NEWS

Vietnam's exports of wood and wood product exports were originally expected to decline in 2021 because of COVID-19; now, however, the sector's export value is expected to total $14.72 billion for the year. Exports to the U.S. from January to November reached $7.93 billion, an increase of 24.6%. The recovery was due to support from the Vietnamese government, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The dramatic increase in U.S. imports of hardwood flooring was largely due to increases in imports from Indonesia and Malaysia.

A forester and professor at the University of British Columbia said that "research has shown that the optimal landscape-level carbon sequestration policy may be to harvest and replant stands when they reach their peak growth rate. Ideally we would use the harvested forest material - wood and fibre - to displace as much fossil fuel, steel, and concrete as possible, to reduce carbon dioxide releases."

If buildings are to be part of the solutions in managing down the increase in global temperatures, it's crucial to limit emissions from building materials by using engineered versions of building technologies, like wood, straw or bamboo. Bio-based building materials require less energy to manufacture and can capture and store carbon.

Canada's Minister of Natural Resources has launched a recruitment drive to find tree planters - including farmers, Indigenous communities, and non-profit organizations - to plant millions of extra trees each year to reach the country's goal of planting 2 billion trees. The drive comes after criticism of delays in the tree-planting plan promised by the Prime Minister during his election campaign.

A recent German and Chinese study showed that extreme weather conditions have less effect on species-rich forests than on forests with fewer species. Species-rich forests also produce more wood, primarily because of the diversity of functional characteristics among species.

Recent research from Georgia Tech found that Latin American forests are likely to continue to shrink in both size and economic clout. Even with minimal global warming, Latin American forests are expected to become smaller as farming increases.

Recent updates about the pandemic's impact on our industry include:

• Will some states defy OSHA's COVID-19 emergency temporary standard?
• Forget COVID: Skilled trades shortage could be construction industry's biggest hurdle
• How COVID-19, supply chain woes hit contractor backlogs
• Some more coronavirus humor

See the DHA coronavirus news and resources pages for more news and information.

DHA members, mark your calendars! The 2022 DHA Spring Conference & Annual Meeting will be held in downtown Nashville, TN from Sunday, May 15 through Tuesday, May 17.

The Hardwood Forestry Fund works with natural resource professionals to plant more hardwood trees on public land. For those interested in funding, project proposals are due on January 31. More information, guidelines, and the online proposal form can be found on the HFF website.

A "social forestry" program run by the Indonesian government to grant land rights to local communities has been ineffective in preventing deforestation. A new study found that forest loss actually increased in community-titled forests aimed at conservation.

Brazilian agents cracked down on schemes involving hundreds of companies covering up illegal logging in the Amazon rainforest. Ibama identified more than 220 companies and 21 logging concessions engaged in activities designed to disguise the origin of illegal wood.

The partially wooden satellite will be less expensive than those using conventional materials and it can house an antenna inside - because electromagnetic waves can penetrate wood. The wood exterior will burn on re-entering the Earth's atmosphere after operations end, lessening its environmental impact.

Who famously penned a poem about a tree?