Advertise on podcast: The FBS Podcast

In this episode of The FBS Podcast, discover how The Woods Run Digest—a free daily forestry and forest products briefing from The Forest Business School—helps timberland owners, loggers, mill operators, and wood-products managers across the United States and Canada cut through operational noise and eliminate unseen costs. The episode breaks down the briefing's core weekday features, including the six-indicator By the Numbers market table, niche industry insights in Under the Radar, time-sensitive timber sales, bids, and grants in Action Detector, and practical tools in Today’s Featured Resource. Listeners also get an overview of the public web archive, weekend profiles and human-interest stories, and exact subscription guidance for subscribe.forestenterprise.org—including how to select weekday-only delivery or reach out via Contact Steve Bick for subscriber assistance.

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.

Welcome to episode two of this special two-part series of the FBS Podcast, brought to you as part of The Forest Business School’s ongoing commitment to helping mid-career professionals in forestry and wood products navigate complex industry challenges. Prompted by the recent decision by Finch Paper to stop purchasing roundwood for its pulp operations, this episode explores how other practical, working forest businesses and regions have successfully adapted to similar devastating low-grade wood market losses. Drawing directly from the latest Business and Market Responses report, we bypass the generic advice to look at real operational pivots—from company-level product diversification like integrated firewood expansions to multi-supplier logging cooperatives and regional industrial mill conversions. We unpack the hard truths of survival: why securing repeat customers and solid distribution channels must happen before investing in new processing equipment, the critical importance of matching your specific feedstock to the right process, and the harsh realities of cash flow and operational bottlenecks. If you are a contractor, sawmill manager, or forester figuring out what to do with your low-grade wood, listen in for grounded, actionable takeaways, and be sure to visit pivot.vtfbs.com for a copy of the full paper and related resources.

Welcome to episode one of a special two-part series of the FBS Podcast, where we break down Finch Paper's recent decision to halt local roundwood pulpwood purchases and what it signals about the continuing national loss of low-grade wood markets. Designed specifically for mid-career forestry and wood products professionals, this episode explores the real-world squeeze this market contraction puts on logging businesses, trucking routes, and silvicultural options for foresters and landowners. We cut through the noise to discuss the practical implications for your margins, equipment utilization, and long-term operating resilience, focusing on actionable insights rather than generic business advice. Be sure to visit pivot.vtfbs.com to download your own copy of the Primer on Low Grade Wood Market Losses and access similar resources to follow along with the data driving today's conversation.

This podcast episode explores how two free independent web applications, FCO (https://fco.forestenterprise.org/) and CARBINE (https://carbine.forestenterprise.org/), are lowering the steep technical learning curve for foresters, landowners, and forest businesses seeking to answer practical forest carbon questions. The discussion details how FCO provides a clean, user-friendly doorway into broad-area carbon estimates from the USDA Forest Service's FIA and EVALIDator databases, preserving official uncertainty data without inventing substitute numbers. The conversation then shifts to CARBINE, which tackles the notoriously difficult and finicky Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) by translating its complex input requirements into an accessible, browser-based workflow for stand-level carbon scenario exploration. Ultimately, the episode highlights how these complementary tools—FCO for regional context and CARBINE for stand-level management projections—work together to make powerful public data and modeling systems accessible for real-world decision-making and communication.

In this episode, we break down the latest details onVermont's $31.7 million Agriculture and Timber Disaster Assistance Block Grant, designed to help working-lands businesses recover from the severe 2023 and 2024storms and flooding. With the application portal expected to open later in 2026, we discuss exactly who may be eligible—from timber owners to logging contractors—and how you can start gathering your records and documentation right now to prepare your application. For additional guidance, we point listeners to disaster.vtfbs.com for grant help.

In this episode, we dive into SumBuck, a free and robust virtual training app that provides hands-on practice for hardwood log bucking and grading. Developed by Steve Bick of the Forest Business School, this innovative tool allows forestry professionals and students to practice cutting tree-length stems without the risk of wasting real wood or production time. We discuss how the app acts as a risk-free simulator where users can compare their cuts against an optimizer to see how factors like length, diameter, and changing market prices impact the overall value of a log. Whether you are a small business owner looking to yield higher value from your hardwood or an educator running a workshop, this episode will show you how to build your field judgment faster—just be warned, virtual bucking can be highly addictive. “You’d be a woreout sumbuck. I’ll tell you that. Think how good you’d sleep.” - Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses

In this episode of the FBS podcast, we walk listenersthrough a revolutionary, step-by-step method to build a clean, professional one-page website with absolutely no coding required, no web developer, and zero monthly hosting fees. Tune in to discover how to effortlessly use Claude AI asyour digital architect to shape your raw business details into a functioning site, and learn how to securely host your files for free using GitHub Pages. Bythe end of this episode, you will understand the exact blueprint for claiming your digital plot and maintaining complete ownership over your business'swebsite.  There is even a free guide to how to build your and upload your website at www.build.vtfbs.com.    TheForest Business School has a one-session online course on how to build yourwebsite – reach out if you want to host one of these classes or offer it through your organization.

In this episode, we explore the critical transition fromfragmented, paper-based operations to integrated digital systems for forest-based small businesses like sawmills, logging crews, and firewood producers. We discuss how reliance on manual data entry and intuitive decision-making creates an "invisible system failure," leading to acumulative value leakage of up to 20-35% across procurement, conversion, and distribution. By examining the "technician trap" that keeps owners bogged down in daily tasks, the episode highlights why heavy, expensiveenterprise software fails these smaller operations and why lightweight, mobile-first technologies—such as ruggedized tablets, scaling apps, and cloud-based inventory tools—are essential. Ultimately, listeners will learn howadopting these incremental, fit-for-purpose digital tools provides the real-time operational visibility needed to maximize yield, improve throughput, and transform a functioning business into a highly optimized asset

In this episode of The FBS Podcast, we tackle the singlebiggest hurdle for owner-operators in forestry, sawmilling, and field services: how to scale your business without sacrificing the craftsmanship your reputation is built on. We explore the critical transition from being the "primary engine" of production to becoming the navigator, breakingdown why the belief that "no one does it like I do" inevitably leads to burnout and business bottlenecks. Listeners will discover actionable strategies for delegating judgment rather than just tasks—such as defining"acceptable ranges" and utilizing "reverse-shadowing"—allowing you to maintain high standards and quality control through visual benchmarks rather than corporate bureaucracy. Join us as we discuss the necessary identity shift from being the best operatoron the crew to the leader who ensures the work gets done right, even when youaren't holding the tool.

In this episode of the FBS Podcast, we unpack the concept of a “psychopathic sense of urgency,” from a great article by Tim Denning. This is a mindset arguing that forest-based businesses fail not from a lack of capability, but because plans linger and decisions slide into the off-season. We explain why waiting for perfect information is a trap where opportunities rot, and how shifting from weekly rhythms to daily iteration allows operators to learn faster than weather and market conditions change. Drawing on the reality that “next year” is often just a polite way of saying “never,” we discuss why imbalance is a feature of success rather than a cause of burnout, and how to collapse the distance between an idea and its execution to achieve years of progress in just 90 days.