Seven Generations And
Seven Generations And 225 Years Later, Jordan And Lan McIlvain Own And Run Alan McIlvain Company In Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania WASHINGTON SCENE New Steps For Climate Resilience And Forest Conservation Announced Lan, left, and Jordan McIlvain visited sawmills in Northern Congo. Jordan, left, and Lan McIlvain represent the seventh generation of McIlvains since 1798. Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania—The strong roots of the Alan McIlvain Co., located 10 miles south of Philadelphia, have proven sturdy over the 225-year span that the firm has been in business. When Hugh McIlvain, a Quaker of Scotch-Irish descent, opened the doors of his lumber company in 1798, in Philadelphia, he planted seeds that would continue to grow for generations to come. Specializing in FAS grade 4/4 through 16/4 Northern Appalachian and Imported hardwoods, the Alan McIlvain Co. leans on its history and convenient location for the stability needed to service customers. In the late 1700’s, the company used rivers and canals to transport lumber from sawmills to their lumberyard. The early McIlvain customers were carpenters, furniture makers and industrials. By selling lumber to home construction companies, the company overcame one of its first obstacles: The Embargo Act of 1807, which stopped all shipments to and from American ports. By 1834, the first rail/canal connection was completed from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, which conveniently ended right at the McIlvain’s door, presently the location of Philadelphia’s 30th St. Station. This marked the beginning of the railroad era, bringing about numerous opportunities for the McIlvains. During the Civil War, lumber was used in factories to construct arms and war-related items. By 1868, the third generation of McIlvains was running the family business and their contagious popularity continued to spread, due to the quality service they provided. In 1872, the University of Pennsylvania called upon McIlvain Lum- Continued on page 28 Public Comments Accepted Through Mid-June For Parts Of Policy The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) recently announced actions to foster forest conservation, enhance forest resilience to climate change, and inform policymaking on ensuring healthy forests on federally managed lands administered by the USDA Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). To support these actions, USDA and DOI worked together to develop several reports, as directed by President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies (E.O. 14072), which he signed on Earth Day last spring. The Executive Order calls for inventorying mature and old-growth forests, setting reforestation targets on federally managed lands, and analyzing reforestation opportunities on state, Tribal and private lands. In addition, the Forest Service is releasing a new tool that illustrates the risks and vulnerabilities of climate change across the landscape along with a call for public input on how national forests and grasslands should be managed for climate resilience. These actions represent concrete progress on the goals and priorities outlined one year ago in President Biden’s Executive Order, Secretary Vilsack’s Memorandum on Climate Resilience and Carbon Stewardship, as well as in the USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy, Climate Adaptation Plan, and Reforestation Strategy. “Our forest ecosystems and communities are struggling to keep up with the stresses of climate change, whether it’s fire, drought, or insect infestations, it is clear that we must adapt quickly,” said USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment Homer Wilkes. “The USDA and our federal, tribal, state, local and community partners are working together to meet these challenges, pooling knowledge, sharing resources and discovering new ways to conserve resources, protect communities and ensure future generations can enjoy the countless benefits our forests provide.” Newly Released Joint Reports on Forest Conservation The Mature and Old-Growth Forest report defines what mature and old growth forests are, establishes the first-ever initial inventory of those forests, and shows their distribution across lands managed by the USDA Forest Service and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management. The initial inventory identified more than 32 million acres of old-growth and around 80 million acres of mature forest across 200 types of forests. The initial inventory found that old-growth forest represents 18 percent and mature forests another 45 percent of all forested land managed by the two agencies. Recognizing the many values of mature and old-growth forests, both agencies conducted significant outreach to gather public input from communities, tribes, scientists, and agency professionals in the report’s development. Like all the nation’s forests, mature and old-growth forests are threatened by climate change and associated stressors. The initial inventory and definitions for mature and old-growth forests are part of an overarching climate-informed strategy to help retain carbon, reduce wildfire risk, and address climate-related impacts, including increased insects and disease. As directed in President Biden’s Executive Order and laid out in the report, the USDA Forest Service and the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management Continued on page 29 Page 6 Import/Export Wood Purchasing News n June/July 2023 Import/Export Wood Purchasing News n June/July 2023 Page 7
