NEWS

The U.S. Forest Service recently hosted an engagement session about how it intends to identify, inventory, and protect mature and old-growth forests. The highlights: wildfires have destroyed 2.6 million acres of mature forest and nearly 700,000 acres of old growth since 2000. Timber harvest occurred in 214,000 acres of mature forest and 10,000 acres of old growth. The agency will be developing policies on protecting mature and old-growth forests in the coming months.

Small businesses, with the support of the Hardwood Federation, are pushing hard to delay the implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act. This poorly communicated federal law will take effect at the beginning of 2024. The problem is that failing to meet the law's numerous new reporting requirements could result in harsh financial and criminal penalties for small businesses, most of whom are not aware that the requirements exist.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution that included a one-year extension of the farm bill, a multiyear law that covers a wide range of agricultural programs. The action broke a legislative impasse on a bill that is particularly important to the hardwood industry. DHA and the Hardwood Federation will continue to advocate for the top priorities of the hardwood industry in a longer-term farm bill.

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Real hardwood surfaces are an "enduring value and an environmentally responsible choice." That’s the subtitle and theme of our recent column in Surface & Panel. In the column, Decorative Hardwoods Association provides data on the return on the investment of real hardwood surfaces and, using the recent lifecycle assessment of engineered wood flooring we supported with USDA, outlines a strong argument for the climate benefits of decorative hardwoods.

U.S. customs officials will be forced to closely examine all imports of Russian conflict plywood after one of the largest and most controversial Russian suppliers was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department on November 2. Now, U.S. firms are prohibited from purchasing plywood from Segezha. Earthsight stated that customs officials' jobs would be easier if the U.S. followed the EU and UK and banned all Russian wood imports.

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