July 25, 2025

From the Director’s Desk: Your Average July, PFI-Member American Wood Fibers Awarded Wood Innovation Grant, PFI Board of Directors Installs Five New Members, Names Executive Committee

Your Average July

July serves as a porch or foyer to the early season buy that really boosts wood pellet sales in August (191,416 tons) and September (197,342 tons). With a five-year average sales figure of 140,125 tons, July relies on the really early birds for its sales, while the data shows that the bulk of pellet consumers use August and September to lay in their supply of wood pellets for the season. The month shows some range, with an all-time July sales high of 192,294 tons in 2020 and a much more modest all-time low sales figure of 111,457 tons logged last year.

The five-year average for production for July is 146,637 tons. Interestingly, the range in the five-year averages by month for production has really flattened out. Six months fall into the 140,000–150,000-ton window. October averages the highest production at 173,601 tons, and April posts the lowest average at 131,039 tons.

Historically, wood pellet inventories have remained largely flat in July, with summertime production matching those “early-early” buy purchases. In 2023 and 2024, however, July saw inventoried pellets grow. In 2024, producers added 34,000 tons of pellets to their stored inventory, and in 2023 just slightly less, at 32,000. Last year, inventories swelled to 361,669 tons, the highest inventory position in six years. We exited March with 241,816 tons this year, almost 75,000 fewer tons than we had in March of 2024, so I suspect this year’s high-water mark will fall short of the eye-popping numbers we saw in the late spring and summer of 2024.

July 5-year Averages

West
Sales – 26,229
Production – 36,738
Inventory – 77,011

South
Sales – 25,193
Production – 17,495
Inventory – 56,313 

All U.S.
Sales – 140,126
Production – 146,637
Inventory – 292,425 

PFI-Member American Wood Fibers Awarded Wood Innovation Grant

Last week, the U.S. Forest Service announced the awarding of $80 million in Wood Innovation Grants (see Industry News section). Included in this round of grant awards is PFI Producer Member American Wood Fibers. I reached out to PFI Board Member and American Wood Fibers President and CEO Stephen Faehner about the award this week. “We saw an opportunity to pelletize some materials in one of our California operations that weren’t necessarily a great fit for our shavings product,” Faehner said. This award isn’t the first for American Wood Fibers, having secured a similar grant for a novel drying system a handful of years ago. “We’ve thrown our hat into the ring quite a bit on these things. We haven’t been successful each time, but we have had a few projects that won support from this program.” Faehner went on to talk about how important the Wood Innovation Grant program is and how vital the organization’s continued advocacy for this important piece of the Farm Bill is. Congratulations to Stephen and the team at AWF.

PFI Board of Directors Installs Five New Members, Names Executive Committee

During the membership meeting at the conclusion of the PFI Annual Conference, we welcomed five new board members to their first term on the board. Joining the board are Alison Snider (Lignetics), Tom Plaugher (W.C. Bradley), Cameron Merrick (Somerset Pellet Fuel), Pat Curran (Curran Renewables), and Matt Klein (Easy Heat Wood Pellets).

The Executive Committee for 2025–26 will be Kenny Lisle, Lignetics (Past Chair); Scott Cummings, Barefoot Pellet (Chair); Matt O’Malley, O’Malley Wood Pellets (Vice Chairman); and Stan Elliot, Pacific Coast Pellets (Secretary/Treasurer).

The Board of Directors celebrated two board retirements as well, saying goodbye to Billy Hoskins (Easy Heat) and Frank Kvietok (Lignetics). Thank you to everyone for their commitment to the Pellet Fuels Institute.

—Tim Portz
 Executive Director

Save the Date for the 2026 Annual Conference

Photo of the Week:

Speaking of Stephen: It appears that Stephen Faehner is reaching into his jacket pocket, perhaps to show his industry colleagues the grant application that netted him a Wood Innovation Grant this year during a networking event at the 2025 Pellet Fuels Institute Annual Conference. Standing next to him and ready to review his application are Jase Locke (Amandus Kahl USA) and Don Wagner (Lignetics).

Source: Pellet Fuels Institute

Send Us Your Photos! Help us build a collection of photos of our members, their pellet mills, and products! Send images to Tim Portz at [email protected].

Industry News

EIA Monthly Densified Biomass Report (now with March data)

As of March 2025, the monthly data collection included 75 operating manufacturers of densified biomass fuel. These manufacturers had a total production capacity of 13.04 million tons per year and collectively had an equivalent of 2,640 full-time employees.

View Data

Heating Degree Day Data

Heating Degree Day Data Weekly Summary
Climate Prediction Center-NCEP-NWS-NOAA
Accumulations are from July 1, 2024 to July 19, 2025

View Data

USDA Invests $80 Million to Expand Timber Markets, Protect Forests, Fuel Economic Growth

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the U.S. Forest Service is awarding $80 million in Wood Innovation Grants to spur wood products manufacturing, expand active forest management, and accelerate energy innovation across America’s timber-producing communities.

Read Article

EUDR at a Crossroads: Delays, Simplification, and Mounting Tension

Almost every day, a new development impacting the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) comes to light. In the last month alone, the EU has been urged to change its benchmarking system and delay enforcement another 12 months.

Some agree, others don't. As the debate heats up, who is taking which side, and why?

Read Article

Fuel Availability

Are you a PFI member, pellet manufacturer, or distributor that has fuel available? Email the PFI Office to have your listing updated or added to the PFI website.

Become a Member

Not a member yet? Learn more about how PFI can work for you and join today!

Follow PFI on X, and Link with us on LinkedIn!

We’d like to connect and interact with PFI members and anyone else involved in pellet fuels production! 

Here’s how you can help us build our online community:

1. Follow us on X and LinkedIn!
2. Encourage your colleagues and other business associates to follow us.
3. Email Tim Portz at [email protected] with news or other ideas to post on PFI’s social media.

Join a PFI Committee

We welcome and encourage all interested PFI members to get involved in our committees. There are many opportunities to help steer the association. No matter where your expertise and interests lie, we have a committee that will suit you. Help us plan our next conference, shape our policy agenda, lead communications outreach, or grow the PFI Standards Program.

Visit PFI's Committee Page for more information.

Have News to Share in the Pellet Wire?

We would love to feature your company's news in a future Pellet Wire! Let us be the first to know about your company's recent developments, and we will share them with the broader pellet fuels industry.

Please consider the Pellet Wire for staff announcements, new hires, promotions, and retirements. 

Please get in touch with Tim Portz via email at [email protected] with information on your company's growth, job openings, or other news.