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March 19, 2010

Housing Activity Slows in February

Housing permits and starts were down in February compared to January, the U.S. Census Bureau announced earlier this week. Permits for privately owned housing units were at a seasonally adjusted rate of 612,000 last month, a 1.6% decrease from January, but 11.3% above the February 2009 estimate of 550,000. Single-family permits were at a rate of 503,000, 0.2% below the revised January figure of 504,000 and 32% above the ­381,000 permits recorded in February 2009. Starts were at a seasonally adjusted rate of 575,000, 5.9% below the revised January estimate of 611,000 and 0.2% above the February 2009 rate of 574,000. Single-family starts were at a rate of 499,000, representing a 0.6% drop from the revised January figure of 502,000 and a 39.8% increase from 357,000 starts in February of last year. Click here to see the full Census Bureau news release and statistical breakdown.   

Southern Pine Shipments Lowest Since 1985

Southern Pine shipments totaled 11.75 Bbf in 2009, the lowest figure on record since 1985 when shipments totaled 10.49 Bbf. Decreased production in 2009 largely correlates to housing market woes. Last year, the United States saw the lowest number of privately owned housing permits and starts since 1959 with 572.2 permits and 554 starts reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2009. SFPA members can find monthly Southern Pine shipments reports in the members-only sections at www.sfpa.org. In addition, annual Southern Pine lumber production statistics dating to 1915 are available to Active and Affiliate members in their members-only section.

Industry Planning Seminar, Trade Visits in Mexico

After recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, interest in building for earthquake resistance is high in Mexico, reports Roberto Torres, an engineer and international consultant who represents American Softwoods in Mexico. As a result, Roberto and Fernanda Vale, who also represents AMSO in Mexico, are coordinating a seminar in Guadalajara to help educate the area’s architects, engineers and builders on how wood can be used to construct earthquake resistant buildings. The seminar, titled “Lumber Construction in Earthquake Sensitive Areas,” will be conducted the morning of April 15 by a member of APA’s staff.

In addition, because the Chilean earthquake seriously disrupted a major supply of lumber products to Mexico, Roberto and Fernanda are arranging trade servicing visits between U.S. suppliers and Mexican softwood importers and users on the afternoon of April 15 and throughout the day on April 16.  

SFPA members interested in participating in the seminar and visits should contact Julie Brumfield at jbrumfield@sfpa.org for details. Expenses for the trip are eligible for reimbursement through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Market Development and Market Access programs.  

SFI Launches Petition for More Inclusive LEED Standards

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative has launched an electronic petition to encourage the U.S. Green Building Council to revise the forest certification credit in their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green-building standards to recognize a greater variety of forest certification systems. “More than three-quarters of North American certified forests are certified to SFI, ATFS (American Tree Farm System) or CSA (Canadian Standards Association), while Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests account for less than one quarter,” SFI said in an e-mail announcement this week.  “The majority of FSC's global supply comes from outside the U.S. and Canada. An unintended consequence of the USGBC's current FSC-only policy is that builders, architects and designers seeking the forest certification credit may source FSC-certified products from offshore instead of domestic products certified to SFI, ATFS and CSA.”

Click here to learn more and sign the petition. SFPA President Digges Morgan has already added SFPA as a supporter.  

Endowment Provides Support for Second Check-off Program

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities – which has already funded an effort to establish a commodity check-off program for softwood lumber – recently announced it will also help fund an initiative to create a similar program for paper and packaging products.

“For more than two years we’ve been supporting work to determine the forest products industry’s interest in and support of commodity check-offs as a vehicle to grow the market for sustainably produced softwood lumber,” said Endowment President Carlton Owen.  “We are pleased to be able to expand that concept to another forest products sector as leaders in paper and packaging consider whether a check-off might fit their market as well.” 

The Endowment and the American Forest and Paper Association will each contribute up to $150,000 in support of the initiative. Click here for additional details.

Welcoming a New Member

SFPA welcomes Vollmer of America, based in Carnegie, Pa., as a new Associate member. Vollmer traces its beginnings to 1909 when Heinrich Vollmer developed the first design for saw setting and filing machines. Today, the company specializes in the processing of tools in terms of both production and services. Vollmer’s product range includes the latest sharpening and eroding machines for saw blades and tools used in the wood and metal processing industries. Sawmill Division Manager Mike Cubbon will represent Vollmer with SFPA. He can be reached at 360/907-4401 or cubbon@vollmer-us.com.  For details about the company and its products, visit www.vollmer-us.com.   

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