Prairie Wood Products Closes Due To FS Transport Grant Dispute
Claiming that a change in policy concerning the use of Forest Service grant money for transportation costs, Prairie Wood Products in Prairie City, Ore. suspended operations in March citing a disagreement with FS officials. Company officials are currently working with the FS to resolve the matter and get back to work.
The mill received an FS Timber & Biomass Transportation grant from the FS in December 2023 with the understanding the grant would provide matching funds to help cover transportation costs for timber sales the company was working on the Malheur National Forest. However, after submitting paperwork in February, company officials were told the grant money wasn’t eligible for reimbursement for current sales.
In a statement to all parties involved, Grant County Commissioner Jim Hamsher noted a key purpose of the grant is to ensure that wood products industry infrastructure “is maintained into the future” and the FS decision not to allow reimbursement affects that infrastructure. He added that the company is in the process of re-permitting, upgrading and restarting a cogeneration plant on site. The facility would play a key role in utilizing the large amount of biomass generated by thinning and other forest treatments to improve forest health.
Latest News
Study Shows Site, Rotation Affects Carbon Sequestration Rate
Forest modeling research at Oregon State University’s College of Forestry shows a tract’s productivity is the top factor determining the rotation time that allows for the most above-ground carbon sequestration. Using OSU’s 11,000 acre McDonald-Dunn Research Forest as a study area, researchers inventoried more than 300 tracts known from past activities that varied widely in productivity levels. The data was run through modeling software that predicts changes in vegetation due to natural disturbances or management activities…
ALC Fall Tradition Travels To Maine In 2023
NEWRY, Maine – Logging industry professionals and advocates from throughout the U.S. (and a few from beyond) converged on the far northeastern state for this year’s American Loggers Council annual meeting on October 4-6. The theme for this year’s conference was “Family Tradition,” and indeed, the ALC annual meeting has become an annual tradition every fall for many logging families. In conjunction with the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast (see news), Maine native Andy Irish, who served as ALC President for the 2022-2023 term, hosted the conference in his home state…
WANT MORE CONTENT?
Spanning seven decades since its inception in 1952, Timber Harvesting highlights innovative and successful logging operations across the U.S. and around the world. Timber Harvesting also emphasizes new technology and provides the best marketing vehicle for the industry’s suppliers to reach the largest number of loggers in North America and beyond.
Call Us: 800.669.5613