Region Archives: US East

Edward Loewenstein

AUBURN, Alabama — The College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, or CFWE, at Auburn University has announced the retirement of Edward Loewenstein, the college’s former associate dean of academic affairs. Loewenstein, who is an expert in uneven-aged forest management selection, silvics, natural regeneration and the ecology and silviculture of oaks, also was the former associate professor of silviculture. Loewenstein served as associate dean for academic affairs for four years before returning to an academic role as a professor of silviculture. …At the college, Loewenstein was honored with the CFWE Forestry Club Teacher of the Year Award in 2003 and 2011. He also received the Harold E. Christen Award for Service to Teaching in 2019 and the Harry Murphy Award for Excellence in Advising in 2021. …Loewenstein also was recently added to the Alabama Forester’s Hall of Fame.

CAMDEN, Arkansas — Astara Capital Partners, along with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and other state and local officials, on Friday marked the opening of the Camden Timbers sawmill and celebrated the economic investment and job creation it will bring to Arkansas “Astara is proud to invest in American manufacturing companies, and today’s ceremony highlights the wonderful team at Camden Timbers and its special partnership with the state of Arkansas,” said Astara Managing Partner Michael Ranson. …Camden Timbers will create more than 50 jobs in the area. The company expects the sawmill to produce more than 50 million board feet of timbers and dimensional lumber through its sawmill, kiln, and planer operations. …“Our community welcomes Camden Timbers in restarting the former Victory Lumber mill,” said James Lee Silliman, executive director of the Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development.

Walmart canceled its exclusive contract with Structurlam Mass Timber Corp., a move that caused Structurlam to temporarily suspend operations at its $90 million Conway facility, because of production issues. …The Bentonville retailer had contracted with Structurlam, based in Penticton, BC, to provide 1.7 million cubic feet of mass timber to build Walmart’s expansive new headquarters complex. …But the massive order proved to be too much too soon for the plant, and Walmart canceled the contract in January. “It isn’t uncommon in manufacturing to have unexpected startup delays or issues,” said Cindi Marsiglio, Walmart’s senior VP. “We are still very much part of the mass timber partnership and growth, but nonetheless I need to get our campus [finished]. …Structurlam CEO Matthew Karmel said his company was in discussions with Walmart to resolve the production issues when the retailer announced the dissolution. Marsiglio said she would “direct the reason” for the production problems to Structurlam. [to access the full story an Arkansas Business subscription is required]

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Huber Engineered Woods, a subsidiary of J.M. Huber Corporation, announced that, due to delays, it will no longer develop its new oriented strand board (OSB) facility in Cohasset, Minnesota, as originally intended and announced in June 2021. HEW is committed to meeting growing market demand for customers and consumers and has determined that a new location provides the most efficient pathway to do so. Says HEW President Brian Carlson, “Over the past year, we have been working to scope and permit a mill in the City of Cohasset, Minnesota. …“Due to delays that jeopardize our ability to meet product demand deadlines, we will pursue development of our sixth mill in another state.

ATLANTA — Domain Capital, a private investment management services firm, and its subsidiary, Domain Timber Advisors, announced the acquisition of nearly 22,000 acres of timberland throughout the southeast United States. The assets were acquired via six separate transactions spanning from October to January, and include properties in Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Virginia. The geographically, diverse footprint provides exposure to several different timber and land markets with higher-and-better use potential. …Domain Timber’s most recent acquisitions—four closings in Fourth Quarter of 2022 and two in early 2023—increase the total acreage of timberland under the company’s management to more than 264,000 acres. Domain continues to research opportunities for additional, strategic acquisitions in the Southeast to meet the region’s demand for lumber and other wood products.

Michigan State legislatures previously approved legislation to grant Billerud investment support of up to USD 200 million in funding to support Billerud’s investment plans. On January 31, 2o23, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the legislation, approving the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) appropriation of the funds. The transformation of the Escanaba Mill is planned to be the cornerstone of Billerud’s expansion into North America, one of the largest and growing markets in primary fiber premium cartonboard. This funding follows additional incentives recently approved by the State of Michigan Administrative Board, including approval of the Forest Products Processing Renaissance Zone. The zone exempts Billerud from paying almost all state and local property taxes at the Escanaba Mill. The final amount of the funding will be relative to the company’s actual investment.

PISCATAWAY, NJ – Cascades, a leader in the recovery and manufacturing of green packaging and hygiene products, is pleased to announce that it has purchased a new printing press at its Piscataway, New Jersey, corrugated packaging converting facility. “The purchase of an EVOL press, one of the fastest technologies in the world, will allow us to continue our growth in the Northeast and increase our ability to serve our current and future customers. This US$9 million investment is part of our 2022-2024 strategic plan and is aimed at increasing our integration rate by adding additional converting capacity in the United States,” said Mario Plourde, President and CEO of Cascades. The Piscataway plant, started in 2018, currently serves the distribution and food processing markets. 

MEMPHIS, Tennessee — International Paper has been named to Fortune magazine’s list of World’s Most Admired Companies for the 20th time. Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies list is the definitive report card on corporate reputations. Korn Ferry has collaborated with Fortune annually since 1997 to identify, select and rank the World’s Most Admired Companies. “International Paper celebrates 125 years this year, and throughout that time we have played an essential role in manufacturing sustainable products that people depend on every day. Our founders would undoubtedly be proud,” said Mark Sutton, chairman. “Fortune congratulates all of the companies whose competitors and peers recognize their achievements and voted them onto the 2023 Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies list,” said Fortune Editor in Chief Alyson Shontell.

AHOSKIE, North Carolina State environmental officials have agreed to allow an Ahoskie biomass facility to increase production in exchange for upgrading air filtration devices at its Hertford County plant. …The long-awaited permit renewal requires the wood pellet manufacturing facility in Hertford County to install new air pollution control devices that DAQ said “will substantially reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants.” …According to the state agency, Enviva’s permit limits the plant’s volatile organic compound emissions to fewer than 250 tons per year and hazardous air pollutant emissions to fewer than 10 tons per year. Enviva will be allowed to increase pellet production, DAQ said. It also will be allowed to increase the percentage of softwood used at the plant to 100 percent. Testing requirements are being put in place to ensure compliance. …Enviva said that it is pleased with DAQ’s decision.

JPMorgan Asset Management’s timber-investing arm has acquired about 250,000 acres in the Southern pine belt for more than $500 million, Wall Street’s latest big woodlands purchase made with an eye toward carbon markets. The wealth manager said its Campbell Global unit will manage the commercial forests in Mississippi, Oklahoma and Arkansas for wood production as well as carbon capture. …”For large timberland purchases carbon is an integral part of valuation, just as timber is,” said Anton Pil, for J.P. Morgan Asset Management, which manages $2.45 trillion and acquired Campbell in 2021. “Management of these lands longer term is a balance of wood harvesting and carbon capture.” …There haven’t been enough carbon deals yet to affect the flow of logs to mills, forest-products executives say, though the presence of carbon-counting buyers has begun to significantly influence the market for timberlands, which topped $5 billion last year. 

PHENIX CITY, Ala. — As more than 400 workers continue to be locked out of the WestRock paper mill in East Alabama, the company was looking to hire new employees Thursday during a job fair. The work stoppage as the result of a labor dispute between the company and three unions is in its 112th day. WestRock officials won’t say if today’s hiring event is related to the long-running labor dispute, but it didn’t stop hundreds of job seekers from showing up at a Phenix City hotel. While people lined up at the Courtyard by Marriott to apply for a job, some workers were still on the picket line 25 miles to the south in Cottonton. WestRock is looking for production workers to staff the mill that produces coated board, it is heavy-duty paper that is used in product packaging.

The new year brings new economic territory for Alabama’s forest industry. …Adam Maggard, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System forestry specialist shares an update for the timber market. The forest industry contributes approximately $28 billion to Alabama’s total economic output. More than 44,141 jobs help achieve this output, ranking Alabama in the top three nationally in timber production. Maggard said Alabama is still dealing with an oversupply of timber. In terms of softwood timber–mostly pine–this supply has negatively impacted an increasing demand for many of its products. It has also led to uncertainty among landowners about when they should see improvement. Maggard believes … there are some important cues to study. These include stumpage trends, the housing market, mills & capacity, and policy & trade. Overall, Maggard said Alabama’s timber industry is strong. Although the housing market is likely to be volatile through much of 2023, the demand trajectory has been on the rise for timber products.

ESPOO, Finland — Valmet will supply an extensive rebuild for Sappi’s Somerset paper manufacturing facility in Skowhegan, Maine. Previously, Valmet rebuilt the paper machine 1 (PM1) and with its success, Sappi has chosen Valmet again to rebuild the paper machine 2 (PM2). The order is included in Valmet’s orders received of the fourth quarter 2022. Its value will not be disclosed, but such an order is typically worth between EUR 90 and 120 million. As a result of the PM2 conversion from coated woodfree graphic paper to solid bleached sulphate board, the machine capacity will be increased from 240,000 tons to 470,000 tons per annum. The start-up of the rebuilt machine is scheduled for the mid-year of 2025.

ESCANABA, MICHIGAN — A proposed conversion of the Escanaba paper mill to produce paperboard was given a vote of support by the state Legislature this week, but a firm decision is still months away. The state House and Senate both approved $200 million to support the project in the state’s spending bill Thursday. The bill now heads to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s desk for final approval… Billerud, which owns the mill, is considering three sites for its future paperboard making operations. Also in the running for the shift to paperboard production are the Quinnisec mill, which produces graphic papers and pulp, and the Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. facility, which now is a converting facility but produced graphic paper until 2020. The Wisconsin Rapids facility is supported by hydroelectric plants owned by Billerud on the Wisconsin River. This is not the first time the government has stepped in to make the Escanaba mill more appealing for the conversion. 

Michigan — State Reps. Greg Markkanen and Dave Prestin Thursday night announced they were able to secure new funding for a $1 billion investment in Billerud, an advanced paper manufacturer in the Upper Peninsula. While the two state reps made the announcement Thursday night, State Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Norway) was heavily involved in the process of getting the $200 million in state dollars to help the company with its expansion. It was included in Senate Bill 7 on Thursday. …The mill has been making paper since 1911. It’s one of the top employers in Delta County, and has an estimated $360 million annual economic impact on the area. Included in Thursday’s spending bill, Senate Bill 7, $200 million will be used to fund and facilitate the major investment. It will be used to help the paper mill to switch the type of products it makes and sends to the market.