AFA NEWSROOM V17N27, July 06, 2022 |
Paper Excellence Group Enters Into Definitive Agreement To Acquire Resolute |
The Paper Excellence Group , through its wholly-owned subsidiary Domtar Corporation , a global diversified manufacturer of pulp and specialty, printing, writing, and packaging papers, and Resolute Forest Products Inc. , a global forest products company, have entered into an agreement under which Domtar will acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Resolute stock.
With this addition to its family of companies, the Paper Excellence Group will further build out its portfolio in North America following the successful acquisition of Domtar last year. |
Public Policy Series - Forest Economics- July 22 |
The Public Policy Seminar: Forest Economics is coming soon! Make sure you are registered and have your hotel room booked in Opelika! |
Where Does A 225-Year-Old Working Warship Get Its Parts? At The Navy Forest, Of Course |
In the early 1970s, as the United States began preparing for its Bicentennial, Boston decided that the U.S.S. Constitution would be a focal point of the city’s anniversary celebrations, with a new museum to the celebrated warship opening at the Charlestown Navy Yard.
The three-masted heavy frigate, launched in 1797, was named by George Washington and built with copper bolts forged by Paul Revere. Black-sided and red-bottomed, with a single, stark white running stripe, Constitution protected American ships against the French in the undeclared Quasi-War of 1798-1800 and quelled pirate attacks in the Mediterranean during the First Barbary War. The armed vessel defeated five British warships in the War of 1812, and it was in the wake of one of those battles—in which the American crew watched enemy cannonballs bounce harmlessly off Constitution’s white-oak hull—that the warship earned its famous nickname: “Old Ironsides.” |
Held in conjunction with our Public Policy Series Seminar the next day, we are excited to return to the Marriott Grand National for our Auburn/Opelika Area Regional Reception and Capital District meeting again this year. Come join us for a fun night and a chance to visit with some old forestry friends and hopefully make some new ones.
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Have you registered for the Public Policy Series - Forest Economics seminar the next day? Make sure to check out the agenda and join us for part 3 of 4 in the 2022 Public Policy Series. |
Impact Of Skyrocketing Fuel Prices On Forest Products Transportation |
Rising fuel prices impact everyone’s pocketbook through increased costs which are driving up prices. This increase in cost is especially true for the trucking industry, which is critical to maintaining the supply chain and is often viewed as a barometer of the U.S. economy. While 2020 data from the U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center shows that the average fuel economy for cars was 24.2 miles/gallon, it was 5.29 miles/gallon for heavy trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating exceeding 33,000 pounds, such as a 5-axle tractor-trailer log truck. As trucks are vital for moving raw forest products from in-woods harvest sites to mill consumers, rising fuel prices significantly impact the cost of those deliveries. |
Join Us For The July Session of AFA Connect - July 21, 2022 |
Join AFA Connect on Thursday, July 21, 2022, at 11:00 am as Dr. Paul Jeffreys with ArborGen brings his presentation on Regenerating Alabama's Sustainable Forests with Advanced. He will be speaking on creating value for private landowners in the state by planting better genetics with controlled pollinated seedlings. The presentation will cover how the seedlings are produced and the returns one can expect from planting their tree farms with the seedlings. |
Click below for a brief explanation of the language often used during conversations about carbon and the built environment. |
Last Weeks FWTI's Initial Forest Maintenance Technician CRI Training - SUCCESS! |
We had a great turn out last week for ForestryWorks’ initial forestry maintenance tech CRI training. This CRI program (in development) will allow high school students to develop technical skills needed to become a professional maintenance technician after graduating high school. We would like to give a huge thank you to our education partners Wallace Community College Workforce Development Division and the Alabama Community College System! For more information about this CRI program click the link below. |
Two Takes On Lumber Tariffs |
What’s ahead for U.S. tariffs for Canadian softwood lumber imports depends on who you talk to.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai testified yesterday at a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies regarding the Biden Administration’s trade priorities for fiscal year 2023. |
Barry Moore Fundraiser - Thank You to All Who Joined Us At Selwood Farm |
We had a blast being with our friends at Congressman Barry Moore’s Sporting Clay fundraiser last week at Selwood Farm! Thank you to everyone who participated and congrats to the winners! |
U.S. Department Of Energy Announces $39 Million For Research And Development To Turn Buildings Into Carbon Storage Structures |
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $39 million in awards for 18 projects seeking to develop technologies that can transform buildings into net carbon storage structures. Led by DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), selectees for the Harnessing Emissions into Structures Taking Inputs from the Atmosphere (HESTIA) program will prioritize overcoming barriers associated with carbon-storing buildings, including scarce, expensive and geographically limited building materials. Decarbonization goals for the HESTIA program mirror President Biden’s plan to reach zero emissions by 2050 and aim to increase the total amount of carbon stored in buildings to create carbon sinks, which absorb more carbon from the atmosphere than released during the construction process. |
Are You Ready For The Beach? We Are! AFA Annual Meeting - September 11-13 |
Registration for the 2022 AFA Annual Meeting is in full swing! OUR ROOM BLOCK IS FILLING UP FAST! Click the link below to learn more about our speakers, agenda, sponsors and hotel information. We look forward to seeing you in September! |
Houzz Study: Home Renovation Spending At 4-Year High |
According to Houzz’s annual Houzz & Home survey, home renovation activity and spending have reached the highest rates reported since 2018. More than half of homeowners renovated their homes in 2021 (55 percent), up from 53 percent in 2020 and 54 percent in both 2019 and 2018. Following the 15 percent growth in median spend last year, homeowners report an additional 20 percent jump in median renovation spend at $18,000. This growth can be attributed to homeowners with higher budget projects (the top 10 percent of spend) increasing their investment from $85,000 in 2020 to $100,000 in 2021. |
First Annual Workforce Development Forum - September 10, 2022 |
Join our ForestryWorks partners for the first annual Workforce Development Forum down in Orange Beach, AL in conjunction with the AFA Annual Meeting! Topics include: apprenticeship programs, non-traditional workforce solutions, career promotion opportunities, customized training tools and much more! Have questions -contact Stephanie Fuller at sfuller@alaforestry.org |
WRI Market Insights: Global Forest Markets In 1H2022 |
Global sawlog price changes were mixed in 1Q/22 with quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) increases in North America and Eastern Europe, while prices declined in Central and Northern Europe.
The European Sawlog Price Index (ESPI) increased slightly in the 1Q/22 and reached a new all-time high, 27% higher than just a year ago. |
What Would Ben Franklin Do? |
Mail center professionals, who already operate in a challenging business environment, are increasingly faced with the task of responding to the popular, but scientifically flawed narrative that the paper critical to their operations is somehow environmentally unsustainable. If this describes you, then Ben Franklin, father of the Postal Service and first U.S. postmaster general, offers some sage advice: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
In our increasingly digital world, knowledge – knowing the facts about the unique sustainability of paper – is a potent antidote to the common environmental myths used to justify replacing paper mail with electronic communications: that paper production and use destroys forests, is a major contributor to climate change, consumes enormous amounts of water and generates excessive amounts of waste. |
11th Annual Sunburn Classic Golf Tournament -September 12 |
Join us for Woods to Goods Week this year Oct. 16 – 22! We want to celebrate how its more than industry for all the forestry professionals out there! |
Online CE Available For PLM & CFE |
Foresters and loggers, a reminder that AFA offers online continuing education. Now is a great time to go ahead and handle continuing education hours.
Click below for a list of classes. |
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Thank you to our sponsors |
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