Portland, Ore., May 14, 2024 — The USDA Forest Service has announced it is investing more than $10 million in 23 projects across Oregon and Washington to spark innovation, create new markets for wood products and renewable wood energy, and increase the capacity of wood processing facilities.
The investments are part of a broader $73.9 million in nationwide investments to support the wood products economy and healthy forests and are made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and annual appropriations.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to supporting innovation in the wood products and wood energy economies, which are at the heart of so many small towns, especially in Tribal and rural communities,” said Deputy Secretary Torres Small. “These investments will support good paying jobs for families and communities. It will increase the economy’s capacity to manufacture wood products. In turn, sustainably sourcing the wood used to manufacture these products will make our forests healthier and reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires.”
The wood products economy is vital to the health of the forests in the Pacific Northwest. Sustainably sourcing materials for wood products directly supports efforts to improve forest health. Removing dead trees and overgrown vegetation reduces wildfire risk, improves forest health, and creates wildlife habitat, all while supporting the forest products economy.
“These investments help rural communities thrive by contributing to economic wellbeing and job creation,” said Jacque Buchanan, Regional Forester for the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service. “Working with the forest products industry, these grants enable the development of cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices that ensure our forests remain a vital, renewable resource for generations to come.”
The Forest Service is awarding grants to entities across the public, private, and non-profit sectors through its Wood Innovations Grant, Community Wood Grant, and Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Grant Programs. Grant funding will support proposals that increase demand and create new and innovative uses for sustainably sourced wood. Funded proposals include converting heating systems in schools to sustainable biomass boilers, installing cutting-edge equipment in sawmills and processing facilities to increase efficiency, supporting innovative housing using mass timber, and more.
In Oregon, more than $6.2 million in projects are being funded. The funded proposals are:
| Name | Project Title | Award Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Innovation Grants | ||
| Brocks Wood Lot LLC | Brocks Wood Lot LLC Sawmill Expansion | $50,699 |
| Community Development Partners | Julia West’ Mass Timber Building Engineering and Design | $300,000 |
| Elk Creek Forest Products | Resaw Equipment Installation Project | $300,000 |
| Go Lab, Inc. | Planning to Support Increasing Wood Products Manufacturing Capacity in Southern Oregon | $300,000 |
| Jennifer Bonner MALL LLC | Blank House: A Model for Aspect Ratios in Seismic Zones | $125,000 |
| Oregon State University | Bringing Point-Supported Mass Timber Structures to Commercial Viability in the USA | $299,164 |
| Timberlab, Inc. | Design for Mass Timber Manufacturing | $330,000 |
| Williams & Russell CDC | Design for Black Business Hub Mass Timber Building | $300,000 |
| Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Grant | ||
| Brocks Wood Lot LLC | Community Firewood Program Wood Waste Kiln System Installation | $389,656 |
| Gilchrist Forest Products, LLC | Gilchrist Forest Products Chip Reloader Expansion | $900,000 |
| Iron Triangle LLC | Iron Triangle Biomass Utilization Efficiency Improvement Project | $981,651 |
| Community Wood Grant | ||
| CutMyTimber | Expansion of Mass Timber Fabrication Capacity | $1,000,000 |
| Timberlab, Inc | Timberlab Mass Timber Fabrication Expansion | $1,000,000 |
In Washington, more than $4 million in projects are being funded. The funded proposals are:
| Name | Project Title | Award Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Innovation Grants | ||
| Clark/Barnes PLLC | Ballard Hotel – Design Manual for Mass Timber in the Hospitality Market | $300,000 |
| LSW Architects | Growing Forests Growing Kids – Outreach for Mass Timber in Schools | $80,000 |
| Mercer Spokane | WA6: Go-to-market Product Certification of a Six-Story Mass Timber System for a Legislatively Mandated Single-Stair Housing Building Code in Washington | $300,000 |
| Mt. Baker Housing Association | Overcoming Funding and Market Barriers to Utilizing Mass Timber in High Rise | $300,000 |
| Pacific Northwest Renewable Energy LLC | Planning for Pacific Northwest Renewable Energy/Port of Grays Harbor Pellet Plant | $300,000 |
| Pacific Rim Tonewoods | Transforming Soundboards – Improved Efficiency, Sonic Grading, Product Expansion | $298,326 |
| StructureCraft | Determination of seismic performance factors for mass timber brace frames based on FEMA P695 methodology | $150,000 |
| Vaagan Brothers Lumber | Colville Sawmill X-Ray Log Scanning Installation Project | $300,000 |
| Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Grant | ||
| Vaagen Brothers Lumber, Inc | Colville Sawmill Retool Engineering Project | $1,000,000 |
| Community Wood Grant | ||
| Yakama Nation | Upgrading Tribal Mill Infrastructure with Advanced Production Technologies | $981,717 |
For information on funding for the Wood Innovations, Community Wood and Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Grant Programs, visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/science-technology/energy-forest-products/wood-innovation.
For information about the Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r6.