Forest product

• PITTSBURGH, July 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Snavely Forest Products ("Snavely"), a wholly owned subsidiary of MacArthur Company, has bolstered its product offering in the growing Texas market with the addition of UFP-Edge, a premium wood siding, pattern, and trim product manufacturer.
• "The Texas region is one of the most active areas of the country right now for building and remodeling," noted Nick Fitzgerald, Regional General Manager of Texas for Snavely.
• Specifically, Snavely will be showcasing UPF-Edge's Thermally Modified Wood Collection siding, Native Woods shiplap, primed trim and facia, and Pro-column structural posts, all available in a variety of sizes, colors, and finishes.
• "We're excited to team up with Snavely Forest Products.

• VANCOUVER, BC, May 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Performance BioFilaments Inc. is pleased to announce the start-up of the world's largest nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) commercial production plant at Resolute's Forest Products, Kénogami paper mill in Quebec.
• Nanofibrillated cellulose is a natural, renewable and sustainable biomaterial derived from well-managed, certified forests.
• "The Performance BioFilaments team and development partners have dedicated years of effort to bring this low-carbon biomaterial to market," said Gurminder Minhas, Managing Director of Performance BioFilaments.
• "We have collaborated extensively across a range of industrial supply chains, integrating nanofibrillated cellulose to achieve cost, quality and dramatic performance improvements.

• PITTSBURGH, May 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Snavely Forest Products ("Snavely"), a subsidiary of MacArthur Company, and a recognized leader in the wholesale lumber and building products industry, is expanding its product portfolio to include RISE® siding and trim ("RISE") out of its Denver branch location.
• The opportunity will allow Snavely to better serve the Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico markets.
• RISE siding and trim is created using a patented manufacturing process that compresses post-consumer and post-industrial synthetic fiber and polymer waste into dense and durable wood-replacement products.
• Expanding our alliance with Snavely, a known brand and highly respected distributor, will enable us to serve this target rich environment."

• African countries are estimated to lose US$17 billion each year to illegal logging.
• Illegal logging is most prevalent in the continent’s tropical rainforests.
• Illegal logging has negative environmental effects that weaken human security.
• Firstly, illegal logging amplifies threats posed by organised criminal groups and violent extremist organisations.

The knock-on effects

• It identifies and tracks criminal networks, state-embedded actors, foreign actors and “mafia-style” armed groups that are locally well known and that control territory.
• The work of these groups has several knock-on effects.
• Violent extremism and insurgency: The illicit timber trade fuels conflict and instability by providing resources for violent actors.
• In Senegal, the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance recently funded its insurgency through the illicit logging of rosewood.

Solutions

• Guinea-Bissau, the DRC and Kenya have controversially ended moratoria on logging.
• It’s easy to get around a moratorium when state security and justice systems do not operate transparently.
• A moratorium can even harden criminal networks without addressing the corruption and livelihood challenges that facilitate illegal logging.
• The Kenya Forestry Service is pioneering an app for officers to use satellite data in community-based initiatives.

Bridging gaps

• For example, in Gabon, civil society has pressured the government for greater transparency in logging contracts.
• Civil society also builds economic resilience to illegal logging.
• In Tanzania and the DRC, civil society has enhanced community control over land management and made legal livelihoods in the logging sector more feasible.

Key takeaways

• External oversight is a key part of countering illegal logging.
• It works best where civil society is strong.
• Inspectors general, specialised prosecutors and independent anti-corruption bodies can help expose the kingpins organising illegal operations.