Patty Cormier
AUGUSTA, Maine – The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) announced that Patty Cormier, Maine State Forester, has been elected President of the National Association of State Foresters (NASF). Cormier’s election marks a significant milestone, as she becomes the first Maine State Forester to hold this prestigious position since Austin Wilkins 59 years ago. Cormier will serve a one-year term as NASF President, continuing her long-standing commitment to sustainable forestry and forest management. …Cormier has served as Maine State Forester since 2019 and has over 20 years of experience as a Forester with the Maine Forest Service. Before working with the Maine Forest Service, she worked as a Landowner Assistance Forester for Georgia Pacific Corporation. …The NASF is a non-profit organization representing forestry agency directors from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and eight U.S. territories.
The world’s top container carrier is urging customers to move US cargo through East and Gulf Coast ports before the planned start on Tuesday of a dockworker strike. MSC Mediterranean Shipping said the talks “may not be resolved” by the Sept. 30 deadline, resulting in closures at terminals starting Oct. 1. That would delay the shipping of containers — both imports and exports — on trucks and railroads through ports from Boston to Houston. …The Geneva-based company said that it will continue to accept requests for dry cargo services while reserving the right to “not accept new refrigerated bookings.” Hapag-Lloyd cautioned that industrial action would will raise freight rates. …Oxford Economics estimated that a strike would cost the US economy $4.5 billion to $7.5 billion a week. …But the fallout of even a short strike would be costly for many retailers, manufacturers and other importers trying to ensure timely shipments.
SAVANNAH, Georgia — The chief executive over Georgia’s two booming seaports said Tuesday that a strike next week by dockworkers across the U.S. East and Gulf coasts appears likely, though he’s hopeful the resulting shutdown would last only a few days. …U.S. ports from Maine to Texas are preparing for a potential shutdown in a week, when the union representing 45,000 dockworkers in that region has threatened to strike starting Oct. 1. That’s when the contract expires between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents the ports. Negotiations on a new contract halted in June. A strike would shut down 36 ports that handle roughly half the nations’ cargo from ships. …There hasn’t been a national longshoremen’s strike in the U.S. since 1977. …A prolonged strike would almost certainly hurt the U.S. economy.
Southern Pine lumber has traded in a historically narrow range this year, and traders anticipate that trend to persist through the balance of 2024. A widespread perception that price volatility will remain minimal through the fourth quarter has governed conservative trading strategies throughout the distribution pipeline this summer. …Many note that demand in the South could strengthen as the fall building season approaches and cooler weather allows builders to expand job site activity to lengthier workdays. …However, few traders anticipate demand gaining any appreciable ground on supplies in the months ahead, even if consumption shows a seasonal hike. …The Southern Pine Composite is on pace through August to post the lowest annual average since 2015. 
When builders complete the final touches on the Sustainable Engineering Laboratories at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, students and faculty will see a sleek building in the heart of the school’s STEM campus. “We explored 62 different structural systems, with varying criteria of cost and efficacy,” said Mark Oldham, a principal architect at Payette, which designed the building. The architects at Payette are among a handful of designers in the United States who are honing in on a green building strategy known as embodied, or upfront, carbon reduction …This year, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center held its first statewide embodied carbon reduction challenge, awarding Payette a grand prize in June for its design of the UMass research building.
INDIANA — Managing public lands is a balancing act. There are laws, policies, executive orders, local economies, visitor needs, climate change predictions, effects to threatened and endangered species, the protection of cultural resources and sensitive natural areas, tribal consultation, public input, and the latest science to consider when making decisions. …First, it must be noted that our forests are not pristine, nor are they static. Habitat loss and degradation have resulted in major bird declines, including ruffed grouse, American woodcock and a variety of songbirds. We need to reestablish a diversity of forest habitats, from young to old, with a variety of plant species and structural complexity to meet the needs of native wildlife. …We also need to consider the mix of tree species the forest needs on the landscape in the future, as some species are predicted to be more successful than others given our changing climate.
Alabama’s economy is heavily supported by its forestry industry – but is facing a new challenge, with a widespread outbreak of the southern pine beetle. This native pest is known for its ability to rapidly destroy pine trees. The Alabama Forestry Commission reports that it has already affected numerous counties, particularly in the northern half of the state. Drew Metzler, forest health coordinator at the commission, said the outbreak this year is the most widespread Alabama has seen since 2001. …But these beetles aren’t just impacting Alabama. Metzler said neighboring states, such as Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina, are also experiencing outbreaks. … Metzlers said the beetles aren’t just making their way through forests, but onto private land as well. He said to combat the southern pine beetle outbreak, it’s important to consider preventive measures.
Pittsfield, Massachusetts — a forestry management plan in South County has attracted criticism from local residents and environmental activists. At issue is the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s forest cutting plan at the so-called “Cattle Barn Lot” in Mount Washington. …DCR has outlined a 275-acre project area where the agency hopes to …”produce immediate and maximize long-term income, enhance wildlife habitat, improve recreational opportunities, protect soil and water quality, or produce forest specialty products.” …We’re heartened to see state officials and local stakeholders confronting their disagreements in a healthy way to find a path of compromise for this project. In a corner of the commonwealth that often feels overlooked by the powers that be in Boston, it was refreshing to see several Healey administration environmental and forestry leaders make the trip to South County and hear residents’ concerns. 
Georgia Power plans to tap one of the Savannah area’s industrial stalwarts for enough energy to serve the equivalent of more than 3,000 homes for a decade. State regulators approved the utility’s request to buy additional electricity generated by the burning of so-called biomass, including from International Paper’s Port Wentworth Mill. International Paper will supply Georgia Power with 4.6 megawatts of power for a period of 10 years. …International Paper says it generates 70% of power used at its mills by burning “bark and biomass residuals” rather than fossil fuels like natural gas and oil. The deal with Georgia Power will “allow us to make additional energy with upgrades to existing equipment at the (Port Wentworth) mill,” International Paper spokeswoman Kristie Inman said. …The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has embraced that notion in its reporting on greenhouse gas emissions from the nation’s largest polluters by discounting biomass-related carbon releases. 
GEORGIA — State regulators on the Public Service Commission on Tuesday approved a Georgia Power plan to source more energy from burning wood known as “biomass,” despite criticism from consumer advocates about its relatively hefty price tag. An independent evaluator found the trio of contracts for which the monopoly utility was seeking approval would cost customers two to three times more than other sources of energy. The biomass proposal had been opposed by environmental and consumer advocates, who said it would cost Georgia Power customers billions of extra dollars on top of already-approved rate hikes. …In hearings about the biomass proposal over the past few weeks, regulators acknowledged the high cost for Georgia Power customers, but said they were motivated by a desire to give an economic boost to rural parts of the state that rely on the timber industry. The vote Tuesday was 4-1 in favor.
