Innovation: and what this means environmentally and economically is the emphasis is of USDA wood innovation grants.

"The ability of markets to support our forest management, to support healthy forests and these projects have a connection to rural jobs," said the U.S. Forest Service's Brian Bradshaw. "They are going to stimulate and catalyze additional investment both in the near term and in the long term to create new and additional markets for wood."

He added the latest round of wood innovation grants provides more than 7.6 million dollars to 35 projects to 19 states and Puerto Rico.

"Those are leveraged with matching funds from organizations, for $131 million" adding that the Forest Service, "we cover 27 projects they were in wood products, and 8 were in wood energy."

With wood innovation grant projects ranging from expanding uses for small diameter wood, developing more markets of wood-based energy, and exploring cross-laminated timber use in health care facilities.

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