By Mikayla Manthiram Construction material costs have seen a huge surge in the past year, with lumber alone garnering price hikes of 300%. But forestland owners aren’t any better off. What gives? Since early 2020, the cost of softwood lumber has jumped 112%, plywood prices have shot up 77%, and hardwood prices increased 32%.[1] A [read more]
By Tyler Hoguet and Whitney Forman-Cook | This blog is a cross-post and will appear in the Autumn 2020 edition of the National Woodlands Magazine. The COVID-19 pandemic has produced the largest economic downturn in the United States since the Great Depression. During the Great Recession of 2008, America’s real GDP declined by 8.4% during [read more]
By Josh Knoll and Brittany Hallak With new enabling legislation passed and more proof-of-concept projects completed every month, cross-laminated timber (CLT) may just be edging its way into mainstream construction. NASF has highlighted the momentum behind CLT before, but recent developments may bring about more rapid change in the construction field. Last year, Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan [read more]
Hurricane Michael left millions of acres of timber uprooted, broken, and prime for burning. In Florida, 72 million tons of timber – that's 2.5 million log trucks worth of wood – were damaged across 11 Panhandle counties. In Georgia, 20.5 million tons of pine and 17.2 million tons of hardwood – totaling 37.7 million tons [read more]
West Virginia’s forestry industry makes a significant contribution to the state’s economy, and that contribution is poised to grow, according to a recent study from the Appalachian Hardwood Centerand West Virginia University’s Division of Forestry and Natural Resources in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. The study showed that the forest industry accounts for [read more]
Wood buildings provide an array of economic and environmental benefits, and interest in capitalizing on those benefits by constructing mid- to high-rise buildings using cross-laminated timber (CLT) is growing. CLT is made from layers of dried lumber boards stacked in alternating direction at 90-degree angles, glued and pressed to form solid panels. These panels have [read more]
Trees and forests built America and are essential for the nation’s growth and success. State forestry agencies are poised to support the new presidential administration. The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) is pleased to provide the Donald Trump Administration and Congress with recommendations for capitalizing on the benefits of trees and forests. Trees and [read more]
By Emily Bazydlo On a normal day, walking into the National Building Museum in Washington, DC brings a sense of awe, and the two large wooden panels on the main museum floor add to it. The two-story high panels advertise one of the museums new exhibits, Timber City. The Timber City exhibit showcases elegant models [read more]
The United States Senate, led by Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) have introduced the Timber Innovation Act (S. 2892). A House companion bill, H.R. 5628, has also been introduced and was led by Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA), Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). Both bills would: Establish [read more]
Nanocellulose was in the spotlight during a recent Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) highlighted work done at the University of Maine to support the forest economy and biobased industries, and emphasized the need for research and development institutions across the country to work together in support of American manufacturing [read more]
