Logistics and Processing

Phase Three: Conceiving the Forest-to-Market System for Logistics and Processing of Forest Materials

Core Questions:

• What innovations, logistics, business systems, and governance will support scaled-up local processing of forest material and, as needed, transportation to out-of-area processing to handle large excess volumes?
• How can these new initiatives align with existing forestry and economic development efforts?

Dialogue Questions:

1. What is the optimal conception of existing and potential local processing facilities, including mills?
   1. Where are the in-area timber (lumber, pellets, paper, paperboard, energy, biomass) processing facilities?
   2. What are the barriers and opportunities for developing supply chains related to conventional forestry products (e.g., firewood, posts, flooring, timber, vigas, etc.)?
   3. What does each existing facility need to reach its capacity expansion goals?
   4. How do existing mills fit into a regional strategy?
   5. How do we coordinate processing capacity for optimal benefit?
   6. What is the optimal size and location of new processing capacity for conventional products?
      1. What are the implications/limitations of weather on the location choice?
      2. What are the implications of elevation and grade direction to the location choice?
      3. What are the implications of the road network on the location choice?
   7. What other value streams can be nurtured to encompass a complete forest treatment-to-market approach, including new uses of biomass for energy and construction materials?
      1. What are the barriers and opportunities associated with developing supply chains related to biomass energy, biochar, building materials, carbon markets, electricity, and other non-traditional uses of forest products?
      2. How can biomass and other income streams improve the viability of mill operations?
   8. What inbound freight exists for forestry, connected, and secondary industries, such as papermaking, chemicals, and animal feeds?
   9. What new associated product manufacturing facilities are made viable by this coordinated wood products planning?
   10. What new investments in existing or new technologies can be deployed in the region in the short- and long term?
   11. Where should new processing facilities for new technologies and products be optimally located?
2. What forest materials need additional capacity to be met outside the area?
   1. Where are the nearest out-of-area wood processing facilities?
   2. Which facilities have supply needs or growth potential?
3. What new logistics solutions and capital are needed for this long-distance transportation?
   1. What logistics services enable viable transportation of each forest’s harvested materials to the optimal destination?
   2. What new infrastructure elements are needed for each transportation solution?
   3. What truck types and fleet size are needed for local transportation?
   4. What rail car types and fleet management strategies are needed for instate and out-of-state transportation?
   5. Which transportation providers, including rail, trucking, port, and transload operators, can be engaged to assess the commercial feasibility of gathering and delivering forest products to domestic and foreign markets?
4. How do the financial elements of this forest-to-market solution add up to an economically viable, culturally informed, and environmentally sound approach for everyone involved?
   1. What are the needs and opportunities for investors in RE-FOREST?
   2. Who are the investors that want to make these investments?
5. What governance and commercial innovations are needed to sustain this collaboration?
   1. How do we best integrate local and Indigenous values into our process?
   2. What laws and protocols must be addressed to accommodate this coordination among Canada, the United States, and Mexico?
   3. How can relations with and between local, state, and federal governments be improved?
   4. What new governance arrangements need to be undertaken to create these improvements?
   5. What corporate or co-op structures are needed to reflect holistic, collaborative frameworks?
   6. Who should be seated at the table, and how is it organized?
   7. How do we fund whole communities, not just individual landowners and businesses?
   8. What financial and logistical support should be funded by the public sector?
   9. What existing or new public-private partnership can support the completion and implementation of the businss system for each RE-FOREST initiative?
   10. What are state or federal entities' major fiduciary and statutory requirements?
   11. What governance arrangements are needed to meet these state and federal requirements?
   12. What do agencies need to enable sharing or devolve power or authority to local, non-governmental, or collaborative entities?
6. How do we interface with, support, and augment existing landscape and watershed conservation efforts?
   1. How does RE-FOREST collaborate with other large landscape and community forest conservation efforts?
   2. Specifically, which programs do we build on, and what models do we emulate regarding local and national initiatives?
   3. What pitfalls should be avoided - what has worked and what has not?
7. How can we better synthesize public and private land stewardship?
   1. How can private forest lands be best-served by state and federal planning efforts?
   2. How can progress on private lands assist overall forest management and stewardship goals?
   3. How can the USFS and state forestry departments assist in the stewardship of private lands?
   4. How do we ensure industry involvement is consistent with landscape conservation and community development goals?
   5. What assessments of existing industry barriers and needs have already been completed?
   6. Are local forestry-related businesses changing their business models due to recent fires?
   7. What assistance do forestry businesses need to more effectively contract with State, Federal, or private customers?
   8. How can we better inform contractors of emergency harvesting activities to retain commercial value and maximize ecological and social benefits?
   9. What can we learn from the experience of previous fire mitigation and recovery efforts?
   10. How can local forestry departments and the national forestry agency (e.g., U.S. Forest Service) improve collaboration toward shared goals?
   11. How do we best integrate with existing federal government forestry frameworks, such as the U.S. Forest Plans completed in 2022, or should we follow other legal guidelines?
   12. How do we define the regional boundaries, and with whom must we align or partner in each region?