The November closing of the Foley Cellulose Mill in Perry will wreak economic havoc across the Big Bend and will cost Florida nearly 2,000 jobs and $9.9 million in state and local taxes, according to University of Florida economists. A report from the UF Institue of Food and Agricultural Science describes the paper mill along the Fenholloway River as the main economic driver for a county where one in five residents live below the poverty line. The Foley paper mill provides Taylor County workers a payroll of $77 million, and offers starting pay for most jobs that is nearly twice the state per capita income of $35,216. …Georgia-Pacific announced it would shutter the paper mill along the Fenholloway River in September. Local and state officials were blindsided by the announcement and a month later Perry is watching the main driver of its economy slowly withdraw from the community.
West Fraser, one of the largest timber producers in North America, today announced it is growing its Newberry County sawmill operations with its third expansion in 10 years. The $17.7 million investment will create 30 new jobs. …West Fraser is a diversified wood products company that manufactures lumber, engineered wood and other products including pulp, newsprint, wood chips and renewable energy. …Much like the 2014 and 2016 projects, the expansion of the facility in Newbery will help West Fraser modernize and increase productivity. The company purchased an additional 60 acres of land to accommodate the growth. … “West Fraser is a very important part of Newberry County. This expansion includes a significant financial investment and the addition of stable, good paying jobs to our community, which is a great win for everyone in Newberry County. This addition also helps to ensure their continued presence in Newberry County for years to come.” -Newberry County Council Chairman Todd Johnson
Dustin Jalbert commented that Fastmarkets projects US lumber consumption to grow by 18% through 2027. He highlighted that this growth was primarily fueled by residential construction and repair and remodeling activities. His forecast also projected steady growth in demand for SYP over the next five years, increasing its market share over the decade. An expected increase of about 9 billion board feet is anticipated, driven by factors such as an underbuilt housing market and the availability of home equity. Southern yellow pine runs in contrast to what we’re seeing in the rest of the supply side of the North American lumber market…effectively compensating for the capacity losses in British Columbia. “This is going to continue at a pace of about a billion board feet per year,” Jalbert said.
SMILELY Creek, Idaho — The Ross Fork Fire burned 38,000 acres last summer in and around the Sawtooth Mountains. The fire burned hotter in more thickly forested areas, with less tree mortality in areas that had been “treated” with tree thinning of dead and diseased trees prior to the fire, according to a Forest Service report. Last week, Forest Service crews, tree planting contractors and about a dozen volunteers planted 24,000 Douglas fir trees on 120 acres in what had previously been a predominantly lodgepole pine forest. The goal was to restore the forest for public use and prepare for changes due to climate change. …Mills said despite the loss of trees and wildlife from the Ross Fork Fire, the lightening-caused blaze provided a natural test of the effectiveness of tree thinning that had previously been conducted to reduce the severity (results) and intensity (damaging characteristics) of wildfires.
The world’s largest wood pellet producer has applied for a major clean energy tax credit for building a new plant in Epes, Ala., but critics say burning wood pellets for energy won’t reduce the greenhouse gases that drive climate change. Enviva—which is currently constructing what will be its largest pellet mill to date in Sumter County—recently told investors in an earnings call that it has applied for tax credits under the Department of Energy’s “Advanced Energy Project Credit,” meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote renewable energy. The wood pellets produced at Epes would be ground up from whole or partial trees, and shipped overseas to countries where burning the wood pellets in power plants is considered a carbon-neutral or renewable energy. 
Minneapolis, MN – The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities has provided a grant to Dovetail Partners to conduct a project in collaboration with Cambium Consulting with the goal of creating shared understanding around the potential effects of an expanding forest carbon market in the United States. The project has four distinct phases designed to raise awareness and encourage consideration and integration of approaches to maximize positive outcomes and minimize negative impacts. The project includes development of a concept paper, a survey of stakeholders and interested parties, development of mapping strategies, and a conveying workshop to be held in mid-2024. “Forest carbon offset prices are now competitive with lower value traditional forest products such as pulp, and chip-n-saw logs in some markets,” says Pete Madden, President, U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. “As offset prices continue to rise, it’s reasonable to anticipate price competition with forest products in the near future.” 
Microsoft has signed a carbon capture agreement to remove CO2 by burying charcoal. Carbon Streaming Corporation last week announced it will provide Microsoft with carbon removal credits from the Waverly Biochar project in Waverly, Virginia. “We’re pleased to work with Carbon Streaming to support the development of biochar as a carbon removal approach through the Waverly Biochar project. Carbon Streaming’s capacity to provide project-level finance is an important part of scaling this industry and it ensures we can focus on procuring carbon removal from high-quality projects,” said Brian Marrs, senior director of energy and carbon, Microsoft. …Carbon Streaming said the Waverly Biochar project is expected to deliver up to 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide removal credits per year towards Microsoft’s carbon negative target. The Waverly project will see a biochar production facility located at a wood pellet manufacturer in Waverly, in Virginia’s Sussex County.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) has issued a key permit to Strategic Biofuels LLC allowing the operator to proceed with development of subsidiary Louisiana Green Fuels LLC’s (LGF) proposed grassroots renewable fuels project to be built at the port of Columbia, in Caldwell Parish, La. Following a comprehensive technical review and public comment period, DEQ approved LGF’s application for an air permit—a first of its kind in the state—on Sept. 21 upon finding the project will not have an adverse impact on local air resources, Strategic Biofuels said. …the integrated project will include a biorefinery capable of producing nearly 32 million gal/year of renewable fuel from a feedstock of wood waste made up of timber byproducts supplied by responsibly managed, sustainable plantation forests within Louisiana.
