October 2009 Page 1 of 3 A Product of the Forest Utilization Department February 2012 In This Issue... Design Value Changes 1 for So. Pine Lumber New Forest Certification 1 Report Available Soperton Facility Pur- 2 chased by LanzaTech No More Plastic at ATL 2 TPO Survey Set to Begin 2 Renewable Energy Sys- 3 tem Funding New Exporting Help 3 Available Atlanta Wood Solutions 3 Fair--February 21 Southern pine lumber design value changes begin June 1st The American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC) Board of Review has recently announced its approval of the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau's proposed design value change for #2 2x4 southern pine visually-graded dimension lumber. This decision also applies to all lower grades of 2x4 - #3, stud, construction and utility. The new design values become effective June 1, 2012. Design values for all other grades and sizes of visually graded southern pine remain the same. As reported in the November, 2011 issue of Exploring Georgia's Wood Products, the proposal comes as a result of test data that indicated a significant reduction in mechanical properties for four of the six basic lumber properties: Bending, Tension parallel-to-grain, Compression parallel-to-grain, and Modulus of Elasticity. Southern pine lumber products affected by this proposal include site built construction and lumber remanufactured products, such as trusses, solid sawn I-joist flanges, header framing, wall framing, etc. Proposed design values will be lowered for all grades and sizes by approximately 25-30%. Complete information about Southern Pine design values is available at www.southernpine.com. Forest Utilization Staff Forest certification report now available Nathan McClure Department Chief 478.951.4548 nmcclure@gfc.state.ga.us Risher Willard Forest Products Marketing 912.739.4734 rwillard@gfc.state.ga.us Joshua Love Carbon/Ecosystem Services 706.437.6961 joshl@gfc.state.ga.us Dru Preston Carbon/Forest Product Certification/Biomass Suppliers 478.751.1746 dpreston@gfc.state.ga.us Forest Certification Programs: Status and Recommendations in the South has recently been released through the Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF). Forest certification is a growing issue for landowners and managers across the South. Readers will learn about updated standards and current status of the three major certification programs in the US: American Tree Farm System (ATFS), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). The paper also discusses the impacts of certification on southern forest management and the relevancy of certification systems to private landowners. This publication is available at www.gatrees.org/ Resources/Publications.cfm. LanzaTech purchases former Range Fuels facility On January 3rd LanzaTech (www.lanzatech.co.nz), a New Zealand-based carbon capture and waste-to-energy firm, purchased the former Range Fuels facility in Soperton, which closed in January 2010. Renamed as Freedom Pines Refinery, the facility will produce butanol and propanol. Jeremy Owen, LanzaTech Process Engineer, is currently leading an assessment of the existing equipment in order to plan phase 1 development of the facility. Freedom Pines plans to utilize 125 tons (dry basis) per day of forest biomass during the operation of the initial phase and up to 2500 tons per day in later phases. No timeframe has been established for the start of production. LanzaTech plans to use a technology that combines gasification of biomass with enzymatic conversion of the synthetic gas to fuels. The company is currently commissioning a fuel production facility in Shanghai, China which uses waste gas emissions from a steel mill as it's primary feedstock. Soperton Facility. (photo courtesy LanzaTech) No more plastic at Atlanta Airport Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport now requires all restaurant concessionaires to use only compostable packaging and serve-ware. Michael Cheyne, Director of Sustainability at Hartsfield-Jackson, described one goal of the Airport's new Sustainable Management Plan is to reduce, reuse, and recycle 90% of the current waste stream. The airport is planning to partner with private organizations to compost and recycle the waste. The new requirement for packaging and serve-ware will help accomplish waste reduction, as well as provide new markets for forest products in the restaurant industry. While this requirement is limited to Hartsfield-Jackson, it is another example of Georgia providing leadership in sustainability. Page 2 Timber Product Output Survey Wood Yard in Fitzgerald, Ga. (photo credit: Risher Willard) In cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the forest industry in Georgia, Georgia Forestry Commission Forest Utilization Department foresters will soon begin the bi-annual Timber Product Output (TPO) survey of all primary forest product manufacturers in the State. The information collected will be used to determine the kinds of forest products manufactured in Georgia, and the volumes of materials produced from the raw products. It will also provide an estimate of timber drain by county. This is a continuation of the same drain survey that has been conducted in Georgia for decades. Mill information will be aggregated and no individual mill information will be released. These statistics have proven valuable to forest products industries and others. As a byproduct of the mill survey, the names and addresses of forest product processors and the products they produce will be published in an updated Georgia Primary Wood-Using Industries Directory . In addition, the directory posted on the Commission's website and on www.forestproductslocator.org gives Georgia's forest products industry infinite exposure to world markets. For further information about Timber Product Output and WoodUsing Industries in Georgia: http://www.gatrees.org/ForestMarketing/TPO.cfm http://www.gatrees.org/Resources/Directories/WUI/index.cfm Page 3 Renewable energy program now accepting applications Wood Solutions Fair coming to Atlanta in February The USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is now accepting applications to provide assistance to farmers and rural small businesses seeking to complete a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Application types and deadlines are as follows: Renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvement grant applications and combination grant and guaranteed loan applications are due March 30, 2012. Renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvement guaranteed loan only applications are due June 29, 2012. Renewable energy feasibility study applications are due March 30, 2012. Energy audits and renewable energy development assistance applications due February 21, 2012. For more information, contact Craig Scroggs at 770-267-1413 ext. 113. New export assistance now available to GA companies Georgia's Department of Economic Development is offering special export assistance services through the new GROW Step by Step program (Georgia Reaching Out Worldwide). New services include: International buying delegations meeting one-on-one with Georgia companies in several locations throughout the state. Significantly reduced cost of booths at specific international trade shows. Assistance with customized partner matching in international countries to increase company exports. Company profile and product offering translations for use in China. The GROW program will be provided through September 2012. There are eligibility requirements and services will be offered in order of receipt of qualifying applications. For more information, contact Ms. Taube Ponce at 404-962-4118 or tponce@georgia.org. Placeholder for a logo or infographic on wood use in non residential buildings? Glulam Application in School Construction. (photo credit: APA) The Wood Solutions Fair is coming to the Georgia International Convention Center on February 21, 2012. Sponsored by WoodWorks, an initiative of the Wood Products Council, this event offers a unique opportunity for the wood industry to showcase its products to architects, engineers, and others interested in learning about the use of wood in nonresidential construction. The Fair will include workshops on using wood in school construction, the use of cross-laminated timber panels in multstory buildings and several others. This event is a great opportunity to promote the use of wood to the building industry. Registration is required however there is no cost to attend. For more information, visit www.woodworks.org. For All of Your Reforestation Needs A delay in reforestation of harvested stands can have significant negative economic impacts. Don't wait until next season! GFC's Flint River Nursery provides high quality tree seedlings adapted to Georgia's climate and soils. A wide variety of softwood and hardwood species are available for all of your reforestation and ornamental tree planting needs. For ordering and pricing information, please contact your local GFC county office or visit us on the web at: www.gatrees.org