National Hardwood Magazine - April 2024

IHLA PHOTOS Continued
Tomoko Kato, Mountain Top International Inc., Naperville, IL; Stacy
Kennedy, CMA CGM Group, Norfolk, VA; and C.J. Struyk and
Jessica Tilton, TMX Shipping Co. Inc., Morehead City, NC
Rob Paradise, Devereaux Sawmill Inc., Pewamo, MI; and Cal
Diercks and Mike Peterson, Kretz Lumber Co. Inc., Antigo, WI
Jim Burris, Corley Mfg. Co./Lewis Controls Inc., Chattanooga,
TN; Gene Hamaker, Cardin Forest Products LLC, South Pittsburg,
TN; Keith Price, Corley Mfg. Co./Lewis Controls Inc., Chattanooga,
TN; Clint Averitt, Finnos, West Plains, MO; and Chris Hough,
Lewis Controls Inc./Corley Mfg. Co., Cornelius, OR
Jeremiah Hawley and Ross Frazier, Turman Wood Group, Arrington,
VA; Russell Shamblen, Premier Hardwood Products
Inc./B & B Lumber Company Inc., Jamesville, NY; Jessica Tilton,
TMX Shipping Co. Inc., Morehead City, NC; and Bo Hammond,
Kop-Coat Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
Chris Dunn, Wickham Hardwood Flooring, Wickham, QC; Denis
Dube, J.D. Irving Limited, Clair, NB; and Patrick Gagne, Primewood,
Drummondville, QC
Scott Hutton, A.W. Stiles Contractors Inc., McMinnville, TN; Ben
Koch and Paul O’Brien, J. Gibson McIlvain Co., White Marsh, MD;
and Lee Stiles, A.W. Stiles Contractors Inc.
AHMI Enjoys Florida’s
Landscape For Annual Meeting
The 2024 annual meeting of the Appalachian Hardwood
Manufacturers Inc. (AHMI) was recently held at
The Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, FL, with
approximately 120 members and guests treated to more
than two full days of networking, business, educational
and leisure opportunities.
The AHMI business presentations included:
InventWood Makes Poplar Truly Hard – A Maryland
company has designed a process to press Poplar and
other lumber into a stiff building material. The company
is a leader in cellulose-based material innovations.
Senior Process Engineer Charles Sturman said the advanced
cellulose materials have better performance,
lower costs, and are far more sustainable than alternatives
the world uses today.
The startup company developed out of the University
of Maryland’s incubator program. Since its founding in
2016, InventWood has received close to $25 million in
federal grants.
The company’s flagship product is called MettleWood
and begins with kiln-dried Poplar lumber. It is processed
through lignin modification and densification. The lignin
modification is intended to break the lignin bonds and
allow the cellulose fibers to move closer together during
densification.
This forces the cellulose fibers of the wood to align
far more closely with new hydrogen bonds formed and
removing the inherent porosity found in regular wood.
Sturman said the material combines the best of metal –
strength and durability – with wood, which is lightweight,
low-cost, and sustainable.
Photos By Chris Fehr
Railroad Tie Demand in 2024 – Bill Behan, vice president
of Koppers and a past president of the Railway
Tie Association, discussed tie demand in 2024. He said
several factors are impacting tie production including the
ability of mills to buy logs and produce ties; the performance
of wood ties and their service life; and demand
for ties.
He compared the pricing of railroad ties versus Red
Oak lumber in three regions and ties values were stable.
Behan said there are alternatives being considered like
southern yellow pine to address swings in Hardwood
markets.
Real American Hardwood Campaign – RAH Coalition
Board Member Amy Snell of the Wood Components
Manufacturers Association reported on the Magnolia
Network campaign and results from social media. Millions
of consumers have been reached in the first six
months of the promotion.
She explained that continuation will require additional
funding from the industry. Attendees were asked to give
at www.realamericanhardwood.com/industry.
White Oak Initiative Educates Landowners – WOI
Executive Director Jason Meyer shared the group’s mission
to educate landowners on forest management for
White Oak.
Hardwood Federation & Campaign 2024 – Executive
Director Dana Cole shared key Hardwood issues
in the 2024 Presidential and Congressional campaigns.
She said election years always require extra effort to
educate legislators on bills that effect the Hardwood industry.
Please turn to page 48
Mike McCrea, EZLOG Company Inc., Louisville, KY; Tammy
Daugherty, National Hardwood Magazine, Memphis, TN; Burt
Craig, Matson Lumber Company, Brookville, PA; and Ted Rossi,
Rossi Group, Cromwell, CT
Silvio Giandomenico, Goodfellow Inc., Campbellville, ON; Stefan
Sobczak and Alex Gonter-Dray, Goodfellow Inc., Delson, QC; and
Dennis Reid, Goodfellow Inc., Delson, QC
Additional photos on page 58
44 APRIL 2024 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE www.RealAmericanHardwood.com/industry
www.RealAmericanHardwood.com/industry
APRIL 2024 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 45