A report issued by American Forest & Paper Assn. says subsidies and other government intervention underlie the massive expansion of pulp, paper and wood processing manufacturing capacity under way in China. The 77-page report, China’s Subsidization of its Forest Products Industry, details how the Chinese government is employing an array of industrial policy tools—especially subsidies—to finance the huge growth of its industry.

From a modest beginning in 1979 as a circle sawmill with a handful of employees to today’s new green end band mill facility with 22 employees, providing quality hardwood lumber is still top priority for Central Wisconsin Lumber, LLC (CWL), which is owned by fourth generation sawmiller Rick Kersten.

Houston, we have lift off! A $26.4 million investment and a whole lot of work has netted Canfor the world’s largest production sawmill as well as a significant conversion cost reduction, according to company officials. The company wasn’t shy about boasting that the upgrade of the central BC dimension mill would result in “the world’s largest sawmill.” That’s a lot of pressure on production crews and the management team, but everyone involved took the challenge in stride.

In a facility dedicated entirely to drying and finishing lumber, handling efficiency plays a large role. Allegheny Wood Products had this in mind when it installed a MoCo Engineering and Fabrication stickering stacker in July 2003 to replace an older unit that had manual stick placement. “The new stacker is improving efficiency and quality,” says Operations Manager Tom Plaugher. “We wanted to do more one foot center stacking and needed more productivity. Our former stacker was maxed out.”

Nationwide, about 4.5 million acres of forestland changed ownership in 2003, bringing the total in the last 10 years to more than 11 million, according to resource watchdog organizations. Forest products companies owned about 70% of this acreage and industry continues to divest significant forest holdings.

Wood-Mizer Products Inc. is opening its sixth sales center in the U.S. with a facility in Mosinee, Wis. This facility will serve customers and business in the Wisconsin/Minnesota area. The Wood-Mizer Wisconsin office will offer a new place for customers to see sawmill demonstrations and receive mill training. This location will also offer customers easier access to blades by stocking common replacement lengths.

Postsaver is a concept to protect wood from decay when used in below-ground applications. Postsaver offers protection by providing a tough, non-toxic, environmentally friendly barrier developed to enhance the performance of both treated and untreated lumber. The vulnerable area of the post is shrink-wrapped with a heavy-duty polyethylene boot coated on the inside with a layer of bitumen.