The FBS Podcast

In this episode of the FBS Podcast, titled Surviving HardwoodMarket Shifts, the discussion opens with the question of what business owners would change if today's markets persist for another five years, exploring the Forest Resources Association award-winning publication An Overview of the Hardwood Industry in the 21st Century by Scott Bowe and Matt Bumgardner. The episode analyzes the major structural shifts that have reshaped the industry over the past quarter-century, including the offshoring of domestic furniture manufacturing, severe housing disruptions, the rise andsubsequent 42 percent contraction of hardwood lumber exports, the growing domestic reliance on industrial markets like pallets and ties, and pressure from substitute materials such as luxury vinyl plank. Grounded in The ForestBusiness School Report, the conversation translates these industry trends into actionable management principles for sawmill owners, loggers, truckers, and foresters, distinguishing temporary downturns from permanent structural shifts. Rather than relying on an uncertain market recovery, the episode focuses on decisions owners can directly control—evaluating whole-harvest economics,connecting capital investments to genuine sales constraints, protecting owner compensation and cash flow, and identifying the vital few operational adjustmentsneeded to sustain a viable business.

In this episode of the FBS Podcast, we explore the National Forest Products Tax Credit Sourcebook, a free national screening guide compiled by Steve Bick of The Forest Business School alongside Alison Berry and Maura Ross to help mills, logging businesses, and wood-products employers navigate federal and state financial incentives. Many straightforward tax credits—such as workforce training, hiring, and mill-floor research incentives—are frequently overlooked by forestry and wood-products enterprises simply because operators do not realize these broader programs apply to their day-to-day operations. Listeners will learn how the companion website allows users to search, filter, and compare tax credits across all 50 states, as well as how to download the complete PDF publication. The creators intend to maintain an annual update cycle for the publication alongside ongoing minor website updates as new credits emerge or users submit corrections. Grounded in practical substance rather than hype, this episode reflects The Forest Business School’s commitment to delivering actionable financial and economic guidance for mid-career professionals across the forestry and wood-products sector

In this episode of the FBS Podcast, we take a briefdeparture from our usual business topics to explore the inspiring life and forty-year forestry career of Ernest Wells Blue, a rural farm boy from Oneida County who rose to become one of New York's most effective conservation leaders. We trace Blue's operational journey through the lens of high agency, highlighting his quiet, practical ingenuity in collaborating with D. B. Smith & Company in his home county to adapt agricultural sprayers into the legendary Indian Fire Pump. The episode also details his profound personalhistory, exploring the tragic loss of his son, Malcolm, a B-24 navigator killed in World War II, and Blue’s initiative to dedicate the beautiful Cathedral Pines memorial stand in Hamilton County—a site that remains deeply worth avisit today. More than a historical biography, this episode illustrates the power of resourcefulness and stewardship, reflecting The Forest Business School’s core commitment to helping mid-career professionals in forestry and wood products develop the practical capacity to expand the field of possible action in their own fields.

In this episode of the FBS Podcast, listeners get an inside look at the flagship 6-Month Essentials Program of Study as applications officially open for the 2026–27 cohorts. Directed at mid-career rural and forest-sector business owners, theepisode discusses how this structured remote program helps working professionals transition from skilled technical experts to highly capable business decision-makers and leaders. The discussion outlines the Socratic, lecture-free approach where a tight peer group tackles critical topics—such asoperational improvement, financial literacy, sales, project management, and productive habits—and remains a supportive alumni network long after the six months wrap up. Listeners are also given a candid warning about applicantexpectations, highlighting that space is limited and reserved only for mature, responsive, and highly committed adults who do the work and communicate professionally. Finally, the episode highlights that the upcoming session running from October 2026 to March 2027 is the last Vermont-specific cohort before the program moves entirely national, directing Vermont applicants to www.vtfbs.com and national applicants to www.forestenterprise.orgto apply.

In this episode of the FBS Podcast, we unpack the immediate financial and silvicultural shockwaves triggered by Finch Paper's sudden decision to halt roundwood purchases and cease pulp production. Forestry and timber procurementprofessionals from across the Northeast and beyond recently gathered remotely in a Forest Business School open forum to discuss the rapid market fallout, including $6-per-ton price drops and slashed supplier quotas at neighboringmills, collapsing stumpage values, and economically unsustainable hauling times. The conversation goes beyond the immediate market gridlock to address severesilvicultural setbacks—such as standing low-grade hemlock with nowhere to go and a forced shift toward landowner-funded paid forest improvement cuts—whilecritically evaluating the actual capacity of alternative markets like biochar, animal bedding, and pellets to absorb the displaced volume. Candid, pragmatic, and deeply grounded in regional business realities, this session exposes thesystemic decline of traditional paper markets and outlines what it will take for loggers, consulting foresters, and landowners to adapt and survive.