Region Archives: US East

Business & Politics

Besse Forest Products abruptly closes 3 Wisconsin plants, lays off 138, draws union complaint

By Jeff Bollier
The Green Bay Press-Gazette
August 7, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

WISCONSIN — A carpenters union filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Department of Justice after a lumber manufacturing company notified the state one day before it closed three plants and lay off 139 workers. Besse Forest Products Group on Aug. 1 sent the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development notices that it would close Wisconsin Veneer and Plywood plant in Mattoon (42 employees), Birchwood Manufacturing Company in Rice Lake (46) and the Goodman Veneer and Lumber plant in Goodman (48) the next day, Aug. 2. …The North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters (NCSRCC) said the notices violate the Wisconsin Business Closings and Mass Layoff Law. The law states any employer with more than 50 employees must notify the state 60 days in advance of any temporary or permanent closure of a site that affects more than 25 employees. …The carpenters union also requested Besse officials meet and negotiate the terms of the Mattoon facility’s closure as is required by federal law.

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Domtar provides ‘Project Bandit’ update at economic development board meeting

By Allison Winters
The Times News
August 6, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Kingsport, Tennessee — The Kingsport Economic Development Board met Tuesday for its monthly meeting, where Domtar officials provided an update for ongoing plans to mitigate the odor issue. Troy Wilson, Kingsport mill manager, and Charlie Floyd, vice president of strategic capital projects for Domtar, shared more about plans to install an anaerobic digester system. Floyd said Domtar focused on process development, system design, capacity and site layout during the month of July. He said Domtar looked at the chemical and biological oxygen demands required for the system and is moving forward with that process. …Another problem Domtar has dealt with, Floyd explained, is the excess of stormwater. He said finding ways to separate some of the stormwater will reduce the needed capacity for the anaerobic system.

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Wisconsin’s Besse Forest Products closes permanently, 48 employees terminated

Upper Michigan’s Source
August 2, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

GOODMAN, Wisconsin – Gladstone’s Besse Forest Products announced Friday that one of its Wisconsin locations is closing its doors effective immediately. Besse Forest Product’s Goodman Veneer and Lumber facility will additionally terminate 48 employees. The company says there are no bumping or transfer rights to other jobs or locations. None of the affected employees are represented by a collective bargaining representative. A statement from Besse Forest Products said: We are sorry we were not able to give you more notice. However, due to an unprecedented industry downturn, it has recently become clear to the company that the revenues of the company will no longer support its operations. After exploring restructuring alternatives, we have determined that Goodman Veneer and Lumber will cease operations.

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Lumber dealer leader Walter Foxworth dies at 89

The HBS Dealer
August 5, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Walter Foxworth

Walter Foxworth, the former owner of Texas-based Foxworth-Galbraith Lumber Company and widely respected lumber dealer and industry advocate, died Aug. 2. Foxworth is a past chairman of the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association and a recent Lifetime Achievement Award honoree from the Lumber Association of Texas. He was 89. …Foxworth and Foxworth-Galbraith received numerous industry awards and accolades. He served as president of LAT’s Board of Directors in 1990, was recognized as “Dealer of the Year” in 1993, and has over six decades of volunteer engagement. Under Walter’s leadership, Foxworth-Galbraith was the 2000 HBSDealer ProDealer of the Year. He also was recognized as inaugural Texas Unity Dinner honoree. …Tributes from around industry emphasized Foxworth’s contributions. “Walter was a true industry icon, and this is truly a great loss to many.” said Jonathan Paine, NLBMDA President & CEO. ”

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Canfor closes Arkansas acquisition, welcomes new Iron Mountain employees

By Canfor Corporation
Cision Newswire
August 1, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

VANCOUVER, BC — Canfor Corporation announced the completion of the acquisition from Arkansas Resolute El Dorado, of its lumber manufacturing facility in Union County, Arkansas. The transaction, previously announced on May 1, 2024, is a strategic complement to the Company’s existing regional operations, including its adjacent El Dorado Laminating Plant and its nearby Urbana sawmill. Renamed as the Iron Mountain sawmill, this acquisition will create operational synergies with Canfor’s existing facilities, provide vertical integration opportunities with its two glulam plants and build further capacity near customers and markets in the US South. …Lee Goodloe, President, Canfor Southern Pine., said “As a growth-oriented forest products company, we see this as an opportunity to expand the depth and breadth of our manufacturing capabilities in Arkansas’ rich, high-quality wood basket.”

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Alabama is the state where money does grow on trees: Forestry industry hits $36.3 billion

By Grayson Everett
Yellow Hammer News
August 1, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

The forestry and forest products manufacturing industry contributes more than $36.3 billion to Alabama’s economy according to the latest IMPLAN study commissioned by the Forest Workforce Training Institute. Jacksonville State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research conducted a study that showed an almost $7.4 billion increase from the previous study of $28.9 billion impact in 2019. More than 54,000 Alabamians are directly employed by the forest products industry and a total of 123,624 people are employed because of the economic activity generated from Alabama’s forest industry, contributing over $8 billion of labor income to the state. “Alabama’s abundant forest resources, friendly business environment and willing and well trained workforce combine to make Alabama a very attractive location for forest products companies,” said Chris Isaacson, President and CEO of the Alabama Forestry Association. “Over the last ten years, forest products companies have invested an average of $840 million every year, creating more than 1,000 new jobs per year.”

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LP Building Solutions Releases 2024 Sustainability Report

LP Building Solutions
July 23, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — LP Building Solutions released its 2024 Sustainability Report. This comprehensive report highlights LP’s leadership in sustainability through five key pillars: Governance, People, Environment, Products, and Community. Key highlights include:

  • Released eight environmental product declarations.
  • Decreased Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions intensity per dollar of net sales by 41% since 2019.
  • Achieved 80% of energy use from renewable sources in 2023.
  • Sustainable Sourcing: Sourced 100% of wood fiber in adherence with stringent forest certification standards, including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® in North America and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification in South America.

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Finance & Economics

Louisiana Pacific reports positive Q2, 2024 results, releases sustainability report

Louisiana Pacific Corporation
August 7, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Louisiana-Pacific, a manufacturer of building products, reported its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024. Key Highlights for Second Quarter 2024, Compared to Second Quarter 2023 include: Siding net sales increased by 30% to $415 million; Oriented Strand Board (OSB) net sales increased by 53% to $351 million; Consolidated net sales increased by 33% to $814 million; Net income was $160 million, an increase of $181 million; Adjusted EBITDA(1) was $229 million, an increase of $135 million; and Cash provided by operating activities was $212 million, an increase of $124 million.

In related news: LP also released their 2o24 Sustainability Report

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Rayonier Advanced Materials reports positive Q2, 2024 results

Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. (RYAM)
August 6, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. (RYAM) reported results for its second quarter ended June 29, 2024. Highlights include: Net sales for the second quarter of $419 million, up $34 million from prior year quarter; Income from continuing operations for the second quarter of $8 million, up $24 million from prior year quarter; and Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations for the second quarter of $68 million, up $41 million from prior year quarter, including $10 million of CEWS benefits recognized. …“Demand for cellulose specialties has remained higher than expectations and margins have improved as we have minimized losses associated with commodity viscose pulp driven by our decision to suspend operations at our Temiscaming High Purity Cellulose plant,” stated De Lyle Bloomquist, President and CEO of RYAM.

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BlueLinx reports positive Q2, 2024 results

Bluelinx Holdings Inc.
July 30, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

ATLANTA — BlueLinx Holdings, a U.S. wholesale distributor of building products, reported financial results for the three months ended June 29, 2024. Highlights include: Gross profit of $122 million, gross margin of 15.9% and specialty product gross margin of 19.3%; Net income of $14 million; and Adjusted EBITDA of $34 million, 4.5% of net sales. …Shyam Reddy, President and CEO of BlueLinx… “We also generated solid specialty product gross margins of approximately 19%, despite the effects of price deflation. The quarter was adversely impacted by structural products, primarily driven by declining lumber and panel prices, in addition to volume declines due to challenges in the housing and building products sector.”

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Weyerhaeuser reports positive Q2, 2024 results, aquisition of 84,300 acres of Alabama timberland

Weyerhaeuser Company
July 25, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

SEATTLE – Weyerhaeuser Company reported second quarter net earnings of $173 million on net sales of $1.9 billion. This compares with net earnings of $230 million on net sales of $2.0 billion for the same period last year and net earnings of $114 million for first quarter 2024. Excluding an after-tax benefit of $19 million for special items, the company reported second quarter net earnings of $154 million. This compares with net earnings before special items of $238 million for the same period last year.Adjusted EBITDA for second quarter 2024 was $410 million, compared with $469 million for the same period last year and $352 million for first quarter 2024. … Weyerhaeuser also announced strategic timberland acquisitions in Alabama, totaling 84,300 acres for $244 million. The first transaction closed in second quarter 2024 for $48 million.Devin W. Stockfish, CEO, said “Despite ongoing challenges in the lumber market, Adjusted EBITDA improved across each of our business segments compared to first quarter 2024.

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International Paper reports positive Q2, 2024 results

By International Paper
Cision Newswire
July 24, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

MEMPHIS, Tennessee — International Paper reported second quarter 2024 financial results. Highlights include: Q2 net earnings of $498 million; adjusted operating earnings (non-GAAP) of $193 million; cash provided by operations of $365 million and returned $160 million to shareholders in dividends. …Andy Silvernail, Chief Executive Officer said, “While our second quarter financial results increased sequentially on better price and seasonally higher volumes, we expect near-term performance to be challenged. In order to accelerate improvement, we are deploying an 80/20 business process. …In North America, our investments will center on providing customers with the most reliable and innovative packaging solutions. We also look forward to the combination with DS Smith and together creating significant value for our shareholders.”

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May 2024 Southern Pine Exports Reach 3-Year High

The Southern Forest Products Association
July 23, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

May 2024 exports of Southern Pine lumber (treated and untreated) hit a three-year high with 59.7 Mbf, just shy of the 60.3 Mbf of exports in October 2021, according to May data from the USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Services’ Global Agricultural Trade System. It’s only the third time monthly exports have surpassed 50 Mbf since October 2021. Southern Pine lumber exports, which were up 28% over April and up 31% over May 2023, are running 15% ahead of 2023 YTD. …Our international consultants found most of the May 2024 Southern Pine export gains were in the Caribbean, although Mexico, Pakistan, and a few other countries were strong as well. …Mexico remains the largest export market, up 34% YTD with 64.4 Mbf of imports. The Dominican Republic, the No. 2 importer, is running 25% ahead of the same period last year with 47.3 Mbf. India’s total of SYP imports cooled a little in May but are still running 3% ahead of 2023 YTD at 16.1 Mbf.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Michael Green Architecture designs world’s tallest mass-timber skyscraper for Milwaukee

By Ben Dreith
Dezeen Magazine
August 8, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Vancouver studio Michael Green Architects has released plans for a development in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which includes a mass-timber skyscraper that would be the tallest in the world if completed. Set to be built alongside the Marcus Center in central Milwaukee, the multi-tower scheme led by developer Neutral is currently going through the city’s approvals process. Michael Green Architecture’s (MGA) plans for the development include office space, retail, hotel, residential and public plazas. It would be built on the site of a parking structure for the Marcus Center, a brutalist mid-century structure designed by Harry Weese. Current renderings for the development show a 55-storey tower made principally from mass-timber elements, which would make it the tallest engineered-wood skyscraper in the world if completed. It would unseat the 86.6 metres (284 feet), Ascent tower by Korb + Associates Architects, the current tallest, which is also in Milwaukee.

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The Atlanta Wood Foundation is on a mission to save and reuse fallen urban trees

By Virginie Drujon-Kippelen
Atlanta Magazine
August 7, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Atlanta is a city of trees. At almost 50%, the city has the highest proportion of overall urban tree canopy in the nation. But for all the aesthetic and environmental benefits trees provide to our urban landscape, there is one practical downside: Trees fall, or have to be taken down, and then need to be disposed of from streets and backyards alike. If the wood is of high value, the tree gets a chance at a second life as a useful piece of lumber. …Woodworkers Kelly and Ali Syed and Chris Tappan, created a unique nonprofit entity amid a vast network of for-profit urban wood industries. In addition to operating a sawmill, they retrieve salvaged trees and process the wood to produce furniture-grade lumber and live-edge wood slabs—always in high demand—which they sell to DIYers, woodworkers, and artisans. …The foundation plans to eventually open a brick-and-mortar store.

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B&D Builders Promotes Sustainable Timber Frame Construction

By B&D Builders
The Plaid Horse
August 7, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Paradise, Pennsylvania — B&D Builders, a leader in equestrian facility design and construction, is leveraging its sustainable timber frame buildings methods to promote environmentally responsible initiatives, starting with “Green Is the New Blue.” Known for creating legacy structures that honor both the land and the equestrian lifestyle, B&D Builders is dedicated to eco-friendly construction practices that ensure a sustainable future for the equestrian community. …B&D Builders has long been recognized for their skill in timber frame construction, a method that is both time-honored and environmentally responsible. Timber serves as a carbon sink by trapping greenhouse gases as part of structures, keeping CO2 out of the atmosphere which helps maintain a cooler climate. The company hand- selecta timbers and uses CNC machines to maximize efficiency and minimize waste. …Green Is the New Blue is an environmental non-profit that strives to empower and inspire equestrians to reduce the environmental impact of equine-related activities. 

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The future of paper could come from gene-edited trees

By Dino Grandoni
The Washington Post
August 1, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

RALEIGH, N.C. — It looked like something a kindergartner might use in an art project. So ordinary looking that, when Jack Wang was presenting it once, someone nearly set a drink down on it by accident. “Almost gave me a heart attack,” recalled Wang, a geneticist here at North Carolina State University. The thin, white, coaster-size circle of paper Wang was holding in his lab was anything but ordinary. He and his colleagues made this piece of paper from genetically edited wood — a material his team hopes will transform the way paper and other wood products are produced. …If there is a molecule that makes wood wood, it’s lignin. …The paper industry uses lots of chemicals and energy to remove lignin from pulp. …So Wang and Barrangou set out to grow trees containing less lignin. …Their goal is to produce low-lignin trees for commercial use by 2040. [Full access to this story requires a Washington Post subscription]

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What’s holding up mass timber’s ascent in Chicago?

By Josh Niland
Archinect News
July 30, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

The Chicago Tribune recently asked why mass timber construction is so lagging in Chicago while nearby Milwaukee and other cities in the Pacific Northwest and Europe are making strides to embrace the movement by altering their building codes and fire safety regulations. Even after an amenable update to its citywide code in 2020, forces such as the collective memory of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire are one such impediment to the development of new wooden designs. A two-year-old residential project from Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture — a rare approved proposal over five stories — appears to have stalled. The DOB says it considers additional exceptions to the limit “on a case-by-case basis,” but there remains an impression it is too late to the table, leaving the city known for its architectural innovations disappointingly out of the vanguard while a new race to the top unfolds.

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Project Team Erects Complex Philadelphia Mass Timber Project

By Johanna Knapschaefer
Engineering News-Record
July 29, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pennsylvania — Designing and building the first mass timber commercial office building in the Philadelphia metropolitan area required intense coordination to combine mass timber with multiple structural systems. Located in Newtown Square, Pa., the $44.3-million, 105,000-sq-ft building called Ellis Mass Timber is a complex five-story building set for final completion on schedule and on budget in July, about 18 months after construction started. …The team lost about two weeks in schedule but was able to “quickly pick up what we lost on helical piles during timber erection,” Byard says. Timber erection was completed in a shorter period of time—13 weeks, rather than 15 weeks, he notes. …Although the Ellis Mass Timber project has been more expensive than traditional steel and concrete, “the quality of construction, desirable aesthetics and environmental benefits have provided a positive rent-to-cost ratio versus traditional construction,” Spaeder says.

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Plant-based buildings are being reimagined in Maine

By Elizabeth Walztoni
Bangor Daily News in the Piscataquis Observer
July 28, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

The walls of a straw house are under construction in a former boat shop at a Rockland industrial park. They aren’t the stacked bales of a hand-plastered homestead; they’re panels of compressed Maine plants industrially sealed in Maine wood. Croft, a young company that expanded here from a former sardine cannery nearby, hopes to shake up the building industry — plus many other aspects of housing, farming, and life in Maine. It’s part of a growing network here and across the country reexamining plant-based building materials. The underlying concepts aren’t new, but much of the movement today is focused on capturing carbon from the atmosphere in response to concerns about human and environmental health tied to modern construction. Construction and materials made up 11 percent of emissions, according to the World Green Building Council. Andrew Frederick, founder of Croft, sees straw as a way to flip those numbers. 

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Ask the Kansas City Council not to weaken green standards for home builders

By Editorial Board
The Kansas City Star
July 29, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Kansas City’s new energy standards for home builders, years in the making, have been in effect only since last fall. Developers want the City Council to weaken the new code by adopting an ordinance drafted by the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City, and that could happen as soon as this week. That would be a big mistake, says local builder Tony Libra, the owner of Aspen Homes, and we agree. …“Sure,” he told us, “there’s going to be an increased cost, but if I look back over the last 24 months, the swing in lumber prices is greater than the cost of this energy code. …“But everyone seems to absorb those costs, and vendor costs, yet they’re singling out this energy code as a devil when these costs you put into a home, the homeowner is probably going to get back.” …The City is expected to vote on the ordinance on Tuesday.

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Amended Law Eases Path for Mass Timber Schools in Michigan

Michigan State University
July 25, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

If you’re designing a mass timber school in Michigan, the approvals process has recently become more straightforward. The State has updated an old statute—Act 306 of 1937—that some building code officials had interpreted as in conflict with the Michigan Building Code (MBC) when it comes to mass timber in schools. The old version of the code specified only the use of “fire resisting materials”—including steel and concrete, but not wood—for school construction. Michigan enacted the out-of-date statute at a time before the commercialization of mass timber materials like cross-laminated timber and glulam, which research has since proven have excellent fire resistance properties. Nevertheless, the statute—not consistent with MBC—created red tape in the approvals process for at least one Michigan school in recent years. Seeing the need to resolve this inconsistency, the Michigan Legislature passed House Bill 4603, which amends Act.

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World’s tallest mass timber building? Milwaukee could take title

By Christina Van Zelst
Fox6Now
July 25, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

A new building proposal could change Milwaukee’s skyline and set a world record. The city announced plans for multiple mixed-use buildings that would replace the Marcus Performing Arts Center parking structure at Water and State. While one building would become the state’s tallest, another would be the world’s tallest mass timber building. The proposed mass timber building would be the third of its kind in Milwaukee. The Ascent on Van Buren was the most recent build. “These are more popular in Europe and other countries,” said North Shore Fire Rescue Chief Robert Whitaker. Whitaker said don’t let the wood fool you; with building code requirements and updated technology, mass timber buildings are fire safe. …The project would potentially the tallest building in the state. Currently, the tallest building in Wisconsin is the US Bank Center, which stands 601 feet tall. The proposed building would stand 613 feet.

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TimberHP to develop environmental disclosures for its wood-fiber insulation

By Laurie Schreiber
MaineBiz
July 23, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

GO Lab Inc., doing business as TimberHP, was awarded a $418,420 grant to install equipment and software that will capture energy and raw material usage data on its board, batt and loose-fill insulation made from wood fiber. The data will be used to develop standardized labeling that would make it easier for buyers to ensure the construction projects they fund use more climate-friendly products and materials. The Madison startup was one of four recipients of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grants to support efforts in reporting and reducing climate pollution from the manufacturing of construction materials. The data will be used to develop and publish environmental declarations for each of the company’s three product lines over its first five years of production. …TimberHP is the first company in North America to produce insulation from wood fiber.

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Forestry

International Paper Commits $15.3 Million Investment in Conservation Partnerships

International Paper
August 7, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

MEMPHIS, Tennessee — International Paper (IP) reaffirms its dedication to conserving forest ecosystems, nature and biodiversity with a $15.3 million investment to renew strategic alliances with key conservation partners, including the American Forest Foundation (AFF), National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). These collaborations are pivotal to IP’s business strategy and Vision 2030 goal to conserve and restore 1 million acres of ecologically significant forestland. …Sophie Beckham, VP and chief sustainability officer, International Paper, “Renewing these strategic partnerships underscores our commitment to positively impact nature while delivering low-carbon, sustainable, fiber-based products to our customers.” Among these partnerships, IP’s collaboration with AFF has been key through the Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP). Developed by AFF and TNC, this program facilitates family forest owners’ access to climate finance from carbon markets. 

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Forest Inventory Underway on Tennessee State Forests

Tennessee Department of Agriculture
August 7, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

NASHVILLE — Tennessee’s state forests are undergoing a comprehensive inventory aimed at promoting sustainable forest management. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry (TDF) engaged Steigerwaldt Land Services to conduct an in-depth inventory of the state’s 15 state forests. …State Forester Heather Slayton said the inventory will provide better data about current forest composition, from young, regenerating trees to mature timber. This will allow TDF’s state forest management team to develop growth and yield projections with greater accuracy and will enable the team to plan and manage based on current and future forest volume rather than area. …Re-inventorying the state forest system supports TDF’s compliance with the sustainable forest management standards set forth by the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). TDF is SFI-certified and submits to extensive annual third-party audits to ensure compliance with rigorous sustainable management standards.

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Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s forest work commended in audit

By Randy Zellers
Pine Bluff Commercial
August 6, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Cutting trees to make more trees may sound a bit counterintuitive, but that’s exactly what the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is doing, and according to the results of a recent audit, it’s just the right medicine for forests under the AGFC’s care. The audit was completed by Bureau Veritas Certification’s lead auditor. Henry Gray Hurricane Lake Wildlife Management Area, Mike Freeze Wattensaw WMA and George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto WMA were visited to inspect site conditions to ensure the AGFC’s forestry practices stayed within the updated Sustainable Forestry Initiative standards set in 2022, to which the AGFC had previously met or exceeded since 2021. Not only did all conditions continue to meet or exceed the new standards in the 2024 audit, but the AGFC’s work in greentree reservoir management and improving the health of the forest associated with GTRs earned the issuance of a notable practice indicator during the audit.

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Machine learning leads to a first in forestry management tools

By Nick Kordsmeier, University of Arkansas
EurekAlert!
August 6, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Hamdi Zurqani

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A new dataset is providing a bird’s-eye view of Arkansas’ forests 1 meter at a time. An Arkansas researcher has developed the first high-resolution forest canopy cover dataset for an entire state, providing valuable insights for forest management and conservation to a major economic sector in Arkansas. “No data of this kind existed before for an entire state. Usually, people only create similar data for site-specific projects,” said Hamdi Zurqani, assistant professor for the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. The 1-meter measurements are unique. Until now, the most common forest measurements and datasets have come from satellite imagery at 30-meter spatial resolution, said Zurqani, who conducts research as part of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center. The experiment station is the research arm of the Division of Agriculture.

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Why development may be helping the Cuban tree frog overrun Florida

By Kate Hussey
WPTV 5
August 2, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Cuban tree frog is an invasive species — they’re aggressive and they’re eating their way through Florida’s native wildlife. “Cuban tree frogs will compete with native tree frogs and in some cases, large Cuban tree frogs have been seen eating our native tree frogs,” said Dr. Zack Jud, a scientist with the Florida Oceanographic Society. …The pesky amphibians have been known to invade toilets, clog drains, and have even crawled into electric boxes—knocking out power for entire communities. …”They have a coating of slime that can cause an allergic reaction,” said Jeannine Tilford, of the Toad Buster. However, it’s not the frogs’ slimy casing that causes her clients to call – it’s their incessant, screeching croak that keeps her in business. …”Like many invasive species, Cuban tree frogs tend to do well in more developed, more disturbed areas,” said Jud.

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University of Arkansas at Monticello on track to build center for forest health

The Pine Bluff Commercial
August 1, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Michael Blazier & Peggy Doss

MONTICELLO — Plans are underway at the University of Arkansas at Monticello for the construction of the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center, which will be housed within the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at the university. In February 2024, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration received approval to allocate $16.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to UAM for the construction of the center. …UAM plans to host a groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 1, and construction will be completed by the summer of 2026. Forests in Arkansas support $16 billion of the state’s economy annually through wood products, tourism and hunting. However, increased threats to forest health from invasive pests, changing disease behaviors and climate stressors such as flooding and droughts pose risks to this important economic asset. Currently, Arkansas has no in-state facilities for testing forest diseases and insects.

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US Forest Service failing to protect old growth trees from logging, critics say

By Oliver Milman
The Guardian
August 1, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

They are the ancient giants of America – that started to sprout in some cases before the age of the Roman empire, with the few survivors of a frenzy of settler logging now appreciated as crucial allies in an era of climate and biodiversity crises. Joe Biden has vowed to protect these “cherished” remnants of old growth forest, as well as the next generation of mature forests, directing his government to draw up new plans to conserve the ecological powerhouses that enable US forests to soak up about 10% of the country’s carbon emissions. Yet, the US Forest Service has not included mature trees in this new plan, which also includes loopholes conservationists say allow ongoing felling of trees that are hundreds of years old. The Forest Service has also largely declined to conduct required reviews of multiple logging projects amid a stampede of tree cutting. …The Forest Service has rejected the suggestion, pointing to reduced cutting rates compared with previous decades.

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Climate-smart forestry can grow Maine’s bioeconomy

Maine Newspub.live
July 31, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

MAINE — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visit to Maine last week came at a critical time for the future of our forests, our climate and our local bioeconomy. Looking to build markets and supply chains for climate-friendly forest products, the Biden administration just announced $418,420 for Maine’s Timber HP GO Lab to produce sustainable wood insulation. And the USDA’s Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities is aiming even higher, working with the New England Forestry Foundation to help the first commercial landowners pilot climate-smart forestry management on their working lands. Six landowners – Robbins Lumber Company, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, The Baskahegan Company, Fallen Timber, Clayton Lake Woodlands and Seven Islands Land Company – will receive incentives that support a range of climate-smart forestry practices designed to increase carbon in the forest and in resulting wood products.

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Sen. Ossoff Working to Strengthen Georgia’s Forestry Industry

Jon Ossoff, US Senator for Georgia
July 30, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working to strengthen Georgia’s forestry industry. Today, Sen. Ossoff launched a push to pass bipartisan legislation that would help Georgia’s forestry industry implement their State Forest Action Plan (SFAP) to ensure Georgia’s trees and forests remain healthy in the future. The bipartisan Branch Out Implementation Act would extend the bipartisan infrastructure law’s provision that makes $40 million available annually for states to implement their SFAPs. In 2020, the Georgia Forestry Commission’s Statewide Forest Resources Strategy cited forest health as one of the most pressing challenges facing Georgia’s forests.

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A new way to fund urban forestry takes root in Philadelphia

By Ysabelle Kempe
Smart Cities Dive
July 29, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Many dead or fallen trees in Philadelphia face an unglamorous fate as wood chips or mulch. But now, the city has bigger plans for some of its wood waste: Mill it into building material — and rake in some of the profits to support Philadelphia’s urban forestry plans. Here’s how Philadelphia’s recently launched “reforestation hub” works, according to Marisa Repka, co-founder of Cambium, Philadelphia’s partner in the project: Waste logs and branches from across the city are brought to an existing organics recycling center. Suitable logs are processed at an on-site sawmill operated by Cambium. The company finds buyers interested in sustainable wood products, from furniture manufacturers to architects, and gives 15% of the profits to TreePhilly, the city’s urban forestry program.

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‘National forests are not national parks’: Logging debate in Whites divides forestry experts, environmentalists

By Kate Dario
New Hampshire Public Radio
July 26, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

NEW HAMPSHIRE, — The Liberty Trail on Mt. Chocorua is one of the most popular hiking paths in the White Mountain National Forest. …But the recent approval of a logging project in late June in the Sandwich Range has animated long simmering tensions over the best way to manage the national forest. The project will log more than 600 acres, a relatively tiny portion of the Sandwich Range’s more than 35,000 acreage. But it will cut trees near spots popular for hiking, bringing logging trucks to normally quiet slices of the forest. …Many Granite Staters may see the White Mountain National Forest as similar to a national park. But in reality, national forests are managed with economic considerations front of mind — which means supporting local timber industries as well as recreation-based tourism. “National forests are not national parks,” said Deputy Forest Service Chief Chris French. “They are intended to work under a multiple-use mandate.”

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$1.718 Million in Grants Announced for Innovative Finance for National Forests Program

The US Endowment for Forestry and Communities
July 24, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

GREENVILLE, South CarolinaSeven new grants will support local stakeholders and project developers to connect public and private capital to unfunded environmental challenges in National Forests and surrounding landscapes across the United States. These seven awards represent the fourth round of funding from the Innovative Finance for National Forests Grant Program. This partnership is funded and administered by the USDA Forest Service National Partnership Office’s Conservation Finance Program and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment). “The 2024 Innovative Finance for National Forests grantees are exploring use of loan guarantees, state revolving funds, and other mechanisms to reduce forest wildfire risk, enhance watershed protection, and create new recreation opportunities,” said Pete Madden, president and chief executive officer of the Endowment.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

University of Maine receives $10 million to research turning wood products into jet fuel … and fish food

Herald and News in Global Wood
August 5, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

The University of Maine’s forest bioproducts and aquaculture research institutes have been awarded $10 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue studying the effectiveness of turning low-value wood into jet fuel and fish food. The project is a collaboration with the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the USDA Agriculture Research Service, and Arbiom, a company based in North Carolina and France that makes sustainable protein ingredients for animal food. It’s the latest effort to find sustainable uses for the state’s abundant forest products. This UMaine project is one of the seven sustainable agriculture projects, totaling $70 million, that the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced in June. The goal is to use “low-quality” wood that is left behind in Maine’s forests, like branches and small-diameter trees, and break down elements to use for both aviation fuel and fish feed.

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Environmentalists challenge big expansion of Georgia wood pellet mill

By Meris Lutz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
August 2, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

Environmental groups are challenging Georgia regulators’ decision to allow a wood pellet mill in Middle Georgia with a history of environmental violations to double its emissions of toxic air pollutants. Telfair Forest Products in Lumber City has been cited by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) five times over the past 14 years and paid more than $50,000 in fines for violations that included exceeding pollution limits, failure to install required pollution controls, and failure to keep appropriate records and perform required testing, state records show. In July, EPD issued Telfair a new permit that allows the company to increase its output of volatile organic compounds — some of which are known carcinogens — from an estimated 337 tons per year to 586 tons per year. …The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) filed a petition Friday accusing the state of bypassing federal Clean Air Act requirements by issuing the permit without proper analyses or pollution controls.

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A new New Hampshire law will investigate the impact of carbon offset sites on timber tax revenue

By Kate Dario
The Concord Monitor
July 29, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

While carbon offset offerings have grown increasingly popular, few of us have actually considered where all this offset carbon is being stored. But in New Hampshire, it may be just outside your window. …But many local political and forestry leaders, especially in the North Country, are skeptical of these programs because of how they might limit timber production and disrupt forest-centered tourism. Last week, Gov. Chris Sununu signed the state’s first law pertaining to these programs,which will fund a Department of Revenue Administration study on the potential lost timber tax revenue and require the Division of Forestry to create a registry of all carbon offset sites in the state. …The 2022 purchase of the Connecticut Lakes Headwater Working Forest by a North Carolina-based carbon offset company has stirred controversy because it has already curbed logging. …The study will evaluate if a new tax should be placed on carbon offset sites to replace the timber tax.

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Wood pellets production boomed to feed EU demand. It’s come at a cost for Black people in the South

By James Pollard, Julie Watson and Stephen Smith
The Washington Post
July 26, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

GLOSTER, Mississippi — This southern Mississippi town’s expansive wood pellet plant was so close to Shelia Mae Dobbins’ home that… industrial residues coated her truck and she no longer enjoys spending time in the air outdoors. …Wood pellet production skyrocketed across the U.S. South. It helped feed demand in the European Union for renewable energy, as those coutries sought to replace fossil fuels such as coal. But many residents near plants find the process left their air dustier and people sicker. Billions of dollars are available for these projects under President Joe Biden’s signature law combating climate change. The administration is weighing whether to open up tax credits for companies to burn wood pellets for energy. As producers expand west, environmentalists want the government to stop incentivizing what they call a misguided attempt to curb carbon emissions that pollute communities of color while presently warming the atmosphere.

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