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Oregon Adopts Local-Use Lumber Grading

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Two men in front of a PowerPoint main slide

Scott Lyon, left, Wisconsin DNR Forest Products Services team leader, and Scott Leavengood, director of Oregon Wood Innovation Center. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Brian Cole, Wisconsin DNR Forest Product Specialist

On Wednesday, April 1, at the Fitchburg Service Center, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Product Services team held its first Wisconsin Local Use Dimension Lumber Grading (WLUDLG) class for 2026.

Along with 10 Wisconsin students, we had the pleasure of hosting Scott Leavengood. Scott is the director of the Oregon Wood Innovation Center (OWIC) and has worked in Wood Products Extension with Oregon State University (OSU) since 1994.

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The 21st Century Brings Changes To The Hardwood Lumber Industry

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A pile of freshly processed hardwood timber.

Hardwood lumber being stacked after processing. / Photo Credit: M. Bumgardner

By Matthew Bumgardner and Scott Bowe

Hardwood lumber production in the United States reached a peak in 1999, with an estimated 12.6 billion board feet of output. However, the early 2000s ushered in a major structural shift – the large-scale offshoring of U.S. furniture manufacturing. Once the single largest user of hardwood lumber until the late 1970s, wood furniture has become the smallest major market for hardwood lumber today.

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Markets Matter Convening Highlights

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By Elle Soderberg, Wisconsin DNR Forest Products Specialist

Leaders from across the forest products industry, government agencies, research institutions and economic development organizations recently gathered in Madison for the U.S. Endowment’s Markets Matter Convening. The event focused on the central challenge facing the forest sector today: Developing sustainable markets for low-value wood fiber, including small-diameter timber and mill residues.

Throughout the convening, participants emphasized that while the forest products industry continues to face significant economic and market pressures, there are also growing opportunities for innovation, collaboration and investment. Continue reading “Markets Matter Convening Highlights” →

International Mass Timber Conference

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A booth made entirely of mass plywood is displayed at an expo.

Freres, an Oregon-based mass plywood producer, created this unique booth entirely from mass plywood. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Alex Anderson, Wisconsin DNR Forest Products Specialist

For the last 10 years, stakeholders in the mass timber industry have gathered in Portland, Oregon, for the annual International Mass Timber Conference (IMTC).

The 2026 IMTC was well-attended by a variety of businesses showing off their wares: mass timber fastener manufacturers, mass plywood and cross-laminated timber (CLT) producers and fabricators, engineering and building firms specializing in mass timber applications, and many others from a host of different sectors came to network and show off new, unique products. More than 3,000 attendees from 28 different countries attended the 2026 IMTC, which was about six times the size of the inaugural event, held in 2016, and nearly twice the size of the event five years ago.

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USDA Announces Availability Of New Log Truck Route Planner Tool

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logoThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the launch of an innovative new tool, the Log Truck Route Planner, to help forest owners, mill operators and log truckers in the Pacific Northwest allocate timber and schedule log trucks. The system can assist users in coordinating routing between logging sites and sawmills, which can significantly increase the returns to log truck owners/operators, create efficiencies in the operation of sawmills and ultimately increase the market for U.S. timber products.

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Fire At Ahlstrom Thilmany Paper In Kaukauna

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external wide-angle view of a paper mill building

The Ahlstrom Thilmany Paper mill in Kaukauna.

A fire broke out at Ahlstrom’s Thilmany paper mill in Kaukauna on Saturday, May 16, affecting the wood chip conveyor system and main wood room area of the mill. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze, no injuries were reported and crews continue investigating the cause.

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Timber Bridges For Stream Crossings Now Available

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One of the temporary bridge structures for stream crossings that will be available from selected Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and private facilities for use by loggers who are working on timber sales. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

Through a U.S. Forest Service grant, along with a partnership with the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is soon going to be able to provide temporary bridge structures for stream crossings. Continue reading “Timber Bridges For Stream Crossings Now Available” →

Forest Products Webinar Series: Recordings Available Now

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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Products Service Team recently completed its webinar series highlighting Wisconsin’s forest industry. The sessions focused on product utilization and market development for urban wood, biochar and mass timber, along with economic trends for state and county economic development.

Webinar recordings are available to gain valuable insights and practical knowledge that support sustainable growth across Wisconsin’s forest sector. Details of the sessions are as follows:

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Calendar Of Events

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LSLA Hardwood Lumber Grading Class – July 27-29, 2026

LSLA Education will offer a Hardwood Lumber Grading Short Course in Antigo, Wisconsin, from July 27-29, 2026. The course is open to everyone interested in lumber grading. This class is targeted at beginners and therefore will be ideal for sawyers, edgermen, trimmermen, grading trainees, salespeople, managers and supervisors. This course will cover topics such as clear vs. sound cuttings, wood characteristics and defects, hardwood lumber manufacturing standards, species, kiln dried lumber and hands-on lumber grading. For complete details, including the topics that will be covered in the course, list of area hotels and registration link, see the brochure.

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