Kentucky Wood Industry E-News |
New Research Project Underway Benefits Hardwood Pallet Industry
According to Jeff Slahor, Research Instructor/Wood Technologist at the Appalachian Hardwood Center. Since 2009 the issue of regulating domestic wood packaging material (dWPM) has been evolving. While direct regulation by APHIS has been taken off the table for the time being, the risk assessment carried out by APHIS suggests a self-policing best management practices (BMPs) approach to mitigate the spread of invasive species. A project on BMP's for the dWPM industry is under way at Appalachian Hardwood Center. In cooperation with dWPM manufacturers and other stakeholders a presentation outlining possible strategies for the industry will be developed. See more about the new project.
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2012-2013 Kentucky Wood Industry Economic Report - Unveiled
The Department of Forestry at the University of Kentucky (UK) is finalizing its first Kentucky Forestry Sector Economic Report that will provide a summary of economic statistics for 2012 and forecasting for 2013. The report in its entirety will be available later this year and will be presented at the annual meetings of the Kentucky Forest Industries Association and Kentucky Woodland Owners Association. On December 6, the summary of the report was provided by Dr. Jeff Stringer, UK Forestry Professor (co-author of the report) at the 2012 Agriculture Commodity Press Conference associated with Farm Bureau's Annual Meeting in Louisville. The press conference is held annually, however this was the first year that forestry was included in the agriculture reporting. The other agriculture reporting including presentations by five other College of Agriculture faculty. (more...)
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Ky's State Forests Attain Certification for Sustainable Management
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet issued the following news release: Six state forest properties (Green River, Kentenia, Kentucky Ridge, Pennyrile, Peterson, and Tygarts) owned by the Kentucky Division of Forestry (KDF) and four state forest properties jointly-owned by KDF and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (Big Rivers, Knobs, Marion County Wildlife Management Area and Marrowbone) were recently awarded American Tree Farm certification through the Center for Forest and Wood Certification's Independently Managed Group. The properties - totaling 43,327 acres - are owned and managed for the purpose of recreation, wildlife management, timber production, and demonstration of sound forest management methods. (more...)
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The LEED Standards Battle on Wood Continues
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) reports that as the USGBC's LEED program is about to finish its fifth Comment Period, many questions are being about the LEED rating season, particularly in reference to its exclusionary position on forest certification programs. Here is a web page from the Washington Forest Protection Association that links a number of articles and papers that are critical of LEED, including an article from the USA Today, comments from the American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research, the Oregon Small Business Association comments, and the survey from Turner Construction Association.
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University of Kentucky Department of Forestry Spring Field Semester 2013
Spring Field semester is once again upon us as the Forestry faculty and twenty students take to the woods for field experiences. As part of the Forestry Department's revised curriculum, the Spring Field Semester replaced the traditional Summer Camp for the first time last year, and serves a three-fold purpose: 1) it enables students to pursue full-summer internship experiences; 2) it provides fourteen weeks of field-based learning instead of eight; and 3) by eliminating a summer tuition bill, it provides a better educational experience at a reduced cost to students. Topics covered during the Spring Field Semester include field exercises in silviculture and measurements, winter dendrology, fire use, forest health, wood industry operations such as log, lumber and railroad tie grading, wood products manufacturing, hydrology, wildlife management and forest operations. A three-day wood industry tour is also incorporated into the schedule as well as a week-long trip to the forests of North Carolina. SAF thinks so highly of our revised curriculum that they are recommending other forestry schools to consider adopting similar changes. (more...)
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Wood Industry and Logger Certification
The Center for Forest and Wood Certification (CFWC or the Center) recently completed its first year recertification audit for forest industries and logging firms operating in Kentucky and the surrounding states. The CFWC and its members passed all audits conducted by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) with no Corrective Action Requests issued. In layman's terms, the Center passed with flying colors. SCS is the certifying body hired by the CFWC for its certification. The Center added 22 members during its first year and now currently stands at a total of 63. (more...)
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Housing Growth - 2013
All of us associated with the wood industry are hoping for continued improvement in the housing industry in 2013, particularly in regards to start-ups which have the greatest impact on our industry. As we enter the New Year some are predicting we could equal or possibly even surpass the 25% gains made in 2012. Unfortunately, there may be some challenges to overcome before such gains can occur even if the demand is there. The Hardwood Leader January 2013 edition had the following to say about 2013 growth. (more...)
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Interested in Expanding Your Hardwood Lumber Sales?
Jonathan Van Balen, Import/Export Advisor with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture has several suggestions and opportunities for Kentucky hardwood producers. Click here to read more in the January edition of the International Marketing Update Newsletter.
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January 2013 University of Kentucky Department of Forestry
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Dates To Note:
March 23, 2013
Ohio River Valley Woodland and Wildlife Workshop Madison, ININFO: www.tristatewoods.org
April 3 - 5, 2013
Embassy Suites,
Lexington, KY
INFO: 502.695.3979
April 18 - 19, 2013
Ohio Valley Lumber Drying Association Spring Meeting
Bowling Green, Kentucky
INFO: 859.257.9511 ext. 235
Masterson Station Park
Lexington, KY
INFO: 502.695.3979
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