b'18American Journal of Transportation ajot.comDroneSeed acquires largest private forestry seed supplier in the Western USDriven by increasing demand for reforestation in the face of wildfires and climate change, acquisition of Silvaseed Co. posi-tions DroneSeed as vertically-integrated leader in reforestationDroneSeed announced it has acquiredTackling the national shortage of SilvaseedCompany,a130year-oldtree seed & seedlings is critical to mit-titan in the forestry seed collection andigate the exponentially increasing loss seedlingsupplybusiness.Themoveof forests due to wildfire and climate expandsDroneSeedsreforestationchange.Forestsarenaturallyregen-servicesbeyondaerialdrone-basederatingfeweracresasfiresimpact seeding to span seed collection, seed- larger areas, burn hotter, and natural lingcultivationinnurseries,andon- seed banks in the soil and treetops the-ground tree planting services. Theget torched. There arent enough seeds acquisition comes at a critical time inor nursery capacity to regrow the treesSCA Wood has purchased two Kalmar medium electric forklift trucks for use at its Bollsta sawmill the forestry industry, with skyrocket- being lost each year the existing refor- in northern Sweden.ing demand for reforestation and manyestation supply-chain evolved to boost treenurseriesfacingsignificantseedregeneration in a minor percentage ofKalmar and SCA pilot use and seedling shortages.fires,andnowclimatechangefueled With the compounding crises ofwildfirehasincreaseddemandmanyof electric powered forkliftclimatechange,wildfiresandforesttimes over and supply of seed and seed-loss, accelerating the pace and scale oflingshasntincreased.DroneSeedis reforestation is essential, said Granteager to begin addressing this by build- Kalmar,partofCargotec,andreplace fossil fuel forklift trucks with Canary, CEO of DroneSeed. By cre- ing upon Silvaseeds robust infrastruc- SCA, the Swedish forestry company,electricallypoweredforklifttrucks. atingtheindustrysfirstvertically- ture and utilizing its aerial tech. arecollaboratingtoimprovesafety,SCA Wood has purchased two Kalmar integrated reforestation company, weAs we look to the future, we areproductivity and sustainability in themediumelectricforklifttrucksfor now offer a one-stop-shop of refor- pleased that DroneSeed will continueforestry industry. As part of this col- use at its Bollsta sawmill in northern estation services for landowners andour work of reforesting the land welaboration, SCA is piloting the use ofSweden.Bollstasawmilloperates foresters: starting from seed supply, tolove in a way that is scalable and sus- electrically powered forklift trucks inarangeofmobileequipmentfrom aerial enhanced seeding, to seedlingtainable said retiring former-ownersorder to reduce the use of fossil fuelsKalmar and other manufacturers, with cultivation,totraditionalreplanting,and brothers David and Mike Gerdesin its value chain. allunitscoveredbyaKalmarCare and more. Were thrilled to build onofSilvaseedbyemail.Transition- In 2020, SCA climate benefit wasservice agreement.Silvaseeds track record and are dou- ing our business to DroneSeed made9.6 million tons of CO2, which cor- Johan Olofsson, Technical Direc-blingcapacityatSilvaseedtomeetsense from both a strategic and practi- responds to emissions from Swedenstor,SCAWood:Itisclearthatwe intensifying demand.cal perspective.passenger cars. To increase the com- need to cut the use of diesel and oil in panys climate benefit further, severalour production, and we actively seek initiatives are under way to phase outtopartnerwithsupplierswhoshare fossil fuels used in its operations.our vision of a fossil-free future. As a Oneofsuchinitiativesisto(FORKLIFTcontinued on page 19)SAVE SAVETIME & MONEYDroneSeeds reforestation services beyond aerial drone-based seeding to span seed collection, DIRECT ACCESSTRADING INBULK, BREAK BULK,SEAMLESS SUPPLY seedling cultivation INTO ALL OF NORTHOVER 50 GLOBALLIQUID & CHAIN WITH A (VOLATILEcontinued fromshowanincreaseindollarvalueinAMERICA MARKETS SPECIAL CARGO CONNECTED NETWORKpage 17) June and July figures, supporting the had been put on hold roared back tolower prices and easing of supplies.SIMPLE. lifeasbuildersrushedtocompleteBut at this writing, lumber prices them before winter starts. Most playershave begun creeping up and inventoryCOMPETITIVE. agreed prices had generally hit bottom,has been pared back and supply side though the real proof will come post- lag times are lengthening. unsettlingCONNECTED.Labor Day. Andperhapsthemore WoodResourcesInternational,isthepotentialdisruptionsfromthe intheirWRIMarketInsights2021Delta variant. The U.S. has already seen (3 rd quarter)wroteintheiranalysiswhat the COVID-19 pandemic can do of the rise and fall of lumber prices,to create labor shortages in industries.EUROPE U.S. MID-WESTCanadian lumber prices have spikedShould the Delta variant cause sustainedTO SPECIAL CARGOTOsimilar to U.S. prices through 2021,major disruptions to U.S. sawmill pro- U.S. MID-WEST ICON/BADGE NORTH AFRICAwith a record high in May followedduction, where will the U. S. consum-by sharp declines during June throughersgoforlumberandatwhatprice? August. Adding, Due to the strongParticularly, if the Delta variant begins U.S. lumber market, Canada and thesqueezing supplies and processing capa- SHIP WITH US TODAYU.S. reduced lumber exports overseasbilities in other high profile consuming in the first half of 2021.countries, such as China, Japan, India or IntheDescartes-DatamynedataEurope. Under such a scenario a short-[Descartes-Datamyne is one the bestageinsuppliescouldtriggeranother companiesattrackingoceanU.S.steep climb in lumber prices, similar to importsandexports]lumberchartsthe one that occurred in 2020.'