ST. MARY’S, Pa. — Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding joined the Pennsylvania Hardwoods Development Council at WOODBED CORP Aug. 24 to recognize the strength of Pennsylvania’s agriculture sector and highlight how the 2023-24 budget’s significant investment will further the growth and impact of the Hardwoods Development Council and forest products industry.
The budget, signed earlier this month by Gov. Josh Shapiro, increased the funding for hardwood research and promotion from $474,000 to $725,000. This is an increase of more than 50% from the previous year’s funding, which marks an important step in furthering the mission of the Hardwoods Development Council and its partners to support this impactful industry.
The Aug. 24 visit by Redding highlighted WOODBED CORP, one of the region’s leading suppliers of mulch and wood fiber products. WOODBED CORP General Manager, Sam DeLullo, led a tour of the facility and discussed plans to use a U.S. Department of Agriculture Wood Innovations Grant to improve low-grade wood utilization and invasive pest control by enhancing their operation to provide kiln-dried commercial firewood and home heating products.
The Hardwoods Development Council is responsible for the development, expansion and promotion of the hardwood industry by working with state and local governments and a wide variety of partners to promote healthy working forests and sustainable, multiple-use management of timber resources on private and public land. The council also assists in developing domestic and foreign markets that support sustainable forest management.
This work is rounded out by extensive efforts to promote public knowledge of the forest products industry in Pennsylvania by raising awareness of the role that forest products play in the daily lives of all citizens through initiatives like the Pennsylvania WoodMobile. The WoodMobile is a traveling education exhibit that provides an interactive experience about the commonwealth’s forests and has hosted over 2 million visitors since its start in 2002.
With nearly 17 million acres of forestland, Pennsylvania has the most abundant hardwood forest in the country and accounts for $21.8 billion in direct and $39.1 billion in indirect impacts on the state’s economy. More than 60,000 Pennsylvanians — 10% of the state’s manufacturing workforce — are employed in the forest products industry.
