LOUISIANA — Davis Timber Company, Inc. announced it will invest $1.9 million to expand its Beauregard Parish operations with new production capabilities that will enhance efficiency and strengthen Louisiana’s timber industry. The company is expected to create 12 direct new jobs while retaining 11 current positions. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional nine indirect new jobs, for a total of 21 potential new job opportunities in the Southwest Region. …Davis Timber Company’s expansion will take place at its production facility within the Beauregard Regional Airport Industrial Complex in DeRidder, where the company produces poles and pilings used in utility and infrastructure applications. The project will add new processing capabilities to the existing operation, improving efficiency and enhancing product readiness for market.
KINGSPORT, Tennessee — A new wastewater treatment system at Domtar’s Kingsport mill is still on schedule to start running later this year, part of an effort by the mill to mitigate odors affecting neighboring residents. Mill Manager Tony Clary updated the Kingsport Economic Development Board on the project’s timeline, the construction of an anaerobic digester, at the board’s monthly meeting Tuesday. The project is at a halfway point, and the new system is expected to ramp up at the end of the year. The mill faced scrutiny from city officials and residents over odors emitting from its wastewater after the site converted from manufacturing paper to recycling containerboard in 2023. The company secured funding to construct a new wastewater treatment system in December 2024 and broke ground in August 2025.
MOBILE COUNTY, Alabama — A lumber company is set to make a multi-million dollar investment into its Port City location. According to a release, a subsidiary of Canfor Southern Pine, New South Lumber Company Inc., is investing $10.5 million in the Mobile County location. The company will be adding “a new dual-path continuous dry kiln.” This move aims to increase efficiency and drying capacity, as well as provide room for growth in the future. “This investment reinforces the company’s commitment to maintaining and strengthening its existing workforce and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the operation,” said Canfor Southern Pine Inc. President Lee Goodloe. Construction is set to begin in April and be completed in June.
MAINE — As gas and diesel prices climb during the war in Iran, some of Maine’s most recognizable industries are feeling the strain. From the coast to the woods, people who rely on fuel to do their jobs say the higher costs are changing how they work and raising concerns about what comes next. Lobstermen are rethinking trips on the water, while logging contractors say the math is getting harder for truckers and mills across the state. …“I mean, there is no equipment that does not use diesel as its primary fuel for both harvesting and trucking,” Dana Doran, executive director of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, said. Doran said spiking diesel prices are adding roughly 20% to the cost of each trip a driver makes to and from a mill. That increase, he said, creates uncertainty for contractors and for mills that depend on a steady supply of wood.
PENSACOLA, Florida — West Fraser is requesting a tax break from Escambia County as the lumber company prepares for a planned expansion at its McDavid sawmill. Escambia County staff prepared a draft ordinance proposing the Canadian-based lumber company receive a 70% ad valorem tax exemption for a period of five years. …West Fraser applied for an EDATE for the assessed value of certain improvements. If the exemption is granted… over the next five years, the estimate of the taxable value lost to the county if the exemption is granted is $70,252,000 improvements to real property. In 2023, the board adopted a resolution supporting West Fraser’s expansion and agreed to consider the lumber company’s EDATE application when it was submitted. The county is scheduled to vote March 26 at its board meeting on scheduling a public hearing to consider establishing an EDATE for West Fraser. 
At the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference, US Department of Agriculture Administrator J.R. Claeys announced the USDA is guaranteeing $115.2 million across eight states (
METCALFE, Georgia — Plantation Pine Products officially opened their doors at the former site of Hood Industries, signaling an exciting new chapter in a timber mill with a storied history. …The $25 million investment is set to provide 100 jobs, with the first mill employees reporting for duty in July, when it will once again come alive. Operated by Steve Conner, Plantation Pine Products will be one of the many “bread and butter businesses” of Thomasville. …“Forestry is woven into the fabric of rural Georgia in a way that no other industry can match,” Michelle Shaw said for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. …The reopening of the mill comes at a crucial time following the devastation of Hurricane Helene in 2025 and reinforces the resiliency of timber producers across Georgia.
More efficient use of lumber byproducts leads to more sustainable forest management. That’s why Michigan Technological University researchers are developing a biomaterial lighter than steel and just as strong, made from leftover wood waste, that could revolutionize the lumber industry. …Xinfeng Xie, associate professor of forest biomaterials, and his team have partnered with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Waste Upcycling for Defense (WUD) program to turn scrap wood into a strong, sustainable building material. …Led by Xie, students began by using a group of wood-decay fungi, also known as xylophagous fungi, to break down lignin, the tough, rigid structural polymer in plant cell walls. This biological approach leaves behind cellulose nanofibers that are stronger than steel, and its only byproducts are carbon dioxide and water. …The project also provides a physical product that has a positive impact on the future of their industry.
CONCORD, New Hampshire — A bill moving forward at the State House aims to address a decades-old discrepancy in how wood strength is rated. New Hampshire lawmakers approved Senate Bill 529, which gives preference to US-harvest lumber. The bill requires state-funded building projects to include design specifications for US-sourced spruce-pine-fir. …In the early 1990s, the U.S. and Canada developed separate systems to rate the strength of framing lumber. Canadian lumber is labeled SPF, while American lumber is labeled SPFs. SPFs ended up with a lower design strength value, even though the wood used on both sides of the border is nearly identical. …Over time, the difference in design specifications has given Canadian lumber a competitive advantage, putting Hampshire lumber at a disadvantage. While lawmakers can’t change international industry standards, they can influence how the state purchases lumber for its own construction projects.
BRIMLEY, MI – The Bay Mills Indian Community will receive $50,000 in state funding to support planning and design of a long-term care facility in Brimley, making it the only Upper Peninsula project selected in the first round of Michigan’s Mass Timber Catalyst Program. The planned facility is among 10 projects statewide sharing $400,000 in grants aimed at expanding the use of mass timber construction in Michigan. The state received six applications from the Upper Peninsula. “We received six applicants for a number of different projects in the Upper Peninsula,” said Patrick Mohney, senior lands program manager with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Office of Public Lands. “This shows that interest in this building technique is growing.” Nine Lower Peninsula projects were also selected, with individual grants ranging from $25,000 to $60,000. Recipients include a woodworking school in Adrian, a municipal building in Grand Rapids, and mixed-use facilities in several locations.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is planting nearly 2 million tree seedlings on DNR-managed forest land across the state this spring. Each year, DNR foresters coordinate tree plantings in state forests, wildlife management areas, state parks, and other DNR-managed lands. This spring, 14 species will be planted on more than 3,000 acres throughout the state, including several varieties of pine, spruce and oak, as well as yellow birch, sugar maple, black walnut and tamarack. These reforestation efforts are led by the DNR’s Silviculture Program. Silviculture is the art and science of growing and tending forests to serve a variety of goals, including clean air and water, recreation opportunities, healthy wildlife habitat, biodiversity and timber productivity. Foresters consider current characteristics, climate resilience and future goals for each site to create a plan for planting and ongoing care.
Despite several strong snowstorms across New Hampshire this winter and some rain in the past week, state officials warn that drought conditions persist statewide — along with an elevated risk of wildfires. The January-March period was the sixth-driest first quarter on record for the state, dating back to when measurements were first recorded in 1895, according to the New Hampshire Forest Protection Bureau. The data comes on the heels of an autumn with wildfire conditions so severe that a burn ban was declared statewide from Sept. 22 through Oct. 8. “Last year, New Hampshire experienced a 27.6% increase in the number of wildfires and a 16.8% increase in the number of acres burned,” said Chief Steven Sherman of the Forest Protection Bureau. “Many homes in New Hampshire are located in the wildland-urban interface — the area where homes and flammable wildland fuels intermix.” The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that 78% of the state is currently experiencing moderate to severe drought. 
Louisiana’s timber industry is at a critical turning point. For generations, forestry has been one of the economic backbones of our state, especially in north Louisiana. Families like mine have built their livelihoods around logging, trucking and land management. But today, that foundation is weakening — not because our forests are failing, but because our markets are. Over the past several decades, Louisiana has lost a significant portion of its wood-using infrastructure. Mill closures across north Louisiana have reduced demand for fiber, leaving a growing supply of timber without a market. While our forests continue to thrive and produce, the outlets that once supported them have steadily disappeared. …Expanding markets like pellet-to-power could help restore demand for low-grade timber, which is essential to keeping logging operations viable. These industries have the potential to sustain hundreds of jobs, increase fiber demand and bring new economic activity to rural parishes.
CONNECTICUT –Plant science researchers and the UConn Fire Department are using prescribed burns to mitigate brush fires and study the role of microbes in soil recovery to generate new insights to help Connecticut manage rising wildfire risk. …In the fall of 2024, Connecticut saw a record 605 wildfires, which burned more than 500 acres and prompted a statewide emergency declaration, a temporary burn ban, and multi‑agency firefighting support. …
“Can’t see the forest for the trees” is an old cliche, but an apt one for the Trump administration’s latest decision to reorganize the US Forest Service. Instead of local headquarters and research centers located near national forests, the USFS will implement a “state-based” structure, where employees report to a smaller number of regional headquarters. The agency will close the Northern Research Center in Grand Rapids, among 57 such facilities across the nation. …When you go to the forests where paper comes from, you realize that forestry research requires sustained presence in the woods. If staff are located hundreds of miles away, often in cities, quality research will become virtually impossible to conduct without additional new funding. …Despite the administration’s claims to the contrary, this decision retreats from some of the most important forest ecology research in history. One of the Grand Rapids lab’s biggest projects is evaluating how peatlands and tree species adapt to our changing climate. [to access the full story a StarTribune subscription is required]
New research suggests that in just 15 years, the causes of most tree loss have flipped from human hands to a handful of natural causes. University of Vermont researchers studied forests in 18 states: in 2009, human harvesting accounted for most tree loss, but by 2024, pests, diseases, and other “natural” causes activities were causing far more tree loss. They compared nearly 324,000 records of tree mortality across 18 states and almost 62,000,000 hectares, from the federal Forest Inventory and Analysis dataset from 2009 to 2024. In 2009, human harvesting caused a bit more tree loss than natural causes. Fifteen years later, tree loss from natural causes was outpacing harvest-caused loss by nearly 40%, and overall tree loss also increased by nearly 16% during this period. It wasn’t a change the researchers were looking for. 
BOSTON — Urban forestry is a noble and necessary pursuit, yielding environmental and health benefits almost too numerous to count. …Urban forests, broadly speaking, also happen to be sources of large amounts of wood waste. The most recent estimates from the USDA Forest Service indicate that 46 million tons of sellable wood from urban areas is felled each year, most of which gets chipped, landfilled, or burned for energy. There is a missed opportunity afoot; not one of those pathways—with the possible exception of biomass power generation—involves making something of tangible value that’s inversely proportional to the amount of waste being generated. …Tridome Structures, a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of mass timber products, saw the gap in the Northeast market and acted accordingly. Only six months ago, the company opened a subsidiary mill operation called TimberWise in the town of Millis, a Boston suburb.
January’s ice storm stressed out trees, making it harder for them to ward off disease and insects. It may have also created an environment where species of pine bark beetles that have been documented for centuries, especially ips and southern pine beetles, can flourish and attack vulnerable evergreens. “You can go from having just a few trees that are damaged or killed by the beetles to having acres damaged or killed by beetles if you’re not really monitoring that,” said Garron Hicks, Assistant Forest Management Chief with the Mississippi Forestry Commission. “Unfortunately, often when landowners notice evidence of the beetle, it’s too late for that tree.” That’s especially true for pine trees whose needles have already begun to turn brown or red. …Hicks urges landowners especially in north Mississippi, the region hit hardest by the winter storm, to look out for signs of beetle damage like pitch tubes.
As the Trump administration wages war on Iran, it’s citing national security to seek an exemption from the Endangered Species Act for expanded oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico — a move alarming environmental groups who say it could set a dangerous precedent for future fossil fuel projects. Environmentalists argue the government hasn’t followed proper procedure and they’re seeking to block the move before Interior Secretary Doug Burgum convenes the Endangered Species Committee on Tuesday. The committee, nicknamed the “God Squad” by groups who say it can determine the fate of a species, is comprised of six high-ranking federal officials plus a representative for states involved. …The Center for Biological Diversity sued last week to block the committee meeting. …The committee was established in 1978 as a way to exempt projects from the Endangered Species Act. …The committee has only convened three times in its 53-year history and issued only two exemptions. 
At a commercial tree nursery near Evans, western Louisiana, pine seedlings are sprayed with a liquid extract teeming with hundreds of species of wild soil fungi. Brad Ouseman, the nursery manager, is confident he will see results from this fungal inoculation, which is intended to improve yields and reduce the need for artificial fertilisers. Colin Averill, the founder of Funga, the startup company that supplied the spray, likens the treatment to a faecal microbiome transplant for young pine trees. Funga treats young pine trees with wild microbes derived from the soils of thriving pine forests. “We’re taking the whole soil community,” Averill says. “As a result, we get all the complexity and all the interactions that come with it.” The goal: trees that grow fast, drawing down more carbon dioxide, with less reliance on artificial fertilisers. …“Our next big target is Douglas fir in the Pacific north-west,” says Averill.
Years after logging at his Mariaville woodlot, Bob Seymour expected to see new hardwood trees growing in the understory. In fact, he took it as a given after decades in the Maine woods that natural regrowth would crop up. Instead, almost all of the young trees in some sections are eastern white pines he had planted. He believes that’s largely because deer populations are growing and eating more hardwood saplings, which means fewer trees and less diversity in the future. …It’s one of the most concerning changes that Seymour, a retired UMaine silviculture professor, has seen in almost five decades of experience researching forest management. …Such challenges to understanding and managing the Maine woods have grown in recent years amid climate change, which has brought destructive new pests, fast-moving diseases, invasive plants that take over, and warmer winters that change growing, harvesting and wildlife conditions.
When Hurricane Helene swept through western North Carolina, forestry officials conservatively estimated the storm damaged 822,000 acres of timber. Now satellite imagery showing changes in forest cover suggests the extent of damage was much greater. Nearly 18 months after Helene, forestry officials and the state fire marshal warned legislators Thursday that North Carolina needs to be much better prepared to battle wildfires. Deputy Forester Kevin Harvell with the North Carolina Forest Service said from the air, it’s easy to spot areas where complete stands of trees were flattened, making forest roads and logging roads impassable. …In many counties, N.C. Forest Service staffing consists of just three people – a county ranger, an assistant ranger, and a heavy equipment operator. That means a local county fire department may be the first responder when a brush or woods fire is reported. As in many areas of state government, Hicks says low pay is making it increasingly difficult to keep experienced staff.
RHNELANDER, Wisconsin — Wisconsin’s Forest Industry Roadmap and Strategies for Tomorrow, or Wisconsin Forests FIRST is a statewide initiative made for developing a plan and roadmap to ensure Wisconsin’s forests remain healthy and productive, while strengthening the timber industry. Wisconsin’s timber industry is one of the leading economic factors in the state, especially in the Northwoods. The new roadmap being developed by Wisconsin Forests FIRST Initiative aims to identify challenges within the industry to ensure long-term success. Wisconsin Council on Forestry chair, Tom Hittle, explains what the roadmap will consist of. …The research for the roadmap will last two years and seek out data-driven insights to support forest health in collaboration with local and statewide experts. The Great Lakes Timber Professionals and the Paper Council received a $1 million grant from the state to pursue the project with the Wisconsin Council on Forestry.
HAYWARD, Wis. – A new refinery planned for Hayward will convert wood into sustainable aviation fuel, using waste wood, such as scrap wood or invasive species. Hayward companies FutureWood and Johnson Timber Corporation will source and process the wood, while Synthec Fuels will handle the fuel refining process. President of FutureWood DJ Aderman says the facility will harness products not currently utilized in the forestry industry. “What’s really cool about this is we’re gonna use a lot of mill residuals. We’re gonna use a lot of products that we’re not currently using right now, unmerchable tops, species that have no or little value,” said Aderman. Last week, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed the Forestry Revitalization Act, which approved up to $120 million in tax credits for the $1.7 billion project. The legislation aims to bolster the forestry industry, which has seen major downturns due to mill closures in recent years.
LOUISIANA — Legislation to expand wood pellet manufacturing in Louisiana is gaining traction despite concerns over the industry’s connection to underground carbon storage, which has attracted a growing number of critics among state lawmakers. Louisiana is a burgeoning producer of wood pellets, which have been branded as a sustainable alternative to coal for generating electricity in overseas markets. As of 2023, mills in the South produced about 85% of the America’s wood pellet exports, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Reps. Chuck Owen, R-Rosepine, and Rodney Schamerhorn, R-Hornbeck, are carrying the proposed Louisiana Wood Pellet Manufacturing Strengthening Act. It directs the Louisiana Economic Development agency to promote the expansion of the industry throughout the state. …Legislators who have become hostile to carbon dioxide sequestration projects in their local districts openly disagree with economic development officials on whether the wood pellet industry even needs to store the CO2 they generate.
HOLMES COUNTY, Ohio — Six people were injured following a dust explosion and fire at a moulding facility in Holmes County on Tuesday, according to local emergency officials. According to a Facebook post reporting the incident, East Holmes Fire & EMS responded at 12:43 p.m. at Holmes Custom Moulding, where crews reported a structure fire accompanied by an explosion. First units arrived within one minute and requested additional ambulances after identifying multiple burn victims. …Six patients were treated at the scene and transported to area hospitals… Preliminary information indicates the explosion was caused by sparks from a malfunctioning belt sander entering a sawdust collection system. The ignition of wood dust led to an explosion that caused extensive damage to the building, including the dust collection system and sawdust silos.
NAHUNTA, Ga. — Heavy rain slowed the progress of two sprawling southern Georgia wildfires over the weekend, allowing crews to make some progress in containing the blazes that have destroyed more than 100 homes. Although the rain helped the firefighting efforts, it wasn’t “nearly enough to put the fires out” and crews responded to 10 new blazes throughout the drought-stricken state Sunday, the Georgia Forestry Commission said Monday. …Georgia’s biggest blaze, the Pineland Road Fire, has scorched more than 50 square miles and at least 35 homes… about 35 miles north of Florida, which is also dealing with wildfires. The area has been full of highly combustible dead trees and other vegetation since Hurricane Helene carved a destructive path northward in September of 2024. About 60 miles to the northeast, the Highway 82 Fire has been burning since April 20. It has destroyed at least 87 homes and torched more than 35 square miles. It is only 6% contained.
Wildfires tearing through the south have forced hundreds of Georgia residents to flee in minutes, leaving them distraught about the homes and animals they left behind. The fires that spread this week during an extreme drought in Georgia and Florida have blanketed cities hundreds of miles away in smoke, leading to more air quality warnings on Thursday across the south-east. Driven by strong winds and low humidity, the two biggest fires in southern Georgia have spread rapidly over the past two days and destroyed more than 50 homes in rural areas. But the growing threat led to more evacuations and school closings on Wednesday. “I don’t know if I have a house standing or not,” said Denise Stephens, who was forced to evacuate because of the fast-moving Brantley county fire near Georgia’s coast. “I know what it’s taken from other people, but I don’t know what I have left standing.”
GEORGIA — Smoke has filled the air across parts of the Peach State this week as wildfires continue to burn out of control in southern Georgia, forcing evacuations and destroying homes. According to the Georgia Forestry Commission, crews responded to 34 new wildfires Wednesday that burned about 75 acres statewide. But officials say the biggest concern remains two large, active fires that have already scorched tens of thousands of acres. The Pineland Road Fire in Clinch County has grown to nearly 29,606 acres and is about 10% contained. In Brantley County, the Highway 82 Fire has burned more than 4,400 acres and is roughly 15% contained. Officials say dry conditions, high winds, and a lack of rain are making the fires harder to control. …The growing wildfire threat prompted Brian Kemp to declare a state of emergency, allowing more state and federal resources to assist, including expected support from FEMA.
