Sawyer County Board approves Supporting Forestry Revitalization Act

HAYWARD, Wis. (WBZH) – The Sawyer County Board is signing off on a potential plan to build an aviation fuel production plant in Hayward. 

The Sawyer County Board signaled their support earlier this month while considering the county budget. Sawyer County Administrator Mike Markgren says the project will help Hayward’s economy. 

“You’ve got construction, you’ve got electricians, you’ve got plumbers, HVAC, everything all in those areas. So it’s a boost there. Beyond the 150, it brings in 200 supporting jobs in the logging industry and the trucking industry and everything related to that. So it would just be a huge boost to our area, to all of northern Wisconsin it would be a boost,” said Markgren.

The local approval comes as lawmakers in Madison consider a bill to create the plant and revitalize the forest industry in Wisconsin. Speaking in September, State Sen. Mary Felzkowski commented on the project. 

“There’s going to be an increasing demand for this type of fuel, and we are right at the forefront here in Wisconsin,” said Felzkowski. 

Under the bill, introduced last month, the state would give tax credits and bonding to build a production plant in Hayward to turn woody biomass into aviation fuel. The project would be a partnership between Johnson Timber and German energy company Synthec Fuels.

According to a report from the Wisconsin Council on Forestry, Wisconsin’s forestry industry is facing intertwined challenges with product manufacturing jobs decreasing 46 percent, forest products establishments decreasing 5.4 percent from 2019 to 2023, and an increase of Wisconsin logging businesses going out of business from 19 percent in 2003 to 30 percent in 2021.

Sawyer County’s approval is being messaged to Gov. Tony Evers, along with members of the state Legislature. If approved, production would start in 2029. 

Meanwhile, the Sawyer County Board also signed off on a grant application for the Sawyer County Senior Resource Center and kept the board supervisors salary per diem as is. 

They’re slated to meet again on the budget Nov. 12.