The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced new programs to bring financial assistance to producers, including assistance for timber harvesting and hauling firms, who were impacted by market disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The USDA will re-open the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) signup for at least 60 days, beginning on April 5, 2021. Please visit the USDA Pandemic Assistance webpage for more information.
There’s More To Panels Than OSB And Plywood
By Alex Anderson, DNR Forest Products Specialist, Rhinelander
When people think of wood-based panel products, plywood and oriented-strand board (OSB) usually come to mind. However, a vast array of panel products whose primary building block is wood do not fall under the auspices of plywood or OSB. Before we explore those, it’s important to understand the distinction between “structural” panels and “non-structural” panels.
As the name implies, structural panels are designed to bolster the strength, stiffness and resistance of the items they adhere to. Plywood, generally, is utilized in commercial structures, whereas OSB is more common in residential construction.
Both plywood and OSB function as cladding for roofs, walls and subfloors. In Wisconsin, various plywood manufacturers generally produce hardwood plywood for decorative applications, such as furniture, cabinets, pinblocks for pianos and many others. There are also two OSB manufacturers in Wisconsin that utilize OSB as a base for their siding product.
Alternatively, non-structural panel products are primarily represented by medium-density fiberboard (MDF), particleboard and hardboard. Like OSB and plywood, these panels are prized for their dimensional stability and textural consistency.
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Federal Tax Credits Extended For Business-Scale Biomass Combined Heat and Power Systems
By Sabina Dhungana, DNR Forest Products Specialist, Madison
Were you shocked by your mill or plant’s power bill recently? Then 2021 might be a good year to consider adding a wood-fired combined heat and power (CHP) system or upgrading your existing biomass-fueled boiler system to add power generation capability.
Operators and managers of mills or other forest industry plants looking to reduce energy costs may qualify for the 30% energy tax credit included in the 2021 Federal Omnibus spending bill. Organizations may also be eligible by upgrading an existing biomass-fueled boiler system to add power generation capability. Biomass energy systems with more than 150 kW of electricity generation capacity may be eligible for the tax credit. To qualify for the energy tax credit, construction must start before Jan. 1, 2022.
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Forest Product Services Webinar Series
By Logan Wells, DNR Forest Products Specialist, Hayward
This winter, the Forest Products Services team hosted three webinars on different aspects of manufacturing lumber. Each webinar highlighted principles from the recently published Forest Products Technical Guides.
Recordings of these webinars are available. These recordings expand on each topic, filling in some details about the industry.
We look forward to offering future webinars to highlight Wisconsin’s forest resources. Thank you to our partners Lake States Lumber Association Education, Northcentral Technical College and UW-Madison, for their help in putting together these resources and webinars.
Learn more via the Forest Products Technical Guides or watch the webinar recordings here:
http://bit.ly/WiForestProductsResources
2021 Arbor Day Foundation Recognition Program Standards
Tree City, Tree Campus and Tree Line USA program participants: please review the Arbor Day Foundation’s following expectations regarding the 2021 program recognition standards.
Tree City USA Standard 4 – Proclamation and Arbor Day Observance: We will require a signed Arbor Day proclamation on all 2021 applications. Arbor Day observances and celebrations will not be required, but cities will be highly encouraged to publicize their community’s recognition as a Tree City or celebration of Arbor Day.
Examples of things communities could do to observe while socially distancing: Facebook live tree planting, social media post encouraging citizens to celebrate Arbor Day, newspaper article, radio ad, etc.
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Six Applicants Receive DNR Urban Forestry Grants In Second Round Of Funding
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Urban Forestry Grant program awarded $104,920 to six Wisconsin communities for urban forestry projects during the second round of our 2021 funding. These funds were originally reserved for the Catastrophic Storm Grant program but were not needed through the winter months.
The communities receiving funds are the City of Cedarburg, the City of Delafield, the Village of Grafton, the City of Menasha, the Village of Shorewood and the City of Sun Prairie. Each grantee will receive an equal part of the available funding for $17,486.50. These urban forestry grants must be matched dollar for dollar.
The Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry Grant program funds projects consistent with state and national goals to increase the urban forest canopy and its benefits. The urban forest encompasses trees on both public and private property.
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Wisconsin Tree Champions Lauded for Outstanding Community Service
By Sara Minkoff, DNR Urban Forestry Council liaison, Madison, sara.minkoff@wisconsin.gov, 608-669-5447
The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council has announced awards honoring those dedicated to protecting, preserving and increasing the number of trees that line city streets, fill community parks and beautify neighborhoods throughout Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council advises the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Forestry on the management of urban and community forest resources.
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Madison College Now Enrolling Fall 2021 Arboriculture Students
By Jeremy Kane, Urban Tree Alliance and Urban Tree Management
Madison College student Kate Kendziora in the Aerial Tree Work Practicum course
The Madison College Department of Arboriculture and Urban Forestry began offering classes in the fall of 2019 and has since been evolving with the last turbulent year.
The program is currently delivering tree identification courses, climbing and practical tree care skills and tree biology in a safe “hybrid” format that combines online and regulated in-person instruction.
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Wausau’s New Partners In Urban Wood Utilization
By Andrew Sims, City Forester, Wausau/Marathon County Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Department
Urban Evolutions
Urban wood utilization has become a popular topic of conversation within the arboriculture community. Not only is it a ‘feel good’ opportunity for communities to dispose of urban forest products, but a much-needed source of revenue as well.
Historically, Wausau contracted with a local logger to haul material to mills. This contract was primarily for the pulp market, as many sawmills won’t accept urban wood due to unknown foreign objects. As a result, much of the oversized material did not have the best end-use. Some were sold on auction by the truckload, and the rest was left to decompose. Finding those key partnerships, and being able to capitalize on them, was the key for Wausau to become successful at utilizing urban wood. A short description of two of the City of Wausau’s new partnerships follows.
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New Oak Wilt Vectors Emergence User Interface Available Online
By Kyoko Scanlon, DNR Forest Pathologist, Kyoko.Scanlon@wisconsin.govor 608-235-7532 and Elly Voigt, DNR Forest Health Communications Specialist and Lab Technician, Eleanor.Voigt@wisconsin.gov or 608-273-6276
Oak wilt is a serious disease that occurs when insects carrying oak wilt fungal spores land on a healthy oak tree’s fresh wound. To prevent oak wilt infections, it is important to avoid pruning, wounding and harvesting oaks when these insects are abundant, generally April through July.
Predicting exactly when these insects start to emerge in the spring can be difficult as their emergence is highly weather-dependent, and spring weather varies significantly from year to year.
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