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2026 Wisconsin Forest Products Market Update

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photo of lumber at a mill.

Lumber is produced at a mill. / Photo Credit: Twin Oaks Lumber

By Elle Soderberg, DNR Forest Products Specialist

​The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Products Services team ​would like to share some perspectives based on our conversations with forest products industry contacts and information sources. Our goal in sharing these informational updates is to provide material to help you understand how the state’s forest products industry is being impacted, not only by market/seasonal trends, but also by major announcements (e.g., mill closures, expansions, economic factors, etc.).

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Wisconsin DNR’s Forest Regeneration Monitoring Program

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Workers learn about FRM data collection.

New hires familiarize themselves with FRM data collection. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Gabe Spangler, DNR Forest Regeneration Monitoring Coordinator

The Forest Regeneration Monitoring (FRM) program was initiated to better assess the status of naturally regenerating forests across the state and to provide data on forest regeneration success or failure in relation to deer herd population density across Wisconsin. Previous forest monitoring methods were not intensive enough to tell a precise, county-level story of the impacts of deer browse (herbivory) on forest regeneration or the quality of the forest habitat available to deer.

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EUDR Update: Changes In 2025 And The Hardwood Industry’s Path To Compliance

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By Brian Zweifel, DNR Forest Products Specialist

logo

American Hardwood Assured (AHA) is a free, AI-based digital platform developed by the American Hardwood Export Council to verify that U.S. hardwood products are legally harvested and deforestation-free.

Understanding The EUDR And Impacts On The U.S. Forest Products Sector

For those who haven’t been keeping up with international policy, the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is an environmental policy proposed to ensure that products sold within the EU do not contribute to global deforestation or forest degradation. The regulation targets seven key commodities—cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy, and wood—that are major drivers of deforestation for agricultural expansion. While the goals of the EUDR are widely supported by environmental and industry groups, its original compliance requirements created significant, and potentially insurmountable, challenges for the U.S. hardwood industry. This article explains the critical updates and delays announced in late 2025, details the proactive solutions being developed by industry groups like the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and American Hardwood Assured (AHA), and outlines a clear path forward for forest products companies. These recent developments have shifted the compliance conversation from crisis to a more manageable, strategic response. Continue reading “EUDR Update: Changes In 2025 And The Hardwood Industry’s Path To Compliance” →

New Publication Highlights Technology, Training Needs in Northeastern Lumber Drying Operations

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Cover of Forest Products JournalBy Scott Lyon, DNR Forest Products Team Leader

A new study published in the Forest Products Journal by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, the United States Forest Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources examined dry kiln operations across the northeastern and north-central United States.

The research explored current technology use, production practices, and workforce training needs in the hardwood lumber drying industry, with the goal of helping training providers and industry leaders better tailor education and support to real-world operating conditions.

The survey found that most firms dry a wide range of hardwood species, reflecting the region’s diverse forest resources. Eastern white pine was the only softwood species dried by a majority of respondents. While species diversity was common across operations, the study revealed a clear divide between small and large kiln facilities in technology use, investment plans, and quality-control practices.

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USDA Timber Industry Program Aims To Revitalize Rural Economies

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A worker measures the diameter of a tree stem.

A USDA Forest Service timber cruiser measures a tree. The TPEP is a cooperative effort with the USDA Forest Service and USDA Rural Development. / Photo Credit: Lance Cheung, USDA

By United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Note: The Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEP) provides funding to eligible applicants to establish, reopen, expand, or improve a sawmill or other wood-processing facility that processes ecosystem restoration byproducts from National Forest System lands.

The reopening last year of a sawmill in Tilleda, Wisconsin, one of the many recently shuttered sawmills in rural Wisconsin, is a signal of hope for the challenged forest products industry everywhere. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) would like to see more mills brought back to life here with funding through its Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEP).

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USDA Forest Products Lab Offers Newsletter

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logoThe United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory, based in Madison, is now offering a free newsletter to interested subscribers.

The newsletter covers a variety of topics related to forest products research and can be accessed online on the USDA Forest Service website.

To sign up for the newsletter, go to the bottom of the linked webpage under the heading “Sign Up for Our Newsletter” and enter your contact information.

Hardwood Lumber Risk Assessment: Wisconsin Very Low-risk

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A truck hauls logs out of a site.

A truck hauls logs out of a site. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

The American Hardwood Assured framework provides a means of determining “jurisdictional risk assessment of legal compliance.”

Wisconsin’s results are positive and indicate a low level of risk in the forestry, logging, and forest products sectors.

To read the full results for Wisconsin and other states, visit the Risk Assessments webpage.

 

Forest Products Services Calendar Of Events

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  • Various panels of cross-laminated timber, made from Eastern white pine grown in Wisconsin by Michigan Technological University, awaits a return trip to Madison, Wisconsin, for testing at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory.

    Various panels of cross-laminated timber, made from Eastern white pine grown in Wisconsin by Michigan Technological University, awaits a return trip to Madison, Wisconsin, for testing at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

    Lake States Lumber Association 2026 Trainings (visit their website as dates near for more information):

    • Topic: LSLA Ed. OSHA Safety Class. When: May 15.
    • Topic: LSLA Ed. Lumber Grading. When: July 27-29.
    • Topic: LSLA Ed. Sawing, Edging And Trimming. When: July 30.
  • Great Lakes Kiln Drying Association Kiln Drying Course:
    • When: Aug. 11-13
  • WI DNR Forest Products Services Webinar Series:

Thanksgiving Blizzard And Tree Damage

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Ice and snow weigh down trees in a forest after a 2025 blizzard.

Trees bent from the weight of heavy snow following a Thanksgiving-week blizzard in northern Wisconsin. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Paul Cigan, DNR Forest Health Specialist
Paul.Cigan@wisconsin.gov or 715-416-4920

This year’s Thanksgiving holiday brought with it not only a hearty meal and a few good hunting stories to tell around the family table, but also a heavy fixing of blizzard-like conditions. The storm caused a real stretch to the proverbial beltline of many trees that were left heavily bent over in its wake.

On the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 25, a potent winter storm moved across northwestern Wisconsin, bringing with it freezing rain that transitioned to heavy, wet snow as temperatures dipped overnight.

Then, on Nov. 28-29, southern Wisconsin experienced its own potent dose of early winter snow when a second large snowstorm moved through, bringing heavy snowfall but with more limited damage.

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Make Plans For National Invasives Week

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Workers spray water from a hose to clean the wheels of a tractor in a woodlot.

Workers follow the practice of pressure-washing the tires and frames of a tractor to rid the vehicle of possible invasive plants after a workday in the forest. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Outreach and Communications
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167

The North American Invasives Species Management Association (NAISMA) has organized a series of activities to take place as part of its National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW), set for Feb. 23 through 27.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will participate by presenting a news release and daily social media posts in the days leading up to the start of NISAW’s 2026 activities.

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