Wednesday, September 15, 2021
American Wood Council (AWC) President and CEO, Jackson Morrill issued the following statement following the House Agriculture Committee’s draft legislation recommendations for the reconciliation package. The proposed program allocations include $1 billion to provide grants under the wood innovation grant program $100 million for the forest inventory and analysis (FIA), and $50 million for the research mission area of the Forest Service to carry out greenhouse gas life cycle analyses of domestic wood products.
“Working forests and the wood products they produce can significantly reduce the carbon footprint in the United States, providing a readily-available, renewable and resilient building material for a carbon-smart built environment.
“The House Agriculture’s recommendations would provide game-changing funding to critical federal programs that can lead to real, quantifiable carbon-reduction benefits, while also supporting this country’s rural economies. The unprecedented funding that is recommended to support the Wood Innovation Grant program is at a scale that can drive innovative mass timber construction and help to bring it mainstream. The proposed support for data collection and carbon accounting will ensure we are accurately calculating the carbon benefits of wood products and properly reflecting the overall benefits of this remarkable nature-based solution.
“AWC thanks the Committee and strongly encourages its recommendations to be included in the final reconciliation package.”
Tags: AWC, forestry, Jackson Morrill
