pass an irreplaceable resource down to future generations. …The release of the draft environmental impact statement opened a 30-day public comment period with a now-past deadline of midnight Sept. 21 – less than half the traditional 60- to 90-day comment period traditionally provided for proposed actions of this magnitude. Conservation organizations and others are formally requesting an extension, but past behavior shows the current administration is not interested in what you or I think. That’s why it is vital to raise your voice in support of the Roadless Rule before Oct. 6.
LOUISIANA — Governor Jeff Landry issued an 
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has completed aerial seeding via helicopter to disperse jack pine, white pine, tamarack and black spruce seeds on 
MINNESOTA — At the North Star Logging Expo in Grand Rapids, Minn., I got a quick lesson in operating heavy equipment and a more sobering one about the pressures facing the people who make their living with it. Loggers are struggling with something out of their control: the price of diesel fuel. That matters to the whole state because the timber industry doesn’t just cut trees. It’s a key steward of rural Minnesota’s economy and environmental health. If you spent any time worrying about wildfire smoke, climate change or jobs in the past year, you’re invested in figuring this out. …Brady Hasbargen, a fourth-generation logger from Birchdale, Minn., along the Canadian border, said he uses about 100,000 gallons of diesel every year. Last year, he spent about $300,000 on fuel. With diesel now priced above $6 per gallon, that cost will double and could go even higher. That’s well beyond his profit margin. 
Vermont utility regulators are temporarily softening environmental rules at Vermont’s two wood-burning power plants to help stabilize the logging industry. State officials say the $2.3 billion wood products industry is in a perilous situation after one of the region’s largest paper mills announced in July it will no longer purchase local wood scraps to make its paper. The rule change, announced earlier this month, will allow McNeil Generating Station in Burlington and Ryegate Power Station in the Northeast Kingdom to buy wood that had been destined for that paper mill, even if it comes from timber harvests that have not been inspected by fish and wildlife officials for impacts to wetlands and habitat for endangered species. The Finch Paper Mill in Glens Falls, New York, used to buy some 2,000 tons of “pulpwood” scraps from Vermont loggers and mills each week before its July announcement.
WISCONSIN — On August 18, the US Secretary of Agriculture announced the US Forest service officially filed an official proposal to repeal the Roadless Rule. …The policy currently protects roughly 69,000 acres in Wisconsin, and with the potential repeal of the environmental policy, experts want to be clear about the relationship between roads and wildfires. Most wildfires in the US are caused by people. According to the
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) today announced five awards totaling $5.5 million through its Accelerating Wood Fiber Markets initiative. The five-year effort will help connect underutilized wood fiber with new buyers and support the long-term economic viability of working forests and the communities that rely on them. The Endowment committed $5 million to the initiative, with an additional $500,000 provided by the Northern Border Regional Commission through its Forest Economy Initiative to support work in Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. The funding opportunity drew significant interest from across the country. The Endowment received 76 proposals requesting approximately $86 million, underscoring both the scale of the market challenges facing forest-reliant communities and the demand for practical, locally driven solutions. “These organizations bring deep regional knowledge and practical strategies for creating durable markets,” said Matt Krumenauer, Vice President of Markets at the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities.
A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Forest Service to suspend a commercial logging project in southern Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest, finding the agency’s approval of the project under President Joe Biden violated the Endangered Species Act. Despite the agency’s own preliminary assessment showing an endangered bat species lived in the roughly 70-acre area targeted for the tree thinning project, the Forest Service did not wait for an official opinion from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to approve the project. Environmental groups sued, but by the time the judge issued a temporary restraining order halting the project last summer, a logging company had already cut down trees in 40 of the 67 acres. Separately, the Trump administration this summer has moved to change two federal rules, including one weakening the Endangered Species Act, making it easier to approve projects like logging, mining, oil and gas drilling and other development in federal lands and forests.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M Forest Service today launched the Texas Prescribed Burn Manager Insurance Program to provide liability protection for qualified certified and insured prescribed burn managers. The program was established in response to House Bill 2563 in an effort to increase the use of prescribed fire as a wildfire mitigation tool by reducing liability barriers faced by prescribed burn managers. “Prescribed burning is one of the most effective tools we have to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires,” said Texas State Representative Trent Ashby. “Last session, I was proud to work with Texas A&M Forest Service to establish the Texas Prescribed Burn Manager Insurance Program, which will remove one of the primary barriers facing certified professionals who perform this important work. The launch of this program represents a proactive effort to reduce wildfire risk and protect our land, livestock, homes, and communities across Texas.”
Thousands of acres of currently protected national forest land in Michigan could be opened to road construction and logging under a proposal from the U.S. Forest Service to rescind a 25-year-old rule. The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which restricts road construction and timber harvesting in designated roadless areas, currently protects about 16,000 acres of roadless forest land across the Huron-Manistee, Hiawatha and Ottawa national forests in Michigan. They are among nearly 45 million acres of inventoried roadless areas nationwide which would see protections eliminated under the proposal to rescind the rule, 
GEORGIA — A peer-reviewed University of Georgia study has found that rural forest landowners in the southeastern United States do not assess wood-based bioenergy or climate change solely through economic considerations. Their views are shaped by political beliefs, cultural values, personal experience, trust in markets and perceptions of local communities, the researchers reported in 2025. The study, published in the journal 
The U.S. Forest Service has expanded its emergency closure order due to wildfires burning across the Mt. Hood National Forest. The Austin and Narrows fires, located in the Clackamas River Ranger District, prompted officials to shut down all public entry and travel across several roads and popular recreation sites, including Lake Harriet, Timothy Lake and Bagby Hot Springs. …The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office says the closure will keep people safe and away from crews working to contain the fires. The USFS is also warning people to continue to follow fire restrictions in order to avoid sparking any new wildfires. The agency says this season’s drought conditions combined with hot and dry weather have increased wildfire risks. The Austin Fire has burned more than 9,000 acres and is still zero-percent contained as of Thursday afternoon. The fire remains under investigation.