From the Director’s Desk: Moving On From March Data, Board Ballots are Out, One Last Invitation to Join Us in Charleston
Moving on From March Data
The March data for the Monthly Densified Biomass Fuel Report was published on Monday and the numbers were disappointing, but not unexpected. Record warmth predominated the weather news this heating season, and the March sales data shows that most pellet-burning consumers in the country were content to use up the wood pellets they had on hand late this spring. Total domestic sales in the U.S. were just 59,354 tons, a new low in the report’s 8-year history. Low sales totals typically beget increased inventory numbers and decreased production, both of which are shown in the March data. Total output sagged to just 131,404 tons, the lowest March production output since 2018. Inventory numbers climbed across the country and the month closed with 313,066 tons on the ground, levels more typically found at the peak of the preseason inventory build.
Board Ballots are Out
Members, please watch your email inboxes for an invitation to vote on this year’s incoming class of board of directors nominees. Our board roster saw a few more departures than our normal annual pattern and we are thrilled that six wood pellet industry professionals have accepted nominations to serve on the PFI board.
This year’s board nominees are:
Matt Scorzetti, Account Representative, ProAmpac
Jed Hammell, Owner/Operator, Staggemeyer Stave Company
Scott Cummings, President, Cummings Lumber, Managing Partner / Corporate Secretary of Barefoot Pellet Company
Stephen Faehner, President & CEO, American Wood Fibers
Dylan O’Donnell, Plywood & EWP Manager, Timber Products Inspection
John Utter, Vice President of Manufacturing, Dansons
One Last Invitation to Join Us in Charleston
Have you recently found yourself reading Demons of Unrest, by Erik Larson and thinking, ‘"I really do need to get to Charleston"? Are you craving some low-country cuisine? Perhaps you’re a golfer hoping to log some time on a South Carolina golf course with ocean views. Good news. The PFI will gather this month in Charleston (June 26-27) in the historic city. Come Wednesday night, mingle at our opening reception, catch up on the industry’s news, marketplace trajectory, and policy advocacy efforts on Thursday, and spend a long weekend exploring the area. I hope to see you there.
The room block deadline has passed. Please contact the PFI Office if you'd like to inquire about a room at the Mills House.
