National Hardwood Magazine - October 2020

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READ EVERY ISSUE ONLINE nationalhardwoodmag.com NEWS DEVELOPMENTS Continued PREMIUM NORTHERN HARDWOOD LUMBER Ryan Peterson – Sales Manager (715) 533-6193 rpeterson@northernhardwoods.com Matt Grube (920) 740-9140 mgrube@northernhardwoods.com Atlantic Mine, MI Newberry, MI www.northernhardwoods.com uct, logistics, and installation services in locations throughout the United States, with a total value of more than .56 million. A list of all NWFA R.I.S.E. participating companies can be found at http://www.nwfa.org/giv ing-back.aspx. By the end of this year, 70 specially adapted smart homes will be completed or underway through the Gary Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E. program. To learn more about the program, and how you and/or your company can get involved, contact the NWFA at 800-422-4556, or email them at anita.howard@nwfa.org. The National Wood Flooring Association is a not-for-profit trade organization, with more than 3,200 member companies world-wide, dedicated to educating consumers, architects, designers, specifiers and builders in the uses and benefits of wood flooring. Their offices can be contacted at 800-422-4556 (USA & Canada), 636-519-9663 (local and international), or at www.nwfa.org. MILLION IN CORONOVIRUS RELIEF FUNDS AVAILABLE Recently the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) announced the Forest Economy Stabilization Grant Program (FESG) to provide million in Coronovirus 62 OCTOBER 2020 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE

Relief Funds to eligible forest products businesses in Vermont. FPR announced it is working with other state agencies and the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) to deliver this program. To receive economic relief, forest products businesses must have experienced economic harm as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency that was ,000 or more in cumulative revenue loss in the months of March, April, May, June and July of 2020 when compared to the cumulative revenue in the same months of 2019. At the time that the Vermont governor signed the Act, grants ranged from ,000 to 0,000 for revenue loss replacement and were being made available to eligible businesses on a firstcome, first-served basis. A summary of qualifying criteria is as follows: applicants must be a forest products business primarily engaged in managing, harvesting, trucking, processing, manufacturing, crafting, or distributing forest or wood products, any portion of which must be sourced from Vermont forests. Businesses may not receive FESG that would reimburse them for revenue losses previously covered by a grant from another State of Vermont agency, department or program. At presstime, the governor’s office’s instructions for applying stated that if a company is eligible for these funds, visit the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to view required documentation, and sign up to stay informed on when these grants will be announced and other related details. For more information regarding available grant funds that remain, email Forests.CovidResponse@ vermont.gov. TARIFF EXCLUSIONS EXTENDED ON SOME FURNITURE The office of the U.S. Trade Representative in Washington, DC, recently released an announcement that tariff exclusions on some Chi- nese products have been extended. Wooden framed upholstered seats other than chairs and not of cane, bamboo or similar material, and each measuring a specific diameter, are among the exclusions. These exclusions come from the 0 billion worth of Chinese products made subject to tariffs in September 2018. Exclusions on the remainder of these items expired in August of this year. For a full list of exclusions, visit www.ustr.gov. n IT FITS! The New McDonough Opti-Fit Edger 715-834-7755 www.mcdonough-mfg.com OCTOBER 2020 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 63