The US has announced US$115.2m funding for eight states towards timber production and protection from devastating wildfires.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) allocated the funding through the Timber Production and Expansion Guaranteed Loan Programme (TPEP), to ensure sawmills and other wood processing facilities have the necessary funding to establish, reopen, expand, or improve their operations.
In Wisconsin, Delaneys Trees and Tires, LLC in Warrens and the Timber Professionals Cooperative Enterprises (TPCE) is receiving funding for projects.
“We cannot allow wildfires to devastate and destroy our rural communities,” said Rural Business Cooperative Service Administrator JR Claeys.
“That’s why the USDA is taking this bold action to stop the destruction of our forestlands by investing in sawmills and wood processing facilities that support sustainable timber harvesting. Through the announcement made today, the Trump Administration is strengthening local businesses, driving rural prosperity, and supporting 485 jobs for hardworking Americans.”
“Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Rollins, USDA is committed to timber industry innovations that improve forest health and reduce wildfire threats while creating good-paying jobs for people in rural, forest-dependent communities in Wisconsin,”
A UAS$1.6m loan to Delaneys Trees and Tires, LLC in Warrens, Wisconsin will help expand their current timber processing operations by purchasing new and existing equipment as well as real estate. This will allow the company to pursue new opportunities and expand the scope of their operations, opening new income avenues.
An US$800,000 loan to Timber Professionals Cooperative Enterprises in Tilleda, Wisconsin will assist in re-opening a sawmill in Shawano County, Wisconsin.
The funding also assists recipients in the states of California, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
“The American forest products industry is critical to maintaining the health of the nation’s forests,” said USDA Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz.
“The Timber Production and Expansion Guaranteed Loan Programme is one of many ways the Forest Service partners with the timber industry to maintain rural jobs, processing facilities, and an outlet for wood that needs to be removed from national forests.”
