The Landing: where data and forests meet.
I have been tuning in this week to the American Forestry Conference, a virtual event discussing current and future trends in the US forest products industry. It has been refreshing to see so many high-profile people from business and politics talk about the role of forests in the country's economy (e.g., CEO of Walmart, advisers to the President, US House Minority Leader).
One reminder that the discussions have left me with is the incredible challenges of the forest products industry. For all of the news articles we see about companies like Verso and their mills shutting down, we also see promising news like the boon in lumber markets. Can we really begin to value the carbon in forests at a large scale? Many efforts have been tried in the past with little success.
I encourage you to take in the news you're hearing about our industry and put it in perspective. Importantly, use whatever data you have available to you to help guide any new decisions you make for your organization.
Matt Russell
|