NHLA Receives Forest Service Grant

National Hardwood Lumber Assn. (NHLA) has been awarded a $500,000 matching grant from the USDA Forest Service (FS) Wood Innovations Program to support and expand markets for the U.S. hardwood industry.

“We appreciate the USDA Forest Service supporting the hardwood forest industry’s important role in ensuring a sustainable future, healthy forests, and robust rural communities,” says Dallin Brooks, NHLA Executive Director. “The critical thing to consider with this project is, ‘What will move the market back to hardwood decorative products?’ The answer is important as we work to make a shift possible.”

The NHLA project team will work on several goals to create online content on hardwood information for architects, specifiers, designers, structural engineers, and other hardwood users; as well as distribute content to architects, specifiers, designers, structural engineers, and other hardwood users in person and online. The final goal is to find and enhance communication with hardwood sawmills about optimization and education services provided by the FS, NHLA, and other organizations to improve business operations, increase log yield recovery, find grant opportunities, understand automation, research grading impacts, and workforce development.

Additionally, several NHLA members were awarded funds under the Wood Innovations and Community Wood grant programs.