The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) announced more than $400 million in grants and loan guarantees for bioenergy initiatives, spread across five major projects and many smaller ones. The biggest news was the USDA’s announcement of $405 million in loan guarantees for cellulosic ethanol plants, under its Biorefinery Assistance Program.

Addition of a new auto grading system at Westervelt Lumber’s high-production sawmill here in west Alabama has delivered more consistent, tighter grading, higher value and a significant improvement in #2 and better grade percentage. The mill cuts around 200MMBF annually across three processing lines that produce 2 in. and 4x4-6 dimension, 1x4-6-8, 5/4 and 6/4 decking and 6x6 timbers—in lengths up to 16 ft. The facility’s planer mill includes two complete planer/trimmer/sorter lines under one roof, one line handling mostly 2 in. boards.

Mayr-Melnhof Holz is an Austrian wood products company started in 1850. Though by its main office one might conclude it is a corporate entity, it is actually a family company, currently in the hands of its fifth generation of owners, with the sixth generation already waiting in the wings. The company consists of two main divisions—sawmills and value-added products. The sawmill side includes four plants—two in Austria, and one each in the Czech Republic and Russia.

Hamer Pellet Fuel is a branch of Jim C. Hamer Co., which owns and operates sawmills in West Virginia and Kentucky. The pellet fuels division, which sells wood pellets under the brand name Hamer’s Hot Ones, has two locations, in Elkins and Mt. Hope, W. Va. The Hamer company has been involved in pellet production since 1987 when its first plant was built in Mt. Hope.

Jeff Poirier, Managing Director and owner of Berkshire Hardwoods in Chesterfield, Mass., required a change-out of headrig setworks and controls, utilizing as much of the current hardware as possible. The machinery running at Berkshire Hardwoods is an HMC debarker, HMC three knee carriage, and PHL linebar resaw. Both band saws are 6 ft. The mill also runs a Cornell two saw moving edger and an HMC trimmer.

Advanced Sawmill Machinery (ASM), Holt, Fla., reports it has completed an emergency restoration of a fire damaged, three-saw edger and edger infeed for Swift Lumber, Atmore, Ala. Following a fire on January 6, the machines were delivered to ASM on January 12. The restored edger and infeed were shipped back to Swift Lumber on February 4 for a weekend installation prior to startup.

Wintersteiger presented numerous highlights at its Thin-Cutting Days at the company’s headquarters in Ried, Austria. In addition to new and established products in the thin-cutting frame saw and band saw sector, there was also a presentation of two band saw blades with patents pending. A large number of visitors found their way to Ried in Innkreis despite ice and snow.