National Hardwood Lumber Assn. receives second US$500,000 grant from USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations Program; funding aims to assist mills and support Real American Hardwood initiative

The National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) is proud to announce that it has been awarded its second $500,000 matching grant from the USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations Program.

“We appreciate the USDA Forest Service for recognizing the importance of the hardwood industry. By funding NHLA’s efforts to assist mills with higher wood utilization studies, the USDA Forest Service enables us to create healthier forests and encourage robust economies in rural communities. We are also grateful for their continued collaboration with NHLA to support the Real American Hardwood initiative, which educates designers on hardwood lumber’s sustainability and design possibilities,” said NHLA’s Executive Director, Dallin Brooks.

“The forest products economy creates good jobs in local communities and is vital to ensuring forests are healthy and productive,” said John Crockett, USDA Forest Service Deputy Chief of State, Private and Tribal Forestry. “This Wood Innovations grant is a strategic investment that will strengthen markets and increase the efficiency of manufacturing products made from sustainably sourced hardwood. These investments will directly support local economies and facilitate more forest management activities on more forests.”

This grant aims to support and expand production in historically low markets for the United States hardwood industry by enhancing wood utilization at sawmills and providing critical resources for architects, designers, and engineers.

The NHLA, with their first grant from the USDA Forest Service and in collaboration with the Real American Hardwood Coalition (RAHC), launched RealAmericanHardwood.pro to create and distribute online content for architects, specifiers, designers, and engineers. In the next phase of this initiative, the NHLA will hire a technical director to assist architects and designers in specifying hardwood products for nonstructural applications, further enhancing the industry’s ability to grow and adapt.

Additionally, the National Hardwood Lumber Association will work closely with sawmills to optimize their processes, increase log yield recovery, and offer training on optimization, automation, grading impacts, and workforce development. This project includes educating additional trainers within the federal, state, and university extension programs, as the NHLA helps lower operating costs for 200 sawmills by improving log breakout and edging processes and performing yield studies and quality statistical process control analysis.

The hardwood sawmill industry has been slower in adopting innovative process technologies than the softwood industry. While consolidation and automation have advanced rapidly in the softwood sector, many hardwood operations still rely on labor-intensive methods. Small sawmills, concentration yards, and distributors, which comprise over 50% of the hardwood industry, often need more process optimizations and promotion. Since COVID-19, these sawmills have faced higher costs and lower revenues due to high supply and low demand. Supporting these operations ensures their continuance in rural communities, promoting forest health and economic stability.