Biomass company to expand in Wythe County

Musser Biomass and Wood Products will invest $7.5 million to expand operations in Wythe County and add 10 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday afternoon.

The company, a division of Musser Lumber Co., will more than double production of dried hardwood chips and sawdust that the company supplies to composite decking manufacturers, plastic extrusion companies, and barbecue and heating wood pellet companies. It will also increase the purchase of leftover hardwoods from regional sawmills, creating a new market for the byproduct.

“Virginia’s forestry industry adds more than $23 billion to the commonwealth’s economy and employs over 108,000 Virginians, making it our third largest private sector industry,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Supporting companies like Musser Biomass and Wood Products helps to keep this industry strong and also spurs economic development in our rural communities.”

Musser Lumber was established in 1968 by Mike Musser. The company specializes in drying, surfacing and planing hardwood lumber for flooring and paneling, and it sources lumber from dozens of sawmills. In 2020,  the Mussers established Musser Biomass and Wood Products, enabling the company to purchase sawdust and wood chips from its mill supply base and grow its sales.

“We continue to execute our long-term plans to make Musser Biomass and Wood Products the top source for hardwood fiber solutions in the biomass industry. From heating and barbecue pellets, composite decking and other biomass markets, we are truly redefining the dry wood fiber market,” Musser Biomass and Wood Products President Ed Musser, who is the son of Mike Musser, said in a statement. “We are very appreciative of the support we have received from both our local administrators and the governor.”

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services worked with Wythe County and its Joint Industrial Development Authority to secure the project for the state. Youngkin approved a $75,000 grant for the expansion from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which Wythe County will match.

A 2020 AFID award to the company funded the purchase of a high-efficiency wood residual drying system. The units use lower temperatures and higher airflow to process more than 80,000 tons of wood fiber annually, and use 30% less energy and produce less dust and volatile organic compound pollution. A second AFID award in 2022 allowed the purchase of an additional dryer, Ed Musser told Virginia Business.