AFA NEWSROOM V17N31, August 3, 2022 | Hoover Teacher Wins National PLT Award For Environmental Education |
Traci Ingleright, an enrichment specialist for Hoover City Schools, this summer received a national Leadership in Education Award for her work in environmental education.
The award was given out in Wisconsin in June by Project Learning Tree, which is part of the Sustainable Forest Initiative, a nonprofit international environmental education program that advances environmental literacy, stewardship and career pathways using trees and forests as windows on the world.
The award that Ingleright received recognizes teachers and education professionals who make significant contributions in their state to Project Learning Tree and youth environmental education.
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Alabama Forestry Foundation? Follow the AFF Facebook Page by clicking the link below!
| Canfor To Invest In New Facility In Alabama |
Canfor Corporation is pleased to announce it will invest approximately $210 million USD to build a new, state-of-the-art sawmill complex in southern Alabama. Using leading technology, the new sawmill will have an annual production capacity of 250 million board feet on a two-shift basis and will provide a new, modern work environment for the approximately 130 people who will be employed directly, in addition to supporting significant indirect jobs.
In alignment with our sustainability goals and decarbonization targets, the facility design includes investment in a biomass-fueled lumber drying system. Startup of the facility is anticipated in the third quarter of 2024.
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AFA Annual Meeting - September 11-13
Early Bird Registration Discount Ends 8/12
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Registration for the 2022 AFA Annual Meeting is in full swing! OUR ROOM BLOCK IS ALMOST FULL! Click the link below to learn more about our speakers, agenda, sponsors and hotel information. We look forward to seeing you in September!
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Join us in thanking our amazing sponsors. Interested in being a sponsor? It's not too late, check out our 2022 AFA Annual Meeting website for more information!
| Forests Cool The World Even More Than We Think - Here’s How |
Forests are well-known for their role in absorbing CO2 that would otherwise warm the atmosphere.
Now certain ‘biophysical’ properties of forests – including how they distribute light, water and heat – have been shown to make them even more cooling.
Researchers in the United States and Colombia found these biophysical properties can increase the cooling effect of forests by almost another 0.5°C.
| Alabama Forestry Commission Assisting Other States With Wildfires |
As conditions remain dry in the western states, the Alabama Forestry Commission is sending firefighters to provide extra manpower to battle wildfires.
“I’m constantly fielding requests on a daily basis, at least five to six requests every day, for everything from your basic firefighter all up to those in the command and general staff,” said Balsie Bulter, assistant director of Protection Division of the Alabama Forestry Commission.
| EU Wood Pellet Demand To Set A New Record In 2022 | The European Union consumed a record 23.1 million metric tons of wood pellets in 2021, according to a new report filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network. Demand is expected to expand to 24.3 million metric tons this year. |
The Alabama Tree Farm Committee is preparing to hold its annual Silent Auction in conjunction with the 2022 AFA Annual Meeting, September 11-13, 2022. The Silent Auction has always been Tree Farm’s largest fundraiser, with proceeds going to promote Alabama’s Tree Farm program and serve Tree Farmers throughout the state. Last year’s auction and raffle raised almost $7,000.00 for our state program. The committee is seeking donations of items or funds for the purchase of bid items.
Examples of items to donate include:
- FORESTRY RELATED ITEMS (CHAINSAWS, ANTIQUE FORESTRY/LOGGING TOOLS, ETC.)
- TRAVEL PACKAGES (HUNTING, FISHING, BEACH, OTHER LEISURE)
- HUNTING/FISHING ITEMS (RODS, REELS, TACKLE, GAME CAMERAS, ETC)
- SPORTS GAME TICKETS
- WALL ART (PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, PHOTOS)
- HANDCRAFTED GIFT ITEMS (WOOD, POTTERY, GLASS, METAL, TEXTILE ITEMS ETC.)
- FURNITURE (WOOD BENCHES, ADIRONDACK CHAIRS, TABLES, ETC.)
- JEWELRY
- YARD ART (BIRD BATHS, BIRDHOUSES, PLANTERS, ETC.)
- SERVICES (SPA, LANDSCAPING, FINE DINING)
- PLANTS (GIFT CERTIFICATES TO NURSERIES ETC.)
| Lower Housing Starts, Higher Home Prices, And Surging Inflation |
After a disappointing May (-14%), US home building continued to inch down in June as the housing market cools amid surging mortgage rates and crippling inflation. Forbes noted: “… LPL Financial chief economist Jeffrey Roach said housing starts declined because demand is ‘quickly drying up’ from higher borrowing costs as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates, though he expects home building activity should hold up despite the grim outlook.”
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Join Us For The August Session of AFA Connect - August 18, 2022
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Feral Swine Ecological Impacts and Management Strategies with Bence Carter, Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Feral swine damage to agriculture is fairly well documented and understood, while the extent of impacts to native ecosystems is not. This presentation will highlight impacts to our natural resources and discuss the “Do’s and Dont's” that are frequently overlooked in feral swine management.
| U.S. Housing Cooldown Is Recession Red Flag For Markets |
With the Federal Reserve set to jack up interest rates again this week, Wall Street is on alert for signs of recession, and recent housing data suggests the sector may be a harbinger of a cooling economy.
Homebuilder stocks, sales and mortgage data show that previously booming housing market is falling back to earth amid a broader economic cooldown.
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First Annual Workforce Development Forum - September 10, 2022
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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
| A Housing Recession Is The First Step To A Fed-Induced Recession. Here’s Where The Housing Market Goes Next |
In the early '80s, homebuilders mailed two-by-fours to then Fed Chair Paul Volcker in hope the central bank would relax its inflation fight that saw mortgage rates top 18%. Of course, the Fed didn't back off until the 1981 recession helped tame the inflationary spike that began a decade earlier.
Historically speaking, the Federal Reserve's inflation fighting playbook always starts with housing. It goes like this. The central bank begins by applying upward pressure on mortgage rates. Not long afterwards, home sales sink and existing home inventory spikes. Then homebuilders begin to cut back. That causes demand for both commodities (like lumber and steel) and durable goods (like windows and refrigerators) to fall. Those economic contractions then quickly spread throughout the rest of the economy and, in theory, help to rein in runaway inflation.
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Initial PLM Class In Evergreen -
August 24th, 2022
| North American Wood Fiber Pricing, Supplies and Sawmill Capex | North American wood fiber pricing for the first half of 2022 highlighted regional nuance and variability. Meanwhile, the macroeconomic environment grapples with headwinds from inflation, consumer confidence, interest rate hikes, and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Overall, demand for fiber remained strong, supporting the industry sentiment that North American forest products are well positioned for the near-term. For example, AF&PA announced that total packaging papers and specialty packaging shipments increased 1% year to date through May, signaling robust demand within the pulp and paper sector. |
11th Annual Sunburn Classic
Golf Tournament -September 12
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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!
| New Revolution In The Construction Industry? Skyscrapers Made Of Wood | Builders are increasingly turning away from concrete and steel in favor of wood. In some cases, the material – known as mass timber – is even being used to construct skyscrapers. It’s becoming a sort of revolution: a 2021 study in the journal Sustainability found that mass timber buildings could reduce a building’s carbon emissions 22 to 50 percent compared to concrete. However, environmentalists worry about the cutting of primary and older forests, which would substitute one type of high carbon building material for another. | 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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