This award will upgrade log processing systems in a facility-wide upgrade that includes a sorter top upgrade, auto-rotation correction, board edger control replacement, and a new slowdown belt

MT. Hood Forest Products, LLC received a $1.0 million grant award dated August 20, 2025, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, under the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act Financial Assistance to Facilities that Purchase and Process Byproducts for Ecosystem Restoration program (CFDA 10.725). The award will fund a facility-wide log processing system upgrade at the awardee's Oregon-based mill, including installation of a sorter top upgrade, auto-rotation correction system, board edger control replacement, and a new slowdown belt. These capital equipment improvements are designed to significantly enhance mill production efficiency and output while enabling the facility to more effectively process materials sourced from restoration projects on federal and Tribal lands.

The project, which must be completed by April 30, 2027, aligns with the federal program's objective to reduce vegetation removal costs on public lands by creating viable commercial markets for ecosystem restoration byproducts. By upgrading these critical log processing components, the facility will be better positioned to procure and process materials from high-priority ecological restoration areas affected by wildfire, insect, or disease risk, thereby supporting sustainable forest management and rural economic development in the Pacific Northwest Region.

Upgrading these critical components can significantly enhance the mill's production efficiency and output. This will enhance processing of materials from restoration projects on federal and tribal lands.