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From forests to mills, thousands of IAM members work in all stages of wood and paper processing.237 Union woodworkers–and the businesses they support–are critical to rural economies from Maine to Washington. Analysts project that demand for forest products will remain steady, and even inch up, in the coming years.238 However, climate change could cause upheaval in the industry, with serious consequences for workers and their families.
Extreme swings in weather patterns affect wood and paper workers in several ways. “When you have extreme temperatures, and then you add steam, paper mills become saunas,” says Woodworkers Director Bob Walls.239 As a consequence of increased heat waves, hydration is a growing concern for woodworkers.240 Warmer winters are limiting the days that loggers, who often rely on frozen forest ground to operate heavy machinery, can harvest trees.241 Shorter harvest seasons mean fewer working hours throughout the industry’s supply chain.
Forest fires pose another growing threat to woodworkers and the industry as a whole. The links between forest fires and climate change are well documented.242 More frequent fires destroy forests and worsen air quality for workers and surrounding communities. Climate change is also increasing the frequency of deep freezes, heat waves, torrential rains, droughts, and extreme storms–all of which shorten harvesting seasons and destroy timber.243 Unpredictable and extreme weather is putting downward pressure on working conditions for all woodworkers.
The consequences of the changing climate pose a serious threat to the working-class communities that produce wood and paper products. With destructive wildfires on the rise, rural homeowners are finding it increasingly difficult to find affordable insurance.244 Walls also observes that worsening weather conditions are accelerating mechanization in some regions. “They make technology to replace the people so that equipment gets damaged and not people,” says Walls.245 Woodworkers are in a bind. On one hand, climate-fueled weather events are hurting workers and their communities. On the other hand, some regulations intended to reduce the causes of climate change could negatively affect the industry.
Despite these risks, a more sustainable industry could create new opportunities for woodworkers. The IRA mobilized $1.5 billion for forest restoration, which, in some states, will
238 Cosgrove, Jannke, and Laughton, “2024 Outlook for the Forest Products Industry.”
include logging in overgrown forests.246 Forest thinning could prevent fires, provide timber for woodworking, and create good sustainable forestry jobs. Trees capture and store carbon, making forests an essential emissions-reduction resource. According to the US Forest Service, America's forests sequester over 800 million tons of carbon a year, which is roughly 12% of the country’s annual emissions.247 Reforestation could reduce emissions, help clean air and water, and sustainably provide materials for a variety of timber products.248
Tree care in populated areas is another space for job creation and union organizing. Poorly managed trees create safety hazards, especially as intense storms become more commonplace. In July of 2024 more than 30 arborists at Truetimber in Richmond, Virginia, became the first unionized residential tree care workers in the United States.249 Organizing campaigns in an increasingly important industry is another way for the IAM to grow membership while contributing to climate mitigation.
In addition, nascent technologies in construction are poised to create demand for sustainably harvested timber products. The construction industry accounts for roughly 38% of global total CO2 emissions. When manufactured sustainably, “mass timber” products, such as cross- laminated timbers (CLT), are a low-emissions alternative to traditional materials like cement. Mass timbers spur decarbonization by creating demand for carbon-sequestering trees and reducing the use of concrete, which emits significant amounts of carbon during production.250 Buildings made with mass timbers are also less likely to release harmful chemical compounds over time, which leads to improved air quality for occupants.251
Already popular in Europe, North American developers have already built hundreds of new buildings with engineered mass timbers and have plans for more projects on a growing scale.252 Local authorities are changing building codes to allow for mass timber construction.253 $350 million in IRA funding for reducing the building sector’s carbon footprint could also boost demand for mass timbers.254
Mass timber production is an emerging organizing opportunity for the IAM, but re-introducing timber products in construction will only meaningfully reduce emissions if raw materials come from sustainably managed forests.255 Rapid deforestation in unregulated markets is destroying forests, contributing to climate change, and hurting the North American woodworking industry. Through involvement in Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), IAM
246 Kaufman, Leslie, “How to Prevent Forest Fires by Building Cities With More Wood.”
247 Norman, Calvin and Kreye, Melissa, “How Forests Store Carbon.”
248 Pett-Ridge et al., “Roads to Removal: Options for Carbon Dioxide Removal in the United States.”
250 U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Climate Smart Buildings Ahead.”
251 Kleeman, Alexandra, “Use of Cross-Laminated Timber May Rise in the U.S.”
252 Kolson Hurley, Amanda, “Why Wood Is the Breakout Architecture Star of the Early 21st Century.”
253 Kleeman, Alexandra, “Use of Cross-Laminated Timber May Rise in the U.S.”
254 Kaufman, Leslie, “How to Prevent Forest Fires by Building Cities With More Wood.”
leaders have advocated for international sustainability standards.256 The IAM is also a member of the Building and Woodworkers Congress (BWI) which is leading campaigns against deforestation in the Amazon to both protect the climate and the woodworking trade.257