Latest news with #ScottPhillips
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Facing growing maintenance costs, SC Forestry Commission looks to replace 2 planes
The Table Rock fire in South Carolina's Upstate was one of three major fires the state Forestry Commission faced this spring, leading to increased costs. (Photo provided by S.C. Forestry Commission) COLUMBIA — After fighting three large fires earlier this year, the state's Forestry Commission is in the market to buy two airplanes that could help with future efforts. With final approval Tuesday from the state's fiscal oversight board, the commission can use $1.4 million from its reserves to replace two of its 10 planes with newer, more dependable models, according to documents submitted to the State Fiscal Accountability Authority. Those two planes, which are part of a decades-old fleet, have caused maintenance costs to climb and are more often out of commission, leading to the potential for gaps in firefighting during a year in which the commission has faced massive wildfires, Forester Scott Phillips wrote in a letter to the panel. Altogether, between Jan. 1 and the end of May, more than 31,000 acres burned in the state, commission spokesman Doug Wood told the SC Daily Gazette. For comparison, an average of 8,000 acres burned during the five years prior, he said. None of the fires led to injuries or deaths, and no structures were damaged, Forestry Commission officials have said. The commission's fleet of planes help spot and fight fires, as well as assess damage from storms, insects and diseases that affect trees, Phillips wrote in a letter seeking permission to spend an additional $1 million. That's on top of the $425,000 that legislators provided the agency in the 2022-23 state budget to buy two planes, which has gone unspent. Aircraft prices skyrocketed soon after, leaving the commission unable to find suitable planes for that price tag, he wrote. SC replacing state planes amid growing maintenance costs Typically, the commission leases its planes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through a program that loans federal hand-me-down planes, often originally used by the Department of Defense, to state foresters. Nearly the entire 10-plane fleet was manufactured in the 1960s, and two have mounting maintenance needs that make them more expensive and less effective, Wood said. Because of the ages of the commission's existing planes, they are 'more costly to maintain and have more downtime, which results in canceled missions due to aircraft availability,' Phillips wrote. The commission plans to buy two used four-seater Cessna 182T planes, produced between 2001 and 2013, which often sell for somewhere between $450,000 and $600,000. If none are available within the price range, the commission will pivot to buy the best plane that comes up on the market that the agency can afford, Phillips wrote. The expense of flying in aircraft from other states to fight three major fires this spring led to another funding request. The commission needed approval to use $1.5 million meant for salaries this fiscal year — but unspent due to vacancies at the agency — to instead cover its 'unprecedented' wildfire fighting costs, according to committee documents. The five-member oversight board approved the request Tuesday without discussion. The Table Rock and Persimmon Ridge fires in the Upstate, coupled with the Covington Drive fire in Horry County's Carolina Forest, burned more than 18,000 acres at the end of March and into early April. Fighting those fires had cost the commission about $11.3 million by mid-April, when the commission made its request, Phillips wrote. That number has likely grown, since the fires continued to burn long after they were contained. The total cost of fighting more than 1,500 fires that have burned across the state since the beginning of the year has not yet been calculated, since most of that comes from the agency's usual $55 million budget, Wood said. Firefighting partners from Florida took over command of the Horry County fire in March to give the South Carolina firefighters time to rest. Outside contractors also helped contain, suppress and monitor all three major fires, Wood said. Because of the large number of acres burned, especially during those three fires, those extra resources 'provided valuable assistance,' according to committee documents.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dorchester County purchase could bring SC state forest count to 7
A 1,644-acre forest tract in Dorchester County, known as Beech Hill, is to be preserved as a South Carolina state forest. (Photo provided by Brown Land + Plantation Advisors) The number of state forests in South Carolina could jump from five to seven. A land conservation group bought a 1,644-acre forest tract in the Lowcountry with plans to transfer it to the state Forestry Commission for management. Harbison State Forest in Richland County Manchester State Forest in Clarendon and Sumter counties Poe Creek State Forest in Oconee and Pickens counties Sand Hills State Forest in Chesterfield and Darlington counties Wee Tee State Forest in Williamsburg and Georgetown counties Source: SC Forestry Commission Thursday's announcement from Dorchester County follows a 2,700-acre purchase in Jasper County two weeks ago by the Nature Conservancy that was expected to become the first new state forest in 20 years. The Open Space Institute closed last week on its $11.35 million purchase of land called Beech Hill in Dorchester County, located between the Edisto River Wildlife Management Area and Givhans Ferry State Park, about 12 miles west of the fast-growing town of Summerville. The organization, in a statement, described the property as 'unusually high and dry for the Lowcountry,' putting it in higher demand for potential development as growth moves northwest out of Charleston. According to the Open Space Institute, it will be open to the public with for hunting, hiking and biking. 'This forested landscape represents a renewable resource that provides a multitude of benefits, including clean water, scenic beauty, wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation,' State Forester Scott Phillips said in a statement. 'This is another win for our state, its residents, and wildlife as we continue working with our partners to ramp up efforts to conserve working forests.' The land was previously used by WestRock to grow trees for its now-shuttered North Charleston paper mill. The purchase includes funding from the Forestry Commission and the South Carolina Conservation Bank, as well as Dorchester County, which will contribute $4.1 million from its Greenbelt Program. County voters approved a 1-cent local sales tax for conservation in 2022. Management of South Carolina's protected forests is funded through timber sales on the properties, according to the Forestry Commission's website. A quarter of revenue earned from the new forest will go to the Dorchester County School District, according to information provided by the Open Space Institute. The Nature Conservancy bought the Jasper County property, known as Chelsea Plantation, for $32 million. Originally nearly 6,000 acres, other parts of the tract had already been sold to home builders. Jasper County property could become SC's first new state forest in 20 years 'Developing Chelsea would have ushered in a new era of expansion in an already fast-growing region,' executive director Dale Threatt-Taylor said in a statement. 'We weren't willing to leave it to chance.' The timeline for transferring that property to the state is still being discussed. Before these two announcements, the last time land opened to the public as a new, protected state forest was in 2004, when the Forestry Commission acquired 12,000-acre Wee Tee State Forest in Williamsburg and Georgetown counties. Conservation groups helped purchase land to add to the forest in 2023, bringing its total to 18,000 acres.
Malaysian Reserve
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Malaysian Reserve
Sciaky Shipping Three "Tunnel Sized" EB Welding Systems
Sciaky Inc. announces shipment of the first of three Large EBW Machines to Overseas Customers. CHICAGO, May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Sciaky, Inc. of Chicago has announced shipment of a VX-300 Electron Beam Welding machine in May 2025. This machine will be followed by two additional machines of similar layout to overseas customers. These machines will each feature a chamber size of 300″ x 110″ x 110″, and a work envelope of 250″ x 42″ x 60″. These machines will ship with standard 5-axis CNC controls and EB welding capabilities, with the accommodations for additional CNC Axes and EBAM capability in the future. The machines will be used primarily in the Aerospace and Semiconductor industries, but will have the flexibility to be useful for any future business these customers acquire. Sciaky has been newsworthy for the past decade with their developments in Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing, but these machine contracts highlight their world leadership in Electron Beam Welding machines. Known for their medium and large-chamber moving gun EBW machines, Sciaky has installations in US-based and international installations in the Aerospace, Power Generation, Automotive, and Oil/Gas Exploration fields. These machines will feature multi-axis heavy-duty machines with up to 42kW of beam power, EBW users have been using Sciaky Electron Beam technology since the early 1960's for the most demanding and precise metal joining tasks. According to Scott Phillips, CEO of Sciaky's parent company Phillips Service Industries, Inc.: 'We find that too many in the industry do not realize that our EBAM platform is a truly dual-use technology, where every EBAM machine retains it's full functionality as a CNC Electron Beam Welder. In the past, this has helped many of our machine buyers in their justification to purchase a machine. We feel this makes our product somewhat unique in the Welding and Additive Manufacturing worlds.' Historically, Sciaky will have multiple machines of both capabilities in process in process in our Chicago manufacturing facility. You can approach the engineering staff at Sciaky for application assistance for both EBAM and EBW projects that can range from equipment acquisition through prototypes, development or one of a kind production. For more information on Sciaky, visit You can also follow Sciaky on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. About Sciaky, Inc. Sciaky, Inc., a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries, is a world leader in metal 3D printing technology and EB (electron beam) welding solutions. Our exclusive Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM®) process is the fastest, most cost-effective 3D printing process in the market for large-scale metal parts, allowing manufacturers to save significant time and money over traditional manufacturing and rapid prototyping processes. Sciaky's industry-leading EB welding systems and job shop services meet rigid military specifications to manufacture items such as airframes, landing gear, jet engines, guided missiles and vehicle parts.
News.com.au
20-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Seems unusual if the RBA didn't cut': Expectations of a May interest rate cut
Motley Fool chief investment officer Scott Phillips has discussed a possible interest rate cut on the table ahead of the RBA board meeting today. 'It does seem unusual if the RBA didn't cut today,' he told Sky News Australia. 'The RBA will do whatever they want to do, whatever they think is best.'
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Are gnats worse right now around the Puget Sound? Here are tips to prevent them
A warmer climate has begun to take hold in the state of Washington, bringing in new hordes of gnats. Black flies, also known as buffalo gnats, can cause irritated, itchy bites but do not typically spread diseases in North America, according to the Spokane Regional Health District's website. The bugs are especially active on cloudy, humid days with little wind, and like to swarm at dawn and dusk, the website says. Weather in the Tacoma area is expected to continue to warm this week, according to the National Weather Service, reaching a high of about 73 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday before dropping off to the 60s and high 50s in the next few days. This will create a warm environment for gnats; they may remain active late in the day, given the longer stretches of spring sunlight. Roberto Bonaccorso, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health, told The News Tribune in an email that populations of biting flies and midges can increase in the warmer months because the environment becomes more favorable for their larvae to develop. Some species may be thriving this spring while others have adapted better to summer weather, he wrote. Tacoma's location along Puget Sound — a large estuarine system — also makes it an attractive place for gnats, who love streams, marshes and lakes, according to the Washington State Department of Health website. If you are bit by a gnat, the insect's saliva is the usual irritant that causes swelling and redness at the bite site; the state Department of Health recommends washing the bite, watching for symptoms of infection — such as pain and further swelling or redness — and avoiding scratching to reduce chances of infection, which can be helped by topical creams. The SRHD recommends wearing light-colored clothing and long pants and sleeves to help avoid gnat bites by covering skin and keeping cool, as the heat absorption of darker colors tends to attract more insects. Last June, The News Tribune spoke with Scott Phillips, executive and medical director at the Washington Poison Center, who said N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, or DEET, as insect repellent and the insecticide permethrin are some of the best options to ward off insects as weather warms.
