Spotlight
U.S. Housing Starts Continue to Rise to Highest Level Since 2006 in December 2020
U.S. housing starts rose in December to the highest peak since late 2006 as builders responded continued demand for single-family housing, according to U.S. Commerce Department data. Residential starts climbed by 5.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.67 million. Single-family homebuilding, the largest share of the housing market, soared 12.0% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.338 million units. Single-family starts increased for eight straight months.
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- FORISK: U.S. Housing Starts Outlook, Q1 2021 Update: Getting Better →
- FORBES: Housing Boom Rolls On →
- FOREST ECONOMIC ADVISORS: Mortgage Bankers Association Reports Mortgage Credit Availability Increased in January →
- CNBC: U.S. housing starts, building permits accelerate →
Resources for the Future: Bound for the EU, American-Made Biomass Checks the Right Boxes
A first-of-its-kind study published in the journal Scientific Reports on Thursday finds that wood produced in the southeastern United States for the EU’s renewable energy needs has a net positive effect on US forests.
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What to Watch
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Homebuilders Urge Biden to Help Ease Sky High Lumber Costs // bloomberg.com →
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Burning wood waste for energy on the rise in timber-rich Georgia // ajc.com →
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Plant trees, sure. But to save the climate, we should also cut them down // cnn.com →
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Why Ikea just bought an 11,000-acre forest in Georgia // fastcompany.com →
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2020 Trade Data Shows Forest Products as Top Export // georgia.org →
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Lumber Prices Notch Records on Building, Remodeling Boom // wsj.com →
Forestry Headlines
- Wood-pulp prices are soaring thanks to speculators in China, with help from paper takeout containers, a weaker dollar and people using restrooms at home instead of at the office // wsj.com →
- West Virginia University biologist research finds that trees around the world are consuming more carbon dioxide than previously reported // phys.org →
- Demand for forest carbon offsets could outstrip supply by 2025, carbon prices could quadruple by 2030 and offset values could be worth $125 billion to $150 billion a year by 2050 // greenbiz.com →
- Using forests for carbon sequestration is a known path to reducing carbon dioxide, but the crucial role of timber products in helping limit global warming to 1.5°C by 2030 is only now becoming more evident // realassets.ipe.com →
Upcoming Events
- February 18
The Woman Landowner Workshops: Reforestation Techniques
Albany, GA - February 19
Team Safe Trucking: Module One – Introduction to Team Safe Trucking
Virtual Event - February 25
Forestry Day at the Capitol
Virtual Event - February 25
How to Talk about Southern Forests with the Public
Virtual Event - February 25
Unprecedented Seasons | Virtual Lecture Series
Virtual Event - March 4
Forisk’s Applied Forest Finance Class
Virtual Event - March 23
Team Safe Trucking: Module Two – Clearances, Distracted Driving, Preventing Rollovers, Speeding
Virtual Event - March 30 – April 1
Mass Timber Conference
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