SALT LAKE – Two companies in Utah, Blazzard Lumber Co and Thompson Sawmill, were awarded over $800,000 from the US Forest Service as a part of the Wood Innovations Program. Blazzard Lumber and Thompson Sawmill received funding through the Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Grant.
This funding was part of a bigger $73.9 million investment from the USFS to support the wood products economy and healthy forests. This investment is funded through the Inflation Reduction Act as a part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda meant to spark innovation, create new markets for wood products and increase the capacity of wood processing facilities.
“I’m thrilled that the Forest Service is again investing in two of Utah’s forest product businesses. These grant funds will help increase their production while supporting sustainable forest management and healthy forests,” stated Bergen Eskildsen, Forest Products and Businesses Program Coordinator for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.
The Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance grant program provides funding opportunities to private companies to improve, retrofit, establish and expand their facilities. These companies often purchase and process byproducts from forest health and fuel reduction projects from federal and tribal lands.
These companies are a vital part of the local rural economy. They are usually located in areas at high risk for a severe wildfire or where insects and diseases impact forest health.
Blazzard Lumber Co, Inc., Summit County – $203,565
Blazzard Lumber will use the grant funding to purchase a firewood processor and a package saw to increase their production of cut-to-length lumber. The firewood processor will allow Blazzard to utilize more of the log and increase the amount of forest byproduct they remove from the landscape.
Currently, 100 percent of the trees that Blazzard is removing are dead beetle-killed spruce. By removing this dead material from the forest, they are reducing the management cost to the forest service while preventing the risk of fire and the spread of insects and diseases.
Thompson Sawmill, Summit County – $619,239
Thompson Sawmill has plans to use the grant funding to purchase a horizontal grinder to produce additional wood products, including playground chips, wood pellet material, animal bedding and nursery material. The grinder will allow Thompson Sawmill to hire additional employees, double the capacity to produce chips and shavings and use more residual from timber.
They will utilize dead and dying beetle-kill timber, which will help restore the health of our forests and reduce the risk of catastrophic fire on federal lands surrounding the sawmill.
To learn more about wood products funding opportunities, contact Bergen Eskildsen (bergeneskildsen@utah.gov), the Forest Products and Businesses Coordinator for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.