Our universities have played an active role in supporting the forest products industry over the years. Numerous applied research projects have helped address supply chain issues. Drs. Charlie Blinn (University of Minnesota) and Joe Conrad (University of Georgia) recently collaborated to evaluate logging capacity in the Lake States and the Southern US. …Dr. Conrad’s “Benchmark Data on Log Truck Insurance Premiums, Claims, and Transportation Safety Practices in the US South” is an example of FRA-funded research aimed at improving transportation safety and supply chain efficiency. …Last week, the US Forest Service announced its 2025 Wood Innovations Grant recipients.  Approximately $80 million will be awarded to “spur wood products manufacturing, expand active forest management, and accelerate energy innovation across America’s timber-producing communities”. FRA will receive funding for its proposal “Enhancing the Wood Supply Chain Workforce” to “expand its southern U.S. logging and wood supply chain training program nationwide”—to support workforce development in timber-producing communities.