June 1st marked the 113th Annual Meeting of the New Hampshire Timber Owners Association (NHTOA) held this year DeMeritt Hill Farm in Lee, NH. Attendees were treated to a verity of tours, including self-guided tours of the DeMerritt Hill Farm, Logging Camp, and forest management trails, as well as a silviculture tour led by members of the UNH Cooperative Extension at the nearby Lee Town Forest.
Following lunch, the 2024 NHTOA Awards Ceremony recognized several industrious members from many sectors of the timber industry, including tree farm managers, loggers, and forest products truckers. President Shelagh Connelly and Senior Project Manager Charley Hanson proudly accepted the Outstanding Forest Products Industry Award on behalf of RMI, which recognized the substantial quantities of residuals sourced from the timber industry that we recycle on an annual basis, as well as our contributions to the industry on a legislative level.
Last year, RMI recycled a total of 32,930 tons of wood ash and 32,661 tons of short paper fiber, 17,260 and 1,034 tons out of New Hampshire biomass and paper mills, respectively. Instead of going to landfill, RMI utilized these residuals as beneficial soil amendments and topsoil components, returning essential nutrients back into our native soils and restoring the productivity of the land.
Shelagh has advocated on a legislative level, collaborating with other organizations in the industry to create and support outreach efforts, educate the public on the many benefits of biomass and responsible forest management, and speak in support of at legislative events.
We are very thankful to the NHTOA for honoring us with this prestigious award and will continue to do our part to be good advocates for the timber industry. In addition, RMI donated a load of agricultural wood ash to the NHTOA Silent Auction which was won by one of our customers! If you haven’t already, make sure to check out the NHTOA’s website here: https://nhtoa.org/ where you can find information about upcoming events, education and workshop opportunities, legislative updates, and a directory for Certified Loggers and Licensed Foresters.