MANCHESTER, Tennessee – Several US sawmills are struggling to stay open after industry leaders said years of trade uncertainty have drained export markets and tightened margins. The Hardwood Federation estimates at least one sawmill is going out of business every week. Additionally, the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) reported that more than 4% of U.S. sawmills have been lost due to closures and consolidations. The equipment from those sawmills ends up in a growing pile of auction fliers on Johnny Evans’ desk at the Evans Lumber in Manchester, Tennessee. However, Evans is desperate to save his sawmill from being auctioned off due to ongoing trade talks. …Evans said a lot of this goes back to trade tensions that began in 2018, during the first Trump administration. That’s when some countries, like China, stopped buying American hardwood in retaliation to President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.
KINCHELOE, Michigan — A unique manufacturing facility opened in September along a CN line in Kincheloe, Michigan. Located in the Chippewa County Industrial Park in Michigan’s upper peninsula, the $7.3 million, 20,000-square foot facility serves as a transportation and logistics hub for wood and lumber dealer Maple Transport. The facility features a rail spur and is situated near Interstate 75. The new manufacturing hub will support Michigan’s $20 billion forest products industry and serve other new or expanding businesses, Maple Transport officials say. Project funding included $5.8 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, $1.25 million in matching dollars from the Michigan Economic Development Corp., and contributions from the Chippewa County Economic Development Corp. and a Strategic Site Readiness Program grant. Construction began in spring 2024 on the manufacturing facility, which Maple Transport will use to ship wood products, CN officials said in an email. The facility will be served by both CN and trucks.
STEVENS POINT, Wisconsin – USDA Rural Development Wisconsin State Director Andrew Iverson announced the Timber Professionals Cooperative Enterprises (TPCE) will use a Rural Development loan of $800,000 to re-open and expand the former Hoffman Wood Fiber sawmill in Shawano County. This investment is through the Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEP). TPCE will use guaranteed loan funds to purchase over 49 acres of real estate and equipment. The equipment will allow TCPE to improve the efficiency of manufacturing wood chips. The project also includes plans to expand capabilities of the site to manufacture new, higher-value products from the same raw materials. The project will create six jobs. …TPCE plans to implement a detailed process to improve productivity involving processes in the wood yard and chip mill. Installation of an automatic log feed deck will help increase production from 2,500 to 4,000 tons per month.
After four major paper and pulp mills closed in Georgia this fall, the phone at the South Georgia Sawmill began ringing nonstop. …woodsmen from Georgia were begging owner Adam Williams to buy at least some of their logs… Williams had to say no. The scene here in Georgia is being replicated in other timber markets, raising larger questions about what measures the United States could take to become more self-reliant and preserve its foundational industries. While most of the U.S. wood supply has historically been homegrown, imports have surged, particularly from Canada. … Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has assembled a task force to suss out new opportunities for Georgia wood. Georgia Tech University, for one, is at the forefront of technology that might one day refine new types of aviation fuel from trees. The state is also pioneering the use of so-called “mass timber” – cross-laminated panels of two-by-sixes that replace concrete and steel. 
Nearly 40 Tennessee hardwood companies are among hundreds of U.S. hardwood industry operators calling for federal relief from tariff-induced economic hardship. Tennessee’s forestry products industry supports an estimated 85,000 jobs, according to the 
An Augusta lumber mill is closing permanently. The West Fraser Timber mill is expected to shutter by the end of 2025, putting 130 employees out of jobs, the company announced. “The closure of the Augusta lumber mill is a result of challenging lumber demand, and the loss of economically viable residual outlets, which combined has compromised the mill’s long-term viability,” the company said. …West Fraser said it “expects to mitigate the impact on affected employees by providing work opportunities at other company operations, where available.” The Canadian company’s lumber mill operations closest to Augusta are in the Georgia cities of Blackshear, Dudley, and Fitzgerald, all at least 100 miles away. West Fraser also runs facilities in Cordele and in Allendale, South Carolina, that produce oriented strand board. …“The announcement is difficult news for employees, their families, suppliers, and the community,” Georgia Forestry Association’s Tim Lowrimore said.
KINGWOOD, W.Va. — Multiple volunteer fire departments and emergency medical services responded Wednesday night to a fire at Appalachian Wood Pellets that affected multiple buildings. Officials reported the blaze has been contained, and no injuries were reported. Preston County Office of Emergency Management Director Justin Wolfe said initial reports of the blaze at 383 Mill Road were received at 11:33 p.m. Wednesday. …Initial reports noted that crews mounted an attack against the blaze, with additional fire departments being requested for assistance. Based on reports, the fire affected structures outside the main plant, including an open trailer with material, an open roofed storage structure and a belt-to-silo apparatus, and encroached on a maintenance building.
Weyerhaeuser will use $102 million of proceeds from a municipal bond sale to help finance the construction of solid waste disposal facilities at its engineered wood plant in Arkansas. The Resource Recovery Revenue Bonds Series 2025 will be sold by the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, which will then lend the money to the timber and forest products company. …The bonds are special and limited revenue obligations of the issuer. Weyerhaeuser will use the money to help finance a portion of the costs of the acquisition, construction, equipping and installation of solid waste disposal facilities at its TimberStrand plant under construction near the city of Monticello in Drew County. Proceeds will also be used to pay the costs of bond issuance. TimberStrand is a brand name for a type of engineered wood product called laminated strand lumber and is manufactured by Weyerhaeuser. 
Arkansas’ timber industry, like Arkansas’ agriculture industry, is in trouble. The causes of the trouble are various, but one cause stands out for both: the Trump administration’s trade war. In October, Arkansas House Speaker Brian Evans, R-Cabot, joined the speakers of the Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina houses of representatives urging Congress to move to relieve “an industry in crisis.” “Under current US trade policy, products and shipments from US exporters are becoming stuck en route to their final destination due to immediately imposed tariffs,” the letter said. The state’s forestry sector supports more than 50,000 jobs and contributes about $6.1 billion to Arkansas’ economy, more than 4% of the state’s GDP. “The trade war has impacted our ability to export hardwood logs out of Arkansas,” Matthew Pelkki, at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, said. [to access the full story an Arkansas Business subscription is required]
…Arkansas’ forestry industry is feeling the weight of a slowing housing market, a declining demand for many of its products and trade disputes and regulations that have closed off foreign markets. In recent years, several mills in Arkansas have closed — evidence of economic struggles for the industry. In September, Domtar’s sawmill in Glenwood announced a temporary shut down, affecting 150 workers. Shields Wood Products also shut down. Arkansas House Speaker Brian Evans signed on to a letter … calling on Congress to step in and help expand the export market for their states’ foresters. …the Arkansas Economic Development Commission said the state exported $6.45 billion in forestry products in 2023, the largest destinations being Canada, Mexico and Japan. The letter from the state house speakers to Congress makes specific mention of the Chinese market, which cut off the import of logs from the U.S. in March as part of retaliation for American tariffs, Reuters reported. [Access to the full story may require a subscription to the Gazette]
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’ leading industry, agriculture, is facing a crisis. But it’s not just row-crop farmers that are struggling — the forestry industry is as well. The market for timber has become so bad that mills are closing and loggers are getting out of the business. “This is devastating to the timber industry in South Arkansas. Eight of the last 11 weeks, we have experienced mill closures in Arkansas, some permanent, some temporary,” said John Dawson, president of Arkansas Pulpwood Co. in Camden. “We’re seeing loggers drop out. Lifelong families that are two, three, four generations of loggers are getting out of the business. Banks in South Arkansas are moving away from loaning money to loggers,” Dawson said. As you’d expect, demand for paper has plummeted. …But demand for lumber is down too. …There’s simply too much supply for the diminishing demand.
TILLEDA, Wis. – A groundbreaking moment in Tilleda, with the introduction of the first chip mill in the United States purchased by a logger co-op, marking the start of a new chapter for the industry. “Because it’s the first of its kind in the country there were a lot of hoops that we had to go through first to figure out what it all looked like legally and logistically,” said Dennis Schoeneck, president of Timber Professionals Cooperation Enterprises. Founded five years ago, Timber Professionals Cooperation Enterprises aims to sustain and grow the timber industry. The co-op is made up of loggers and truckers, and it was those groups who helped raise the $418,000 that went towards the purchase of the mill. They don’t want to stop here, the co-op has big plans for the future.
“President Donald Trump’s tariffs could increase builder costs anywhere from $7,500 to $10,000 per home,” said Rob Dietz, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders… Last year, the NAHB estimated that every $1,000 increase in the median price of a new home prices out roughly 106,000 potential buyers. The biggest impact has been felt in lumber prices, which are expected to total about $4,900 per home on average. …about a third of the wood purchased for homebuilding comes from Canada. Domestic lumber producers generally raise their prices to match import prices. …major players like Home Depot are better able to mitigate and predict rising and volatile prices than smaller retailers. North American Builder’s Supply, based in Illinois, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. …“Over 50% of our inventory is not part of tariffs and is obviously sourced domestically,” Home Depot Executive Vice President William Bastek shared.
Michigan is the latest state to launch an initiative aimed at accelerating mass timber construction. The new Michigan Mass Timber Catalyst Program will provide cash awards ranging from $25,000 to $75,000, along with technical assistance and peer-learning opportunities, to encourage the use of engineered wood in new buildings. Although mass timber products are not yet manufactured in Michigan, interest in the material is growing rapidly. …The Catalyst program, produced collaboratively by the Michigan DNR, MassTimber@MSU, the Michigan Green Building Collaborative, and WoodWorks, will support early-stage projects that use mass timber as a primary structural or architectural material. …Awarded teams will join a cohort led by MassTimber@MSU and Woodworks to work through design, procurement, cost estimation, and code approval challenges. …In New York City, the NYCEDC’s Mass Timber Studio offers $25,000 Grants and technical support for early-stage projects…. In the Southeast, the Georgia Mass Timber Accelerator… provides funding and technical assistance to teams exploring timber-based design solutions.
Chinese tissue paper made from bamboo has emerged as a trendy choice for eco-friendly shoppers. However, new research suggests these bamboo paper products may not offer significant climate benefits over tissue produced in the United States and, in some cases, may be more detrimental to the environment. North Carolina State University researchers compared the carbon footprint of bamboo tissue paper manufactured in China with that of conventional tissue paper manufactured in the U.S. and Canada. They found that… the fossil fuel-heavy power grid in China led to significant increases in emissions compared with cleaner fuel sources used in North America. “As far as emissions go, the technology used to create hygiene tissue paper is far more important than the type of fiber it’s made from,” said Naycari Forfora, lead author of the study…. “Because the Chinese power grid is so reliant on coal for power, emissions … are higher than the wood-based option.”
As the American West warms due to climate change, wildfires are increasingly burning in higher-elevation mountains, charring the watersheds where the region’s vital snowpack accumulates. A new study has found that in the immediate aftermath of fires across the region, the snowpack disappears earlier in burned areas. This change can threaten forest health and affect the downstream farms, cities and species that rely on the snowpack for their water, according to other research. Scientists who study the effects of wildfires on the snowpack and streamflows are finding that the story is complex and nuanced. The impacts can vary greatly across the West’s diverse ecosystems and topography. Plus, each wildfire burns differently, so the severity of the blaze is another critical factor. …Published in the Sept. 17 issue of 
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — It’s one of nature’s mysteries: How can woodpeckers, the smallest of which weigh less than an ounce, drill permanent holes into massive trees using only their tiny heads? New research shows that there’s much more at play, anatomically: When a woodpecker bores into wood, it uses not only its head but its entire body, as well as its breathing. In a study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, a team led by biologists at Brown University reveals how woodpeckers combine breathing and whole-body coordination to drill into trees with extraordinary force. “These findings expand our understanding of the links between respiration, muscle physiology and behavior to perform extreme motor feats and meet ecological challenges,” said lead author Nicholas Antonson… The team studied downy woodpeckers, the smallest species of woodpeckers in North America, which populate forested areas throughout the United States and Canada.
Durable, renewable and biodegradable, wood is an ideal material. And as we grapple with the aftermath of synthetic materials, such as forever chemicals and microplastics, the humble material growing in our literal backyards is suddenly looking pretty appealing again. But how do you know it wasn’t clearcut from a rainforest? Figuring out logging practices, deforestation policies, impact on wildlife, pesticide use, and impact on indigenous communities “can be really challenging”, said Linda Walker at the World Wildlife Fund. …That’s where certifications come in. A growing number of wood industry certifications are designed to guide consumers. They’re not perfect. Some have rules written by big timber. Almost all of them receive payments from companies seeking certifications. There is no seal that encompasses every issue, but don’t let perfect be the enemy of good – even the most flawed badges have some baseline value.
In the southeastern United States, pine plantations serve as critical components of the forestry economy, predominantly managed through intensive site preparation techniques designed to enhance tree growth and accelerate harvest cycles. These plantations often employ soil bed construction to improve drainage and the application of herbicides to mitigate competition from weeds and woody shrubs. While earlier studies have documented that such interventions yield promising early growth in pine species such as slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), the long-term efficacy of these practices remains ambiguous, necessitating comprehensive longitudinal research to unravel their sustained impact on forest productivity. Addressing this knowledge gap, a recent extensive study conducted in the Lower Coastal Plain of North Florida monitored pine plantations for up to 27 years, offering unprecedented insights into how various site preparation strategies influence extended growth trajectories and timber yield.
Ash trees are an important part of the basket weaving tradition, which has long played a significant cultural, spiritual and practical role in the lives of tribal citizens across the country, including John Daigle, a citizen member of the Penobscot Nation in Maine. But the emergence of the emerald ash borer beetle …has posed challenges for Indigenous basket makers. A grant awarded to Daigle, a professor of forest recreation management at the University of Maine, could help preserve and advance the craft. It’s part of the Indigenous Forest Knowledge Fund, a program run by the Northeastern States Research Cooperative to support projects related to tribal homelands or ancestral territories of the Northern Forest region… Daigle’s project was one of three winners this year. His team will also develop technologies to support the processing and storage of ash splints before widespread ash mortality, which could help sustain basket-making supplies.
…An ice storm 
Domtar Corp. and Eastman Chemical Co. said they will continue to record and report climate-warming emissions even with the Environmental Protection Agency’s move to end a reporting program for them. The EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, which went into effect in 2010, requires about 8,000 facilities to annually report their greenhouse gas emissions. That includes chemical plants and pulp and paper manufacturing facilities like Eastman and Domtar’s Kingsport locations. …Domtar said in a statement to Six Rivers Media that it plans to continue reporting greenhouse gas data and reducing those emissions are part of the company’s objectives. “Many of our customers and stakeholders are concerned about climate issues, and carbon footprints are increasingly being considered in purchasing decisions,” said Jan Martin, Domtar’s director of U.S. Public Affairs. …Other industry trade groups have shared their own concerns over the end of the program, saying it could complicate their processes or add new costs. 
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi — A fire is burning inside one of the wood pellet domes at the Port of Pascagoula. The fire started Monday afternoon inside one of the two Enviva domes at the port. Jackson County Emergency Management Director Earl Etheridge said there is no danger of explosion. Jackson County firefighters are on scene to assist Enviva and port crews. The fire started Monday afternoon inside one of the two Enviva domes at the port. …Etheridge says that Enviva is injecting the dome with pressurized nitrogen to suppress the fire. The fire is contained to the dome. Crews are working to offload the 20,000 metric tons of wood pellets. 
