Inside this issue
FROM THE EDITORS
IN THE NEWS
- Wood Bio Conference Adds Technical Flavor
- Weyco Wood Fiber To Feed Biocarbon
- Bioleum Acquires Hexas Biomass
- PowerWood Canada To Build in Alberta
- Drax Ceasing BC Operation
- AirBurners To Be Acquired By Courizon
- Japan Brings 112 MW Power Plant On-Line
SAWMILL USES REFURBISHED BOILER TO MAXIMIZE WOOD WASTE
CAMDEN, Ark. —Between Little Rock, Ark. and Shreveport, La. is Rogers Lumber Co. in Camden, Ark., a third generation family owned and operated sawmill in business since 1946, led by Joe Rogers, III. Evolving with the times, the company has continually invested in new machinery and tailored its production to market demands. The company’s 100-plus employees produce a variety of lumber including pine, red and white oak, gum, and over a million pallets annually.
In 2023, the mill began researching replacement options for the nearly-century-old biomass boiler that had powered its kilns since 1970. “It was really old, and we needed more horsepower for the kilns, and the ability to dry more lumber,” Rogers recalls.
He and his team evaluated multiple custom boiler options, aiming to balance output requirements with regulatory and budget constraints. “We wanted to burn wood waste so that we weren’t buying natural gas, and so we could get rid of the waste. It’s a larger outlay on the front end because we could have dropped a natural gas boiler in pretty easily and cheaply, but with this option we’re burning a good bit of our wood waste, so we don’t have to truck it. And it’s carbon neutral and clean,” he adds.
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From the Editors
It’s Time To Show up
The calendar has officially flipped to 2026, and that means that we are counting the days to the biennial Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo. This year’s program is shaping up to be one of the most well-rounded yet. With industry’s power players—including key producers like Enviva and Fram Fuels—signed on to keynote and not shy away from the conversation of redefining wood-to-energy’s future.
Among those producers leading the pack of redefining the future is Enviva Executive Vice President & COO Scott Bax who is going to tackle the renewed focus of the company following its 2024 bankruptcy. Bax, one of the most respected voices in the global wood pellet space, brings unmatched insight thanks to his leadership roles at Pinnacle Renewable Energy, Peak Renewables, and CM Biomass. His background means he can offer a clear look at where the industry is headed next.
Speaking on where the industry is headed next is Kyle Freres, Vice President of Oregon-based Freres Engineered Wood—a panel producer who has decades of small scale cogeneration experience and now sees how this proven method of energy production opens the door to biochar production, other new products and emerging markets.
Few names carry more weight than Bill Strauss, President of FutureMetrics and widely regarded as the world’s leading consultant to the wood pellet industry. Strauss is a long-time advocate for repurposing U.S. coal-fired power plants to run on sustainably sourced wood pellets—an issue growing more urgent as UK pellet imports decline and data-center-driven demand for green power accelerates.
Amanda Lang, president and COO of Forisk Consulting, will unpack the latest timber market dynamics, explaining how shifting supply and demand trends are likely to impact wood availability and pricing in the years ahead.
Representing the industry’s evolving role in the more forward-facing, public sense is Taylor Fitts, Vice President of Communications and External Affairs for the U.S. Industrial Pellet Assn. (USIPA). Fitts will cover how U.S. wood pellets are moving beyond renewable fuel to become a climate solution that the world can feel good about.
Adding to the sustainability and community lens is Pete Madden, President and CEO of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. With more than 30 years in land management, procurement, business development, and renewable energy, Madden will discuss collaborative ways to strengthen working forests and forest-dependent communities across the U.S.
And the final announced keynote speaker really needs no introduction: Harold Arnold, President of Fram Renewable Fuels, who returns to deliver his always anticipated big-picture perspective on the global wood-to-energy market, including a renewed and highly practical look at torrefaction. You can’t miss the Godfather of Wood Pellets in the U.S.
But, Wait! There’s More!
The conversations won’t just be held in the Grand Ballroom North. For day two, Arnold and the Fram team, plus Bio Conference Co-Chair Fred Kurpiel will host a bus tour visiting key facilities in Middle and Southern Georgia.
After breakfast, attendees will depart from the Omni for Fram’s Hazlehurst Wood Pellets facility in Hazlehurst, Ga., followed by a visit to Fram’s new Telfair Forest Products torrefaction facility in Lumber City. Along the way, representatives from Fram and machinery and technology supplier TSI will provide in-depth commentary and answer questions during the ride.
The bus returns to the Omni that evening—bringing a full day of real world insight, candid discussion, and behind-the-scenes access you won’t get anywhere else.
Seats are limited to just 40. If you want to see the industry in action, this is a great option. But don’t delay.
Find all the details, and register on bioenergyshow.com. We can’t wait to see you in Atlanta.
From Left: Jessica Johnson, Managing Editor; Dan Shell, Senior Editor; Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief; David Abbott, Senior Associate Editor
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Wood Bioenergy is published and delivered 6 times per year tosubscribers worldwide. Readership includes corporate executives, mill ownership, mill management, logging contractors and equity venture interests. Wood Bioenergy is FREE to qualified readers.
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