The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has highlighted the importance of a reliable, locally sourced pulpwood supply for US paper manufacturing, warning that renewable fuel incentives could increase competition for the same fibre resources. The association supports renewable energy policies that protect existing manufacturing supply chains and domestic production. Pulpwood consists primarily of small trees that cannot be converted into lumber. These trees are often grown in privately owned working forests across the United States. Pulp and paper mills depend on a steady supply of this renewable raw material to manufacture products including cardboard boxes, paper towels, printing paper, paper bags and other packaging. …AF&PA supports practical approaches that advance renewable energy while protecting manufacturing supply chains. The paper industry has long used manufacturing residuals as renewable biomass energy to help power its mills. The association argues that policy should distinguish this use of residuals from incentives that divert pulpwood away from existing manufacturers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — American Forests, the nation’s oldest nonprofit dedicated to forest stewardship and conservation, released the new report “Mapping the Landscape: How States Fund and Govern Urban and Community Forests,” detailing the varied landscape of U.S. state urban and community forestry (UCF) funding. The report finds that 53% of states have no dedicated state funding for UCF, leaving many programs heavily dependent on annual federal support. While the Inflation Reduction Act provided a historic infusion of funding to expand urban forestry efforts, that temporary investment is expected to wind down by 2028. Meanwhile, the report finds that 68% of state UCF programs would be at risk of elimination if annual federal funding were substantially reduced. Together, these findings underscore the need for sustained, predictable and diversified funding to support the long-term success of state UCF programs. Urban tree canopy is increasingly recognized as essential infrastructure, offering benefits for financial savings, public health, stormwater management and economic development. 

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities’ September–October newsletter highlights $5.5 million in grants to five organizations working to expand markets for underutilized wood fibre, alongside a $5 million commitment to CRSilva Ventures, a new forest-sector venture capital fund. Additional announcements include $500,000 awarded to develop forest management technology tools and a funding opportunity supporting regional implementation of the Markets Matter Action Plan. The Endowment also launched a Markets Matter progress scorecard and announced the beta release of its Forestry Analytics for Carbon Tracking (FACT) data platform. Other highlights include new online resources connecting landowners with emerging forest markets, and an article by Endowment President Pete Madden advocating greater investment in wildfire prevention through forest management. The newsletter also features Wisconsin Forest Products Week and Beyond the Harvest, a film exploring forest management, wood innovation and opportunities for underutilized fibre.

Doug Burgum

BILLINGS, Montana — President Trump’s administration wants to sell public lands to states, tribes and local governments as part of an effort to “decrease the size of the federal estate,” according to a new plan presented by the Interior Department. Agency officials said the sale of federal property would allow the government to focus resources on “nationally significant” lands, which were not defined. They offered no details on what parcels could be sold, nor the scope or location of potential sales. The proposal drew quick pushback from some lawmakers, including Trump’s former Interior secretary,  showing it faces strong headwinds in Congress even before Democrats assume the majority in January. The Interior Department’s five-year strategic plan also calls for land transfers and exchanges to support greater energy production, a centerpiece of the administration’s pro-fossil fuel policies. It reflects the Trump administration’s view of most public lands as assets to be used, rather than to be set aside for preservation.

President Trump has granted federal wildfire agencies and their contractors a one-year exemption from most water-pollution control requirements affecting aerial fire retardant operations. The presidential determination covers the aerial use, deployment and discharge of fire retardant by the US Forest Service, Department of the Interior and companies operating under federal contracts. The exemption applies to requirements related to controlling and abating water pollution, although sections 1316 and 1317 of the Clean Water Act remain in force. For federal airtanker operators… they can continue supporting retardant operations during the 2027 fire season without first obtaining National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit coverage for the exempted activity. The action responds to litigation brought by Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics. A federal court found in 2023 that Forest Service retardant entering navigable waters without a permit violated the Clean Water Act. The court ordered the Forest Service to continue pursuing permit coverage and filing progress reports.