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WERC
10.681
To provide technical assistance and funds, on a cost-share basis, for projects that enhance opportunities for sustained forest products production for primary and secondary wood industries located in the eastern hardwood forest region of the United States. In order to maintain and improve the health and stewardship of our Nation's forests, local wood-using industries need to be vibrant and able to utilize a wide variety of resources from the forest. Priorities include: Maintain the economic competitiveness of primary and secondary wood industries. Examples include: 1) Encouraging the adoption of new technology to improve competitiveness and profitability, 2) Bringing information and technology about processing, marketing, and business-related skills as well as urban wood utilization to existing and emerging businesses, and 3) Developing utilization options that improve forest stewardship and health. 4) Support activities that maintain or enhance harvesting industry capacity to serve the wood industry. Increase the knowledge and information about how the wood industry can contribute to the green building movement. Examples include chain of custody certification for sustainable wood products as well as life cycle analysis for a range of wood products. Increase the knowledge, information, and promotion of how carbon sequestration by wood products can provide a competitive edge to a sustainable forest products industry. An example includes developing specific carbon storage factors for a range of wood products. Develop technology and markets to address urgent issues on a global or domestic scale, including: 1) Sanitizing wood packaging materials, firewood, and similar products to eliminate these pathways for the transport of insect and disease pests, and 2) Developing markets for and using unexpected increases in the volume of urban and rural wood due to new pest introductions (for example, emerald ash borer) and weather events such as tornadoes and ice storms. Increase the sustainable use of woody biomass to meet our Nation’s needs for energy, raw materials, and reductions of hazardous fuels. Examples include public/private partnerships for using woody biomass in heating and cooling, process energy, cogeneration, district energy systems, and solid and liquid fuel production. Projects may also develop or maintain local markets and forest industry infrastructure by using woody biomass for both energy and value-added products. Provide key information to address the economic, social and ecological aspects of woody biomass production and use: including sustainable supplies, harvesting techniques, forest management, plantation development, and environmental implications.
This chart shows obligations for the program by fiscal year. All data for this chart was provided by the
administering agency and sourced from SAM.gov, USASpending.gov, and Treasury.gov.
For more information on each of these data sources, please see the
About the data page.
In FY2023, the Wood Education & Resource Center awarded 5 projects that supported maintaining or expanding wood markets in the eastern hardwood region. Two projects were funded in Wisconsin to expand hardwood markets. One project will create a market of about 70,000-100,000 tons of hardwood residues annually. The second project will train 50-100 wood products employees on the use of a variety of manufacturing technologies. This training will help employers increase their productivity and reduce operating costs. One project was funded with the Alliance for Green Heat to expand the use of wood energy to help underserved communities across the Nation. This project helps establish and expand Firewood Banks across the Nation. The program supported more than 47 Firewood Banks in 19 states. One project was funded in Vermont to maintain and/or expand the use of wood for energy at private and public facilities in the state. The state has supported 25 facilities that have maintained the using wood for energy at this time. The final project was funded in New Hampshire to connect a power plant with a community to use the waste energy from the power plant to meet community energy needs.
In FY 2024 the Wood Education &Resource Center awarded funds to 6 projects that supported maintaining or expanding wood markets in the eastern hardwood region. Three projects (MA, NY, PA) support facilities that manufacture wood products. The funding will maintain or expand the use of approximately 200,000 tons of wood annually. One project (WI) will increase the use of underutilized red maple in manufacturing value added wood products. One project (MA) will document air quality emissions from several project in the Northeast. This data will support the expansion of the use for wood energy in the region. The last project (WI) supports communication efforts focused on how more intensive forest management improves forest health and increases carbon storage. This effort will help decisionmakers and supporters of forest management address concerns about the negative impacts of forest management. The campaign will reach over several million households regionally.
Single Audit Applies (2 CFR Part 200 Subpart F):
For additional information on single audit requirements for this program, review the current Compliance Supplement.
OMB is working with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and agency offices of inspectors general to include links to relevant oversight reports. This section will be updated once this information is made available.
