Your information will never be sold or given away.
(The Center Square) – Another day, and another manufacturing record is broken in Texas. This time in Corrigan, in the piney woods of deep east Texas in Polk County.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday joined county and city leaders at the grand opening of Corrigan OSB, LLC’s newly expanding timber manufacturing facility. Once the expansion is completed, it will be the largest facility of its kind in North America.
In this special edition episode, we are joined by Gene Wilson, Vice President of Merchandising and Vendor Management at Room & Board. Explore a groundbreaking initiative in sustainable design as we learn how Room & Board, a pioneering American furniture company, is transforming discarded wood into stunning heirloom furniture through their Urban Wood Project.
Discover how this line of products not only prevents waste but also creates jobs and supports local communities across the country. We’ll hear from Emily McGarvey, Director of Sustainability at Room & Board, who shares insights into their sustainability strategy and the positive impact of their urban wood products. Plus, listen to personal stories and experiences that highlight the importance of preserving our natural resources for future generations.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation about the future of sustainable design and the remarkable journey of turning urban wood into beautiful, meaningful furniture.
Fort Worth City Council member Gyna Bivens believes the city needs to “do right by its trees.” A self-proclaimed tree hugger, she has been outspoken about preserving Fort Worth’s existing trees and penalizing developers that illegally clear trees for development projects.
Bivens encouraged the rest of council June 25 to adopt the Fort Worth Urban Forest Master Plan, a first of its kind which is designed to preserve trees and increase the city’s tree canopy. The unanimous vote of approval comes four months after council tabled the decision over concerns that the plan didn’t include harsh enough penalties for developers who would tear down Fort Worth trees.
The plan adopted does not include penalties for tree removal, but development services director D.J. Harrell said fines and penalties can be added into the plan in the future.
“This is an initial work,” Harrell said. “Basically, the urban forestry master plan just lays out the overall objectives and goals of the city, and it also offers recommendations for implementation.”
One such recommendation is that the city place fines for tree removal and incentives for tree preservation, he said. In February, Bivens expressed concern with approving the plan under the caveat that penalties for tree removal could be added later on.
During the June 25 meeting, Bivens said she doesn’t want to see tree removal penalties be forgotten or glossed over now that the plan is adopted.
“We, in Fort Worth, are not going to tolerate developers coming in here willy-nilly taking down our trees,” Bivens said.
Bivens, along with council member Alan Blaylock, co-chaired the committee that oversaw the planning process in developing the master plan.
The plan has been in the works since May 2022, when council members authorized the Texas Trees Foundation to create a roadmap for expanding Fort Worth’s tree canopy from 19% of the city to 30% by 2050. Fort Worth contributed $50,000 to the process, while the foundation raised $250,000 in private donations from companies such as BNSF Railway.
Fort Worth City Council member Gyna Bivens speaks at a council meeting in May 2024. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)
Blaylock echoed Bivens’ concerns about penalties and fines, while reiterating that the master plan’s adoption is only a first step.
“I want to be clear that the job is not done yet,” Blaylock said. “So let’s keep working toward the best possible solution for the city.”
Bivens requested that council revisit the matter of penalties in September. She said staff and council will continue a “robust” conversation until that vote.
“I’m letting all the tree huggers out there know: get ready because it’s going to be a conversation,” Bivens said. “I think every tree hugger in Fort Worth, and that includes myself, will be very happy with this.”
The world’s first wooden satellite has been built by Japanese researchers who said their tiny cuboid craft will be blasted off on a SpaceX rocket in September.
Each side of the experimental satellite developed by scientists at Kyoto University and logging company Sumitomo Forestry measures just 10 centimeters (four inches).
The creators expect the wooden material will burn up completely when the device re-enters the atmosphere – potentially providing a way to avoid the generation of metal particles when a retired satellite returns to Earth.
These metal particles could have a negative impact on the environment and telecommunications, the developers said as they announced the satellite’s completion on Tuesday.
LignoSat, the world’s first wooden satellite revealed during a press conference at Kyoto University, 28 May 2024. (JIJI PRESS/AFP/Japan OUT)
“Satellites that are not made of metal should become mainstream,” Takao Doi, an astronaut and special professor at Kyoto University, told a press conference.
The developers plan to hand the satellite, made from magnolia wood and named LignoSat, to space agency JAXA next week.
It will be sent into space on a SpaceX rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in September, bound for the International Space Station (ISS), they said.
From there, the satellite will be released from the Japanese ISS experiment module to test its strength and durability.
“Data will be sent from the satellite to researchers who can check for signs of strain and whether the satellite can withstand huge changes in temperature,” a Sumitomo Forestry spokeswoman told AFP on Wednesday.
The EarthCARE satellite will orbit nearly 400 kilometers (250 miles) above Earth for three years.
NEWSROOM: TEXAS A&M FOREST SERVICE AWARDS HISTORIC $15.4 MILLION THROUGH FORESTRY GRANT PROGRAM(1)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2024
Texas A&M Forest Service awards historic $15.4 million through forestry grant program
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Twenty-two Texas cities, neighborhoods, non-profit organizations and schools received grant funding through the Texas A&M Forest Service Community Forestry Grants Program, totaling $15.4 million.
The grants will directly fund recipients’ tree planting, maintenance and community forestry planning and education efforts as part of their larger, unique urban forestry solution campaigns. The program also places a key emphasis on increasing schoolyard tree canopy coverage to 30% of a school’s campus to create accessible community treescapes.
“We are overjoyed with the number of communities receiving grants this year,” said Gretchen Riley, Texas A&M Forest Service Forest Systems Department Head. “We received many wonderful grant applications that meet several urban forestry needs. Beyond applications, organizations and communities across the state expressed interest in learning more about how to advance community forestry. These applications are a testament to the demand for a program such as this.”
The goal of the Community Forestry Grants program is to build healthier urban and community forests throughout the state which are essential for the economic, environmental, physical and mental well-being of all Texans. The strategy of these grants is to spearhead local programs across the state in addressing nature-based solutions to issues facing communities today.
“The impact that trees have on our mental and physical health is astounding,” said Riley. “Coordinating with schools across the state to focus efforts on increasing tree coverage at schools will positively impact the mental and physical health of students as well as provide them with hands-on forestry education and appreciation.”
The 2024 Community Forestry Grants Program awarded grants for eight categories.
Awarded in the category of climate resiliency was Ecology Action of Texas, Austin, $50,000.
Awarded in the category of geospatial analysis was Texas Trees Foundation, Dallas, for a statewide project, $550,000.
Awarded in the category of human health equity and accessibility was city of Lewisville Parks and Recreation Department, $50,000.
Awarded in the category of municipal forester was city of Duncanville, $100,000.
Awarded in the category of schoolyard forests was city of McAllen, $2,730,000; city of Pharr, $3,120,000; Rio Grande International Study Center, Laredo, $3,120,000; and Texas Trees Foundation, Dallas, for projects in Donna and Mercedes, $5,460,000.
Awarded in the category of Tree City USA was city of Ennis Parks and Recreation, $10,000; city of Lewisville Parks and Recreation Department, $10,000; and town of Flower Mound, $10,000.
Awarded in the tree planting category was Alief Super Neighborhood Council #25, Houston, $20,000; city of Denton, $20,000; city of Kaufman, $16,200; city of Laredo Environmental Services, $16,000; city of McAllen Parks and Recreation Department, $15,000; city of North Richland Hills, $20,000; city of Socorro, $14,374; Eco El Paso, LLC, El Paso, $20,000; and Lubbock Memorial Arboretum Foundation Inc, Lubbock, $20,000.
As a bonus award, due to previous unallocated funding and the applicant’s unique landscape scale solution proposal, a project partnership between Texas Tech University, city of Lubbock and Heart of Lubbock Neighborhood Association, Lubbock, was awarded $50,000.
Grant recipients will receive funding and begin their initiatives in June 2024.
The Texas A&M Forest Service Community Forestry Grants program was established in 2022 to address Texas communities’ needs for urban forestry investment. Previous recipients of this grant include city of College Station and Bexar Branches Alliance, a San Antonio non-profit.
Funding for the grants program is provided through federal and state funding and was significantly increased from $100,000 in 2022 to $16.65 million in 2023, in part due to the USDA Forest Service and the Inflation Reduction Act.
“These grants are critical to communities and organizations throughout the state in continuing proactive forestry practices,” said Al Davis, Texas A&M Forest Service Director. “By investing in our communities today, we are ensuring healthy forests and communities for all to benefit from.”
###
Contacts:
Gretchen Riley, Texas A&M Forest Service Forest Systems Department Head, (979) 458-6663, griley@tfs.tamu.edu
Kate Faris, Texas A&M Forest Service Community Forestry Grants Specialist, (979) 458-6630, kate.faris@tfs.tamu.edu
A combined team of materials scientists from Rice University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a way to convert wood waste into a type of ink that can be used for the 3D printing of wood-like objects. The paper is published in the journal Science Advances.
Using wood to create objects such as tables and chairs is inefficient. After starting with cut boards or chunks of wood, the material is sawed, shaved and/or sanded to craft a desired piece—left behind are many small pieces of wood, along with sawdust. In this new effort, the research team has found a way to use the cast-off material from woodworking to create new objects made of wood.
To make their ink, the research team first chopped up the wood material into a fine dust. They then added chemicals that split the cellulose and lignin apart—both were then broken down further into nanocrystals and nanofibers. Next, the researchers recombined the two and added water, resulting in a clay-like mixture, which they used as ink in a 3D printer.
The team used the ink to create several small-form objects, such as miniature tables and chairs. They then used a freeze-drying technique to remove the moisture from the products and then cooked them at 180°C to fuse the cellulose and lignin. The result was a wood or wood-like object.
The research team found that by manipulating the printing process, they could introduce wood-like textures into the products they made. They also noted that the finished objects also smelled like natural wood.
Testing showed the objects to be up to six times as durable as objects made from original wood, though the researchers only tested balsa. They also found their printed objects were up to three times as flexible as similar objects made with original wood.
Though the process has only been tested with small objects, the researchers suggest that their process could be used for making much larger objects, as well, including real furniture, or perhaps even a house.
More information: Md Shajedul Hoque Thakur et al, Three-dimensional printing of wood, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk3250
FRITCH — A blanket of snow and rain that descended over the Texas Panhandle on Thursday helped firefighters to slow the spread of the largest wildfire in the state’s history, which has engulfed more than 1 million acres of land and killed at least two people.
But firefighters are racing against the clock to temper down the flames before the weekend, when weather forecasters predict another round of gusty winds and low humidity could again create dangerous fire conditions for the sprawling region in the top corner of Texas. Friday is expected to be warm and dry.
Texas Workforce Commission’s Office of the Commissioner Representing Employers sponsors the Texas Conference for Employers, a series of employer seminars held each year throughout the state. Employers who attend the seminars learn about state and federal employment laws as well as the unemployment claim and appeal process. We assemble our best speakers to guide you through ongoing matters of concern to Texas employers and to answer any questions you have regarding your business.
The conference will be held on March 1, 2024 at the Delta Hotels by Marriott & Wichita Falls Convention Center, 306 Travis St., Wichita Falls, TX 76301. To register for this event, click here.
Registration for this event is $200 and you can learn more about the Texas Conference for Employers here.
If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact Conference Planning at the number or email below.
Historic funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act will increase urban tree cover, boost equitable access to nature, and improve climate resilience in communities covered by the Justice40 Initiative
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2023 – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is awarding more than $1 billion in competitive grants to plant and maintain trees, combat extreme heat and climate change, and improve access to nature in cities, towns, and suburbs where more than 84% of Americans live, work, and play. Communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. Territories and Tribal Nations are receiving funding, covered by the Justice40 Initiative and made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act – the largest climate investment in history.
The Forest Service selected 385 grant proposals from entities working to increase equitable access to trees and nature, and the benefits they provide for cooling city streets, improving air quality, and promoting food security, public health and safety. The funding was granted to entities in all 50 states, two U.S. territories, three U.S. affiliated Pacific islands, and several Tribes through the Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program.
“These investments arrive as cities across the country experience record-breaking heatwaves that have grave impacts on public health, energy consumption, and overall well-being,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are supporting communities in becoming more resilient to climate change and combatting extreme heat with the cooling effects of increased urban tree canopy, while also supporting employment opportunities and professional training that will strengthen local economies.”
The Urban and Community Forestry Program is the only program in the federal government dedicated to enhancing and expanding the nation’s urban forest resources. This is the largest single USDA Inflation Reduction Act investment to date in urban and community forests.
“Today’s landmark funding from the U.S. Forest Service will increase urban access to nature, improve air quality, keep city streets cool during sweltering summers, tackle the climate crisis, and create safer, healthier communities in every corner of America,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation. “That makes a huge difference for the grandmother who doesn’t have air conditioning, or the kid who has asthma, or the parent who works outside for ten hours a day. This investment will create not just greener cities—it will create healthier and more equitable cities.”
“President Biden set a bold goal to cut in half the number of people that do not have access to parks and nature by the end of the decade,” said Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “This funding will expand access to green space in underserved communities nationwide, advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to environmental justice and our Justice40 Initiative.”
This announcement is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to advance environmental justice, generate economic opportunity, and build a clean energy economy nationwide. The grants are made possible by investments from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history and a core pillar of Bidenomics. The Urban and Community Forestry Program is part of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which works to ensure the overall benefits of certain federal investments reach disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment.
The grant funding was open to community-based organizations, Tribes, municipal and state governments, non-profit partners, universities and other eligible entities. In total, the Forest Service received 842 applications requesting a total of $6.4 billion in funding, an indication of the urgent nationwide need to plant and maintain more urban trees.
Studies show that trees in communities are associated with improved physical and mental health, lower average temperatures during extreme heat, increased food security, and new economic opportunities. This historic funding will help the Forest Service support projects that increase tree cover in disadvantaged communities, provide equitable access to the benefits of nature, and deliver tangible economic and ecological benefits to urban and Tribal communities across the country.
Grantees used the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool to help identify disadvantaged communities. This geospatial mapping tool identifies disadvantaged communities that face burdens in the categories of climate, energy, health, housing including nature deprivation, legacy pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, workforce development, as well as associated socioeconomic thresholds.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct number for the full mitigation amount of $975,000.
The 65-acre Pearl River development has been cleared for commercial use at Hwy. 71 and FM 969. The project will involve the construction of a rental community with over 650 units by Blakely Owner Apartments as well as office and retail space.
City Manager Sylvia Carrillo said the Pearl River project is the first under the Bastrop Building Block Code associated with tree mitigation. The city of Bastrop issued Blakey a land disturbance permit in May, allowing “certain grading and clearing work” on the property.
“While Pearl River turned in a tree mitigation sheet, our site development process issued a site, what we call a land disturbance permit,” Carrillo said. “However, in the preconstruction meeting, it was understood by all that this was going to be a clearing of the property as needed for the development itself. As a result, there are tree mitigation dollars that are owed.”
“We worked out an agreement with Pearl River allowing them to put up a bond considering the trees a public improvement,” Carrillo said.
According to the Aug. 22 meeting’s staff report, this payment may be made to the bond, through the planting of 1,232 trees around the city or the payment of $975,000 to Bastrop’s Tree Mitigation Bond for the city to do so.
“Essentially, they put up the money for the trees and a bond; they have to do it within two years,” Carrillo said. “After that point, the city will begin to plant trees and other areas of the city to replace … the trees that were taken down at Pearl River.”
Six heritage trees were knocked down in the clearing of the Pearl River project. Originally estimated at around $1 million, mitigation costs were valued at $235,800 for the development’s 14 acre lot and $739,200 for the 50 acre lot in the city’s agreement for tree mitigation in July after further review.
“[If there was a default on the agreement,] we would act on the bond and get the security to either plant the trees themselves or provide us the cast to do it,” City Attorney Alan Bojorquez said.
