NEWS

What's the oldest tree on Earth, and will it survive climate change?
 

Answer:  Bristlecone pines, which can survive for up to 5,000 years, were thought to be the planet’s oldest living things. Now a tree in Chile is posing a challenge.

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The 2022 Remodeling Impact Report shows that hardwood projects had the highest payoff. Refinishing hardwood floors and installing new wood flooring provided a return on investment of 147% and 118%, respectively. Homeowners who invest in hardwoods and conversions of basements into living areas are most likely to more than recover costs when selling.

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Luxury vinyl tile, which is often designed to look like wood, is created from layers of thin plastic made with fossil fuels. A new report shows that very often, that plastic is produced using forced Uyghur labor.

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The Intercept: TOXIC TILES: How Vinyl Flooring Made With Uyghur Forced Labor Ends Up at Big Box Stores

Record-breaking diesel fuel prices are forcing some logging and trucking operations to shut down. Fuel was once 25% of the operational cost of running a truck. Now, that has increased to more than 60%. "When it costs $1,118 to fill up a logging truck, plus the other expenses to operate, there is not a profit at the end of the day." 

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Despite the Russia-Ukraine war and subsequent tariffs, imports of Russian hardwood plywood grew by 44% in the first four months of this year vs. the same period last year. In April, imports directly from Russia appeared to have slowed a bit after the U.S. imposed tariffs, but imports of birch plywood from Vietnam grew by 206% to 427 million square feet. Russia is a likely source for a substantial amount of the imports of birch plywood from Vietnam.