Region Archives: US East

Business & Politics

The world’s largest global industrial supplier of wood pellets just filed for bankruptcy with debts over $2.6 billion

By James Pollard
Fortune Magazine
March 13, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

The largest global industrial wood pellet supplier filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, announcing its intention to cut about $1 billion of debt by restructuring agreements with creditors, including those who have invested heavily in new facilities. Maryland-based Enviva said in the filing that its debts exceed $2.6 billion. The company owes $780 million to a Delaware bank, $348 million to a German energy company, as well as $353 million in bonds from local development authorities in Mississippi and Alabama. …Over the past 20 years, Enviva built 10 wood pellet production plants across the U.S. South. …New payback plans will be hammered out. …Danna Smith, the executive director of the Dogwood Alliance, celebrated the bankruptcy filing as a sign that what she called Enviva’s “greenwashing tactics and lack of transparency” have caught up to the company. 

Read More

Wood-Pellet Maker Enviva Files for Bankruptcy

By Alexander Gladstone
The Wall Street Journal
March 13, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Enviva, the largest U.S. wood-pellet exporter, filed for bankruptcy Tuesday after a bad bet on future prices of the commodity triggered nine-figure losses. The company filed a chapter 11 petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Eastern Virginia. Enviva… began building its manufacturing plants and export network in 2010 with financing from private-equity firm Riverstone. The company said last year that it had also been buying additional pellets and aiming to resell them for a profit, but that strategy backfired when pellet prices fell. Enviva was on the hook to pay $296.3 million for 800,000 metric tons of wood pellets that would only be worth $156.9 million on the open market. …Enviva enters bankruptcy with agreements with certain creditor groups to reduce debt by approximately $1 billion. One creditor group has provided a commitment to Enviva for $500 million in debtor-in-possession financing to fund the chapter 11 process. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]

Read More

Oriented strand board manufacturing coming to former Androscoggin Mill

By Ethan Andrews
The Bangor Daily News
March 8, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Godfrey Forest Products has started the process of building an oriented strand board manufacturing facility at the Androscoggin Mill property in Jay. Gov. Janet Mills announced the news at the former paper mill on Friday, appearing with Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Heather Johnson, Jay Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere, and developer John Godfrey. Oriented strand board, known as OSB, is a common type of composite plywood made from wood chips. John Godfrey, of Godfrey Forest Products, is a Bangor native, who has started other successful OSB manufacturing facilities in North America, including the LP Building Solutions’ LP Houlton plant in New Limerick, according to a press release from the governor’s office. Construction is expected to take 18 to 24 months, and the finished facility is expected to create 125 jobs, in addition to construction jobs. Mills said other developers are exploring potential projects on the mill site.

Read More

Logging, one of South Carolina’s top industries, facing catastrophic collapse. Lawmakers want to help

By Nick Reynolds
The Post and Courier
March 9, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

COLUMBIA — South Carolina loggers are sounding the alarm over a burgeoning crisis facing the state’s timber industry, saying recent market disruptions are leading the more than $23 billion industry to the brink of what some contend is a catastrophic collapse. In a March 6 hearing before the state Senate’s Fish, Game and Forestry Committee, several leaders in the state’s timber industry warned the closures of several mills in North and South Carolina have left them with no place to process their raw materials at a time they are growing more trees than ever, leaving them with cratering prices for their goods and threatening them with closure. Last year, a paper mill in Canton, North Carolina closed its doors. …Months later, WestRock announced it would be closing down its mill in North Charleston. …The closures have since created a bottleneck for South Carolina’s foresters who plant 1.38 trees for every tree they remove from the ground.

Read More

Irving Forest Products acquires Mill Services’ operation in Cobleskill, New York

JD Irving
March 6, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States, US East

Irving Forest Products, which operates sawmills in Ashland and Dixfield, Maine, announced the acquisition of Mill Services’ value-added operation in Cobleskill, New York. The mill boasts a 100,000 square foot facility on a 15-acre plot, with warehouses to protect products from the elements. The building has supported the community for 140 years through a variety of businesses, including the agricultural industry, refrigeration modernization, window, skylight and door furnishing, and supporting the war efforts of World War II. For the past 20 years, Mill Services has worked with low-grade pine lumber and offered quality products with the help of The Home Depot to homeowners and contractors throughout the Northeast. Cobleskill Value-Added currently employs 65 people, with an intention to grow the workforce in the coming years.

Read More

Interfor Appoints Christina Sistrunk to its Board of Directors

By Interfor Corporation
GlobeNewswire in the Financial Post
March 5, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Christina Sistrunk

BURNABY, British Columbia — Interfor announced the appointment of Christina Sistrunk of Lumberton, Mississippi as an independent director of the Company. Ms. Sistrunk served as President and CEO of Aera Energy, LLC between 2015 and 2020. Prior to this, Ms. Sistrunk held multiple roles with increasing responsibility over her 17-year career at Shell. Ms. Sistrunk currently serves on the External Advisory Council for The Ohio State University College of Engineering, and on the Advisory Board for Renewell Energy. She holds a BS Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University. …Ms. Sistrunk’s appointment is a successful outcome of the Board’s director succession process. Her appointment increases the percentage of women directors on Interfor’s Board, to 30%.

Read More

US LBM acquires Building Component Manufacturer Homestead Building Systems

By US LBM
PR Newswire
March 4, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

ORANGE, Virginia — US LBM, a distributor of specialty building materials in the United States, has acquired Homestead Building Systems, a turnkey structural building component manufacturer and distributor in the Mid-Atlantic region. Founded in 1996, Homestead Building Systems operates a 29-acre manufacturing facility in Orange, Virginia and distribution center in Bristow, Va. Homestead Building Systems serves framing and building contractors for single-family and townhome projects throughout the Washington D.C., Richmond and Charlottesville metropolitan areas. With this acquisition, US LBM now operates two truss manufacturing facilities in Virginia; the company also operates five locations under the Barrons banner in the Washington D.C. metro area.

Read More

United Hardware and Do it Best announce intent to merge

Do it Best
March 4, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

FORT WAYNE, Indiana and MAPLE GROVE, Minnesota — In a historic move that reshapes the landscape of the home improvement industry, United Hardware and Do it Best announce that they intend to merge. This strategic merger creates one of the industry’s leading cooperatives, aimed at delivering unparalleled support to our member-owners. The intent to merge, which received unanimous approval from the boards of directors of both companies, brings together two industry leaders with a shared commitment to exceptional service, quality products, and a comprehensive range of programs designed to support the growth and success of the independent entrepreneur. …The merger is expected to deliver significant benefits to member-owners, employees, and customers through enhanced scale, efficiency, and innovation. United Hardware shareholders will vote to make the merger official in the coming weeks.

Read More

Memphians pushing back against plan to put sawmill and biomass facility in Vollintine-Evergreen neighborhood

By Kevin McNamara
Local Memphis
March 2, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

SHELBY COUNTY, Tennessee — North Memphians and Midtowners are trying to put a stop to the development of a proposed sawmill and biomass facility in the Vollintine-Evergreen neighborhood, drawing the ire of the local community. Concerned Memphians are worried the project could have significant negative health consequences for the area and that their voices are not being listened to by the city. …Residents fear the potential negative impacts as the site is close to the contaminated Cypress Creek and the 100-year floodplain. The community wants to relocate the proposed sawmill and biomass campus to an area already zoned for heavy industrial use. …The community is hoping to make their voices heard even more strongly at a City Council meeting on March 19, and they encourage other members of the public to come forward then as well.

Read More

UFP Packaging expands in Warrens, Wisconsin, with new production facility

UFP Packaging
Business Wire
March 1, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

WARRENS, Wisconsin — UFP Packaging, an affiliate of UFP Industries, has expanded its presence in Warrens, Wisconsin. The company cut the ribbon on a new 11,840 sq.-ft. production facility and 2,400 sq.-ft. employee breakroom on February 21, 2024. The new production facility will produce a variety of wood packaging and allow the company to add up to 12 new positions. The addition brings the facility’s total manufacturing space to approximately 40,000 sq. ft. The new breakroom showcases the design and custom cabinetry of another UFP affiliate, Quest Design & Millwork, based in Stafford, Texas.  “We’re very excited for these additions and how they will enhance our world-class workspace for employees,” said Jeremy Brach, director of operations. 

Read More

Crews battle fire at West Fraser’s OSB mill in Nacogcoches, Texas

By Nicole Bradford
The Daily Sentinel
February 29, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Multiple agencies responded to Southeast Stallings Drive Wednesday after employees at an industrial plant saw flames on one of the mill’s wood product presses. Crews from Nacogdoches and Central Heights fire departments responded to the fire at the West Fraser manufacturing plant, formerly known as Norboard. “Emergency procedures were immediately activated, and all employees are safe,” West Fraser communications director Joyce Wagenaar said. The cause of the fire is under investigation, she said. “The mill was not at risk, nor is there expected to be significant downtime, as mill employees and fire officials quickly extinguished the fire,” Wagenaar said. The company manufactures plywood and related products and employs more than 120. 

Read More

Reaction to Allegheny Wood Products shutdown continues

By mike Nolting
MetroNews West Virginia
February 29, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

KINGWOOD, West Virginia — Former employees of Allegheny Wood Products are now searching for their next opportunity after the company announced its closure last week. The 50-year-old company employed more than 600 people and used the services of a few hundred additional contractors statewide. It’s biggest sawmill was in Kingwood. …The Preston County Economic Development Authority will host a resource fair next Tuesday. Commissioner Samantha Stone said “The commission really was just as in shock as the normal person or even the employees,” Stone said. “I’ve heard speculation leading up that there could be some changes, but we never had it pegged for a closure.” …Grant County Commissioner Scotty Miley said “There are so many downstream positions; you have foresters, loggers, and truckers,” Miley said. “Everybody contributed to AWP, and it’s devastating.”

Read More

Finance & Economics

Enviva Announces Restructuring Plan to Reduct Debt by $1B

By Enviva Inc.
Businesswire
March 12, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

BETHESDA, Maryland — Enviva announced that it has entered into two Restructuring Support Agreements (RSAs): one RSA with an ad hoc group of holders representing approximately 72% of its senior secured credit facility… and a second RSA with certain holders representing more than 92% of bonds. …The RSAs are designed to support an expedited restructuring to reduce the Company’s debt by approximately $1.0 billion, as well as improve profitability. Enviva and certain of its subsidiaries have commenced voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. …Glenn Nunziata, Interim CEO said, “We look forward to emerging from this process better positioned to be a leader in the future growth of the wood-based biomass industry.” …The restructuring is targeted to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2024, and throughout the process, Enviva plans to continue constructing its Epes plant, with an in-service date expected to be during the first half of 2025.

Read More

Enviva’s Stock Rises After Wood-Pellet Exporter Gets Another Week to Make Bond Payment

By Ryan Dezember
The Wall Street Journal
March 5, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

The flagging shares of America’s largest wood-pellet exporter got a lift Tuesday after Enviva said it had agreed to extend a forbearance agreement with creditors through March 11. The forbearance agreement that Enviva struck last month after missing a bond payment expired. Enviva’s shares, which reached nearly $90 in 2022, have traded for less than $1 this year. They rose by more than 30% today. Enviva is preparing to file for bankruptcy protection, the Wall Street Journal has reported. In addition to the forbearance extension, Enviva told investors in a securities filing that they should no longer rely on its financial reports for the first three quarters of 2023, which it said would be restated. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]

Read More

Wood, Paper & Green Building

NYC’s dazzling first ‘mass timber’ home sells for $7M

By Jennifer Gould
The New York Post
March 12, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

An 1870s Clinton Hill carriage house that was transformed into the city’s very first mass timber home has sold for $7 million — after hitting the market last November for $7.5 million. The seller, Aaron Schiller, was also the architect. Schiller, of Schiller Projects. He and his wife bought the 21-foot-wide home at 329 Vanderbilt Ave., which is part of the Clinton Hill Historic District, for $2.75 million in 2018. …New York banned timber towers in the 19th century over fire concerns, Schiller, a Yale-educated architect, was part of an advisory group indirectly helping the city council make changes. By 2021, the New York City Council approved mass timber for buildings up to 85 feet high. Glue-laminated timber is far better for the environment than steel and concrete — if the trees are sustainably harvested and disposed of responsibly at the “end of life.” …The home is anchored by a Douglas fir staircase. The three-bedroom, 3½-bath residence is 3,050 square feet. 

Read More

New 85,000-square-foot, 4-level facility expected to be ready in 2026

By Steven Bradley
Clemson University News
March 8, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Clemson University broke ground Friday on a new home for its Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation (FEC) and a new era of stewardship for South Carolina’s natural resources. Upon completion in early 2026, the 85,000-square-foot building will replace Lehotsky Hall as the department’s nerve center on campus. South Carolina’s forests are among its most valuable assets — not just in financial terms — as both a distinctive feature of its landscape and a renewable resource with recreational, wildlife and environmental benefits. But there is no denying their economic impact: Forestry generates $23.2 billion annually in the state and accounts for more than 100,000 jobs, according to the S.C. Forestry Commission. …The building will showcase mass-timber construction and advanced applications of wood products and technologies that are an essential part of modern conservation and forestry sciences and feature a native flora landscape that connects workspaces to the natural environment.

Read More

Wood Products Could Be a Key to Reducing GHG Emissions

By Sarah Puls and Joey Pickford
North Carolina State University News
February 21, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Harnessing the ability of wood products to store carbon even after harvest could have a significant effect on GHG emissions and change commonly accepted forestry practices, a new study from NC State researchers suggests. The new study uses carbon storage modeling to link the carbon stored in wood products with the specific forest system from which the products originated. …“Corrugated cardboard boxes are one of the most important products made from loblolly pine,” said Sarah Puls. “If we can extend the effective lifetime of products like these boxes, it could have a significant impact on carbon storage associated with southern pine plantations.” …The study also found that smaller sawtimber logs and engineered materials like OSB might also be good at storing carbon since they can be grown quickly but still go into long-lasting products like houses. …The study also found that short rotations could potentially outperform slower long rotations in carbon storage when a forest is highly productive.

Read More

Public Approval Process Starting For Country’s Tallest Mass Timber Building

By Jeramey Jannene
Urban Milwaukee
February 29, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — The Neutral Project is pursuing zoning approval for its proposed 32-story riverfront apartment tower, The Edison, while it actively seeks investors to develop the 381-unit, $145 million building. The tower, 1005 N. Edison St., would be the tallest mass timber building in the country when completed, eclipsing Milwaukee’s own 25-story Ascent tower. Ascent set the world record in 2022, but an even taller building is already under construction in Sydney, Australia and is expected to claim the world record at more than twice Ascent’s height. …Things are now progressing in hopes of a groundbreaking later this year. And at the same time, The Neutral Project is pursuing an even bigger building across the street. …The company, according to a profile in Madison’s Isthmus publication, is pursuing “a 50-story-plus mass timber building” for the site. The Department of City Development has yet to announce a winning bidder.

Read More

New York City to Decarbonize Buildings, Construction

New York City Economic Development Corporation
March 7, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

NEW YORK, NY—New York City Economic Development Corporation announced the advancement of two key commitments that seek to revolutionize a green path forward for cleaner construction and low carbon buildings with the launch of the Clean and Circular: Design and Construction Guidelines and the selection of the first design and development teams of the NYC Mass Timber Studio. Key to New York City’s decarbonization efforts, the Guidelines, offer an operational guide to reduce waste and embodied carbon in New York City’s built environment. Additionally, NYCEDC awarded seven design and development teams to participate in the NYC Mass Timber Studio, a first-of-its-kind program in New York City. The technical assistance program is designed to support active mass timber development projects in the early phases of project planning and design. …”We’re excited to see how the Guidelines will help to reduce New York City’s embodied carbon footprint,” said Elijah Hutchinson.

Related in Commercial Observer: NYC Selects 7 Projects to Lead the Way on Mass Timber

Read More

Northern Border Regional Commission Announces Availability of $25m in New 2024 Timber for Transit Program

By Marina Bowie, Program Manager
Northern Border Regional Commission
February 5, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

The Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) is pleased to announce preliminary details of the Timber for Transit Program, designed to advance the use of domestic forest products in transportation infrastructure projects across Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont to showcase the capabilities of wood in these applications. Projects will demonstrate high-value forest products (e.g. glued laminated timber, cross laminated timber, composite materials, etc.) in transportation infrastructure… “The Commission seeks to build on this legacy (of historic structures like covered bridges) by harnessing the innovation of the forest products industry to support the construction of modern infrastructure that incorporates wood materials. This sector represents both a market opportunity for the industry as well as a means to utilize more climate friendly materials in building community centered projects that serve travelers and passengers,” said NBRC Federal Co-Chair Chris Saunders.

Read More

New York City Economic Development Corporation Selects 7 Projects to Lead to the Way on Mass Timber Construction

By Abigail Nehring
The Commercial Observer
March 7, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

New York City wants to bring eco-friendly construction to the masses and started that journey by picking seven projects to participate in a new mass timber incubator. The first projects in the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s (EDC) “Mass Timber Studio” run the gamut from the New Lots branch of the Brooklyn Public Library to an affordable housing development in Jamaica, Queens, spearheaded by MURAL Real Estate Partners and Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, Commercial Observer has learned. Projects in the nine-month incubator will get technical support from several city agencies as well as other experts on mass timber construction, including the Wood Products Council and the American Institute of Architects New York. Plus, they’ll each get a $25,000 grant for their efforts. …The EDC launched the mass timber incubator in September in an effort to move buildings away from traditional construction materials like concrete and steel to the low-carbon alternative of pressurized wood. 

Read More

Embodied carbon has been gaining traction in assessing the environmental impact of buildings

By Raymond Shelton
Building Enclosure Online
March 5, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

In the realm of sustainable construction, the term “embodied carbon” has been gaining traction as a critical factor in assessing the environmental impact of buildings. …According to the New Building Institute, the building and construction industry is responsible for 39 percent of GHG emissions. And “of these emissions, one-third comes directly from the creation of construction products and construction activities.” …In 2023, California became the first state to approve what they call a “whole-building” embodied carbon policy in its state building code. Nationally, the federal government launched the Buy Clean Initiative to “spur the development of low-carbon construction materials made in America.” …Carbon-storing materials like wood, hemp, straw bamboo, and algae, and low-impact concrete alternatives, like green concrete developed by McHugh Concrete, can make an incredible impact on reduction of GHGs. Environmental Product Declarations, or EPDs, are a crucial piece of the puzzle.

Read More

Forestry

Lawsuit challenges Forest Service timber targets

By Kyle Perrotti
The Smoky Mountain News
March 13, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

A lawsuit filed last month in a Washington, D.C., federal court alleges the U.S. Forest Service’s practice of setting “timber targets” puts the climate at risk, undermines the Biden administration’s climate goals and violates federal law. The suit was filed by The Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of two conservation groups, the Chattooga Conservancy (based in upstate South Carolina) and Asheville-based MountainTrue, as well as an individual in Missouri. SELC argues that the Forest Service failed to study properly the climate impacts of its timber targets and the logging projects designed to fulfill them. Each year, the Forest Service and Department of Agriculture set timber targets, which the Forest Service is required to meet through logging on public lands. In recent years, the national target has been set as high as 4 billion board feet — or enough lumber to circle the globe more than 30 times. The already high target is expected to increase in the coming years.

Read More

Crook County to get say in old-growth

By Sarah Pridgeon
The Sundance Times
March 14, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Counties like Crook may get to have a say in the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) new rules for old-growth forests after all. Earlier this year, the commissioners called for a rethink of the USFS’s plans to amend every national forest land management in the nation to create one overall strategy. In a comment letter, the county criticized the one-size-fits-all approach and failure to include local governments in the process. The new rules are expected to affect all National Forests in Wyoming, including the Black Hills. Dru Palmer, consultant for the county, reported last week that she had met with national management in Washington, D.C. during a trip to the capital and was able to bring back good news. “The bottom line is that they heard us loud and clear and recognize they maybe didn’t roll it out very well,” she said.

Read More

Governor Hochul Announces $1.35 Million Available to Protect New York Forests

Governor of New York
March 8, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Kathy Hochul

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $1.35 million is now available to protect New York’s forestlands. The Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts Grant Program enables eligible, accredited land trusts to apply for up to $350,000 to purchase conservation easements on forested land in New York State for the purpose of protecting these lands and realizing their numerous economic and environmental benefits. “Investments in forest conservation move New York closer to our bold goal of protecting 30 percent of the state’s lands and water by 2030, which in turn protects wildlife habitat, preserves biodiversity, protects air and water quality, and helps combat the impacts of climate change,” Governor Hochul said. “Supporting these public-private partnerships is crucial to protecting essential forest habitat and advancing our open space protection goals.”

Read More

Vermont loggers looking for financial relief from wetter weather patterns

By Keith Witcomb Jr.
Rutland Herald
March 8, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Persistent wet weather across the region have made working in the woods tough for Vermont loggers, who are looking for financial help from the state. Dana Doran, executive director of Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, said Thursday that the timber industry is looking to the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency and Forestry for two things right now. One is about $1 million for flood relief for logging contractors through the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program, the other is ongoing funding to build structures they need to work in wet conditions without damaging the land and groundwater. According to Doran, some funds that went to Vermont farmers following the summer floods of 2023 didn’t go to loggers. Though the U.S. Department of Agriculture considers logging to be agriculture, farmer relief funds are often tied to a specific location, making logging contractors who move around often unable to tap them.

Read More

Using fire to manage Maine forests

By Kate Cough
News Center Maine
March 10, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

MAINE, USA — It’s nearly impossible to walk around Bar Harbor without being reminded of the fire of 1947. The vegetation has regrown, but relics remain scattered in the understory all over town — foundation stones, crumbled chimneys, the odd statute. …While overall a fairly wet state, Maine has seen an increasing number of wildfires in recent years, as droughts intensify, development increases and more and more people venture into the woods. (Almost all wildfires in Maine — 92% — are started by humans. Make sure those campfires are out!). The wildfire risk in Maine is projected to increase “significantly” in coming years, according to the Maine Forest Service, as temperatures rise, droughts increase, and summer soil moisture drops. …But some land managers in Maine are once again turning to fire as a tool to manage their forests, looking to controlled burns to prevent wildfires, manage invasive species and restore habitat.

Read More

University of Minnesota fields comments on plan to return Cloquet Forestry Center lands to Fond du Lac band

By Ava Kian
The Circle – Native American News and Arts
March 5, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

…Wayne Dupuis was one of several people who weighed in Tuesday at a listening session in Cloquet over the future of the land and the University of Minnesota’s Forestry Center, which the university plans to return to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The hearing drew nearly a hundred people who came from Duluth, the reservation and areas of Carlton County. The university’s decision emerged out of conversations with the tribe… The Cloquet Forestry Center is what critics refer to as a “land grab” institution, meaning that it sit on areas that previously belonged to some of the state’s tribes…The land was originally … part of the La Pointe Treaty of 1854. But federal law allowed the U.S. government to transfer “unallotted” Fond du Lac land to lumber companies for logging, with the understanding that it would go to the university afterward. In 1909, the Cloquet Forestry Center was established on 2,000 acres.

Read More

Conservation, timber groups debate alleged logging violations in national forest

By Henry Redman
The Wisconsin Examiner
March 8, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

The Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) and the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association remain in a dispute over alleged logging violations in the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest. Last month the ELPC sent a letter to Jen Youngblood, the national forest’s supervisor. The environmental group alleged that … the controversial Fourmile logging project had violated terms of a government contract by conducting work when the ground was unfrozen and illegally clearcutting parts of the forest with mature and old growth trees. The ELPC requested that the project be halted while U.S. Forest Service officials conduct a review of the operations to determine if old growth trees were being cut down. In a visit to the site, ELPC staff found a harvested tree that was estimated to be more than 140 years old. In a response to the Examiner’s reporting, officials at the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association dispute the allegations of violations, calling them “ludicrous.” 

Read More

‘Sensing the Forest’ Pilot Project Revealed at Garvan Woodland Gardens

The University of Arkansas News
March 6, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design revealed the “Sensing the Forest” project on Feb. 29 at Garvan Woodland Gardens. The project is a pilot for the future Ross and Mary Whipple Family Forest Education Center, which will be located at the gardens in Hot Springs. Garvan Woodland Gardens is an outreach center of the Fay Jones School at the University of Arkansas. The “Sensing the Forest” pilot project employs all mass timber and structural strategies that will be incorporated into the Whipple Family Forest Education Center, a 5,000-square-foot education, exhibition and event facility for Garvan Woodland Gardens. This pilot project and the design for the future center are the culmination of several studios in the Departments of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Architecture and Design in the Fay Jones School.

Read More

Moving trees north to save the forests

By John Tibbetts
Knowable Magazine
March 6, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

MINNESOTA — Brian Palik, a forest ecologist with the USDA’s Forest Service Northern Research Station, stops and points to a newcomer under the red-pine canopy: a broadleaf deciduous tree, bitternut hickory. …It is a promising sign in a project that aims to keep forests growing in a warming world. …Two decades back, these southern seedlings likely would have struggled to flourish here. Today, Palik can see the success of almost all the southern trees they planted. …“The climate typical of southern Minnesota from 20 years ago is now in northern Minnesota,” Palik says. Climatic conditions have moved about 200 miles north in just two decades. …Palik’s project is an experiment in forest assisted migration. …Many forest managers could eventually face a choice: Consider moving southern trees into northern areas, or eventually wind up with fewer productive woodlands for timber and other uses.

Read More

Hundreds of trees to be removed in Portland to help protect others

By Adam Bartow
MWTW
March 4, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

PORTLAND, Maine — The city of Portland is taking steps to remove roughly two-thirds of all Ash trees in the city to protect and preserve the rest of the ash trees. The removal is all part of ongoing efforts to combat the emerald ash borer, an invasive tree pest. The insects were first discovered in the city in 2019 and the city forestry team has been working with the state to deal with the infestation. The city has inventoried more than 600 ash street trees and they are working to save as many as possible through the use of treatments and organic bio-controls, but officials say many will succumb to the pest and need to be removed and replaced over the next three to five years. …This spring, a second group of trees will be selected for stem-injected insecticide treatments.

Read More

Warren County School District opposes nation-wide forest plan change

Times Observer
March 2, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Warren, Pennsylvania — What federal officials call as a way to “conserve and steward old-growth forest” on national forests has been called a “shameful exercise of unlawful authority” by the Warren County School District. The issue ties to a Biden administration executive order – 14072. “My Administration will manage forests on Federal lands, which include many mature and old-growth forests, to promote their continued health and resilience; retain and enhance carbon storage; conserve biodiversity; mitigate the risk of wildfires … and promote sustainable local economic development,” the order states. In response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a proposal to amend all land management plans “to conserve and steward old-growth forest conditions on national forests.” …The school board approved a letter in opposition that’s signed by Superintendent Amy Stewart. “Nearly one third of our 788 square miles are forested state and federal lands and thus cannot be taxed to support the needs of our students,” that letter states.

Read More

Ottawa National Forest creates shaded fuel brakes to help protect communities from wildfires

Great Lakes Now
March 1, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

MICHIGAN — Driving through the Ottawa National Forest north of Land O’Lakes towards Dinner Lake you’ll see snow-covered piles stacked up every few feet in the woods along the road. Many of the piles are wood debris and branches left over from logging operations on the Ottawa. Some of the piles have been waiting there for two years as the Forest Service let them dry out. A couple weeks ago, fire crews started burning them. Fire has long been used in forests to help with management. …In this case, it’s primarily being used to increase the safety of people who live nearby in the event of a major wildfire. …Studies have shown that fuel breaks increase the effectiveness of other wildlife suppression work.

Read More

Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Stakeholders call for more details on Maine’s latest Extended Producer Responsibility rules draft

By Megan Quinn
Waste Dive
March 11, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

Maine’s EPR program is the first of its kind in the U.S., meaning numerous recycling and waste stakeholders are monitoring details of the program’s rollout. The latest public comment round follows a previous public comment period in October, where stakeholders reviewed a more preliminary, conceptual draft that was then revised and presented to the Board of Environmental Protection in December to kick off the formal rulemaking process. DEP expects the board to adopt the final “routine and technical” rules of the EPR program by this summer. …The draft also calls for producers to use more reusable packaging and gradually add more postconsumer recycled content. In many cases, producers will be hit with heavy fines for not complying. …Groups like the American Forest and Paper Association said Maine’s state needs assessment guidance “is still very sparse” and needs more details on the types of data the stewardship organizations should be collecting. 

Read More

Health & Safety

EPA announces funds for cleanup at Post & Lumber Preserving in Quincy, Florida

By US Environmental Protection Agency
March 5, 2024
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US East

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a third and final wave of more than $1 billion for cleanup projects at more than 100 Superfund sites across the country as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. This funding is made possible by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will launch new cleanup projects at 25 Superfund sites, including the Post & Lumber Preserving Superfund site in Quincy, Florida. …Funds for the completion of cleanup work at this property by consolidating all contaminated soils onsite and placed under a regulated cover system with a barrier wall as treating contaminated water ensuring that nearby residents are protected from any health impacts from the site. …To see a list of the 25 sites to receive funding for new cleanup projects, visit EPA’s Superfund webpage.

Read More

Forest Fires

Long-term forecast predicts increased forest fire activity in Oregon and Washington’s dampest areas

By Brian Bull
KLCC Public Radio
March 4, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US East

Alex Dye

Hotter and more intense fires are likely coming to the Pacific Northwest’s cooler and wetter forests. That’s from new research led by an Oregon State University scientist. Comprehensive wildfire simulations for over a 23-million acre stretch of forest show that for a 30-year period beginning in 2035, Oregon’s western Cascades and Washington’s north Cascades – as well as the Puget Lowlands and Olympic Mountains – could see at least twice as much fire activity as seen in the last 30 years. “It’s time to start thinking about things that could counteract those climate effects,” said Alex Dye. He’s a research associate with OSU’s College of Forestry, and the lead author on the study published in the latest edition of JGR Biogeosciences. …Dye said that it can be challenging to assess fire probability in an environment where there isn’t much empirical information about the fire history to build models.

Read More

Texas Panhandle wildfires have burned nearly 1.3 million acres in a week – and it’s not over yet

By Li Cohen
CBS News
March 4, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US East

The Texas Panhandle wildfires killed at least two people and burned nearly 1.3 million acres in their first week — and the situation isn’t over. There are five active wildfires across the region, according to Texas A&M Forest Service. The largest of those is the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Hutchinson County, which alone has burned nearly 1.1 million acres and is the largest wildfire ever recorded in the state. That fire was just 15% contained as of Sunday afternoon. …Weather conditions across the state have made battling the blazes difficult. For days, the area has seen favorable fire weather – warmer temperatures, dry air and strong winds – but the National Weather Service said Monday morning a cold front is set to pass through, bringing cooler temperatures that will help minimize wildfire impact.

Read More

Forest History & Archives

Michigan Maritime Museum to host presentation on Great Lakes logging history

By Van Buren
WSJM
March 7, 2024
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: United States, US East

Coming up this month at the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven will be a presentation on the history of the region’s logging industry. Museum Education Director Ashley Deming tells us “Rivers, Lakes, and Lumber: Michigan’s White Pine Lumber Industry and its Waterways” is the next installment of the Working Waterfront Lecture Series. The guest speaker will be environmental historian Rob Burg. “We’re really excited to have him here talking about all of his research related to Michigan’s white pine lumber industry and their relationship to the water that that industry really relied on,” Deming said.”It’s going to be a fascinating presentation about the industry’s growth and bust.” …Burg’s presentation will be on March 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Michigan Maritime Museum.

Read More

Harvard Forest exhibits offer information on history through dioramas

By Carla Charter
The Greenfield Recorder
March 3, 2024
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: United States, US East

At Harvard Forest in Petersham, visitors can learn about the forest and its history through dioramas dating back to the 1930s. The dioramas and the museum that was built for them was the idea of Richard T. Fisher, who was named director and primary professor when Harvard decided to create a forestry school in Petersham. … “The dioramas took 10 years to build with seven people working full-time,” Hart continued. “The reason it took so long is that each tree and branch was created with one wire, then they would continue to coil [the wire] over one branch to get a thickness. It was built the way trees grow, thicker and thicker. The first seven dioramas are a historical series with the same composite landscape, changing from 1700 to the 1930s and showing how landscapes changed. Originally called The Harvard Forest Models, the dioramas were unveiled in 1937 for Harvard’s tercentenary in Cambridge. 

Read More