Longtime Northwest forest products executive Steve Swanson, CEO of Swanson Group based in Roseburg, Ore., was named Timber Processing magazine’s 2026 Person of the Year in its February 2026 issue. Swanson is the 38th winner of the prestigious national award, which debuted in 1989 to honor innovation and success in the North American lumber industry and also involvement outside the mill in support of the industry and state and local communities.

Swanson’s commitment to Oregon’s rural economy and his involvement with the lumber industry’s fair trade efforts are big reasons why he was chosen for the honor: Swanson Group operates a sawmill at Roseburg, plywood plants at Glendale and Springfield and a pellet mill in Oakland, Ore. that employ more than 1,200. Swanson has also served as Chairman of the U.S. Lumber Coalition from 2000-2012 and just started another term this year. He has led his family-owned company since 2001 before naming son Chris Swanson as President in 2025, and remains CEO.

Swanson will accept the Timber Processing 2026 Person of the Year award during a ceremony at 3 p.m. on September 23 during the Timber Processing & Energy Expo held September 23-25 at the Portland Expo Center, Portland, Ore.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has announced that President and CEO Kathy Abusow will retire in 2026, having led SFI through a period of significant expansion across North America, increasing reach, impact, relevance, and global recognition.

Throughout her tenure, she inspired the SFI team and community to advance practical sustainability solutions demonstrated by measurable results. Under Abusow’s leadership, SFI achieved a formidable scale to make a meaningful difference and contribution to positive change in our forests and for our communities. This includes increasing the SFI Canadian and U.S. footprint to more than 370 million acres (150 million hectares) certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard, including public, private, Indigenous, conservation, university, urban, and community forests, with millions more acres positively influenced by the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard.

“Kathy’s leadership has invaluably shaped who SFI is today. She has been a strategic growth leader who translated mission into impact and results,” says Dan Lambe, CEO of the Arbor Day Foundation and Chair of the SFI Board of Directors. “Her commitment to excellence, integrity, and people has left an indelible mark on our organization. We are deeply grateful for her many contributions and the strong foundation she leaves behind. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating Kathy’s exemplary career.”

Under Abusow’s leadership, SFI has expanded its scope beyond standards to include conservation collaboration, community engagement, Indigenous relations, environmental education, and career pathways in the forest sector. She led the integration of Project Learning Tree (PLT) into SFI in 2017, growing the award-winning environmental education program and celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. In 2018, she founded PLT Canada, which has placed more than 8,700 Green Jobs since inception, achieving 50% participation by women and 15% by Indigenous youth, and reached hundreds more young adults through Green Mentor and Youth Delegate programs. She is a prominent voice for sustainability and a strong advocate for diversity in the sector, known for her commitment to ensuring the sector is representative of society.

A comprehensive search for the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer will be undertaken over the coming months. The Board will engage in a rigorous recruitment process to identify a leader who will build on the organization’s strengths, advance its mission, and guide the implementation of SFI’s 2025-2030 Strategic Direction.

Abusow’s role as President & CEO of SFI, and President & CEO of PLT Canada will be divided into a new SFI CEO, a President of SFI, and a President of PLT Canada. Abusow is thrilled that members of her Senior Leadership Team will immediately be elevated during this transition. Jason Metnick has been named President of SFI. Christine Leduc, RPF, has been named President of PLT Canada.

Abusow will continue to serve and work closely with the Board and senior leadership team in her current capacity as CEO to support continuity during the transition.

Estonian Plywood AS (ESTPLY), headquartered in Jõgeva, Estonia, is expanding its production capacity and, as part of the project, Grenzebach will deliver not only a second veneer dryer but, for the first time, integrate the AI-powered veneer scanner ROSI (Real-Time Optical Surface Inspection) into both the new and existing systems. The decision reflects the long-standing successful partnership and ESTPLY’s ongoing commitment to investing in modern manufacturing technologies.

With ROSI, Grenzebach brings artificial intelligence to veneer processing and quality control: The system enables highly precise, AI-driven surface inspection in real time. “The decision to implement ROSI is an important step toward digitalization and quality assurance. The combination of intelligent technology and user-friendly operation convinced us,” says Ando Jukk, Member of the Supervisory Board Estonian Plywood.

Through adaptive LED technology and state-of-the-art cameras, ROSI reliably detects surface defects, dimensional deviations, and structural irregularities. Results are automatically classified according to customer-specific quality criteria—known as recipes—without requiring programming skills. “With ROSI, we are taking quality assurance to a new level while providing a user-friendly solution that can be seamlessly integrated into existing processes,” explains Benedikt Allen-dorf, Product Manager Grenzebach Group. The scanner will be integrated into the new line and retrofitted into the existing system.

Commissioning of the new system is scheduled for Q4 2026.

Visit grenzebach.com.

John King Chains Group is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026. Established in Leeds, England in 1926, the enterprise began by producing plain pedestal bearings for coal mining pit tubs. Expansion came with the rapid mechanization of the collieries and the need for chain conveying equipment.

The business has evolved through a century of change while remaining focused on engineering excellence and long-term value.

Remaining a family-owned, private business after 100 years is a point of pride for the Group. This independence allows for long-term decision-making, consistency of values, and continued investment in capability, quality, and customer support.

“Our people remain central to the success of the business. A continued focus on leadership development, operational capability, and collaboration across the Group strengthens our foundations and positions the company well for the future,” according to a company statement.

Reaching a century in business is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and shared values. “As we begin this landmark year, we do so with confidence, ambition, and a clear commitment to continued progress.”

The company recently announced the opening of its new facility in South Africa, marking an important step in John King Chain Group’s continued investment in the region and strengthening its long-term commitment to the South African market.

“We are proud to support local businesses, contribute to the regional supply chain and play our part in the South African economy.”

Weyerhaeuser Co. and Aymium entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to partner to produce and sell 1.5 million tons of sustainable biocarbon annually for use in metals production. As an initial stage of this partnership, the companies have formed a joint venture —TerraForge Biocarbon Solutions—to build a jointly owned facility adjacent Weyerhaeuser’s sawmill in McComb, Miss., which will convert wood fiber into biocarbon through a combustion-free, low-emissions process.

The companies will secure long-term biocarbon sales agreements and identify sites to construct multiple new production facilities across the Weyerhaeuser footprint over the next five years, which will include Aymium’s proprietary technology for producing and supplying biocarbon products globally.

At full scale, the platform of operating facilities will have the potential to convert more than 7 million tons of wood fiber—provided exclusively by Weyerhaeuser—to deliver 1.5 million tons of metallurgical-grade biocarbon annually as a drop-in replacement for coal in iron, steel, silicon, ferro-alloys and other metals production.

Aymium has generated a significant global sales pipeline based on years of trials with leading global metals producers. The company claims its products are engineered to immediately replace coal without the need for capital investment or process modification, and with superior carbon levels, energy value, handling and environmental attributes to coal.

“This partnership combines our renewable fiber resources and supply chain expertise with Aymium’s innovative technology and experience,” says Devin Stockfish, president and CEO of Weyerhaeuser. “It represents a major step forward in growing the scale and impact of our Climate Solutions business, and it’s also a key part of our broader accelerated growth strategy through 2030. When the McComb facility comes online in 2027, it’s going to generate new demand for fiber in the region—supporting our McComb operations and local timberlands teams—while creating more great jobs in the community. It’s a model we look forward to replicating across our footprint.”

“The reliability, scale of sustainable supply and forestland expertise of Weyerhaeuser provide unmatched sourcing security of our main raw material to support expansion,” adds James Mennell, CEO of Aymium. “Through this partnership we will significantly grow our manufacturing capacity to produce biocarbon as an immediately scalable, renewable replacement for coal and coke, while delivering differentiated value for our customers.”

The initial project includes construction of a new manufacturing facility that will house two biocarbon processors to transform wood fiber through a combustion-free, low-emissions process into metallurgical-grade biocarbon.

Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance through the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive, or MFLEX, program. MDA also is providing assistance with infrastructure improvements. Pike County is assisting with the project as well.

TerraForge Biocarbon Solutions expects to complete the project and fill jobs by 2027.

Aymium operates four large production facilities in North America and is headquartered in Minnesota.