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June 11, 2010

European Seminar Features SFPA Members

Representatives from seven SFPA member companies were among an American wood products delegation attending the Carrefour International du Bois trade show in Nantes, France, last week. Three of the SFPA participants also made presentations at a seminar sponsored by American Softwoods in conjunction with the show.

Mark Junkins of Active member company McShan Lumber Company spoke about Southern Pine; Brian Hayson of Cox Industries, an SFPA Affiliate member company, made a presentation on pressure-treated Southern Pine; and John Quast of Patrick Lumber Company, an SFPA Associate member company, spoke about western U.S. softwood lumber. In addition, Karen Brandt of the Sustainable Forest Initiative spoke about SFI’s program. About 30 people attended the seminar, representing 40% of the Southern Pine imported into France.

Other SFPA members on the trip included Jeff Baumgartner of Lampe and Malprhus Lumber Company, an Active member company; and Edward Clessas of Klumb Lumber Company, Lane Merchant of Mauvila Timber, and Charles Robinson and Hank Marchal of Robinson Lumber Company, all Associate member companies.

“It was extremely positive that there was such strong participation from American companies (and in particular from SFPA members), all of whom expressed enthusiasm for the show and for the business opportunities and new contacts that were made,” said Charles Trevor, consultant for SFPA and the Southern Pine Council in European markets.  

Carrefour International du Bois is considered the premier European show for wood and wood products. This year’s event featured 500 exhibitors and drew 10,000 visitors. The next show will be held June 6-8, 2012. Click here to learn more.

Southern Pine Featured in BPD

The current issue of Building Products Digest features a “special focus” section highlighting Southern forest products. The publication reaches more than 17,000 building material and lumber dealers, wholesalers and manufacturers in 37 states east of the Rockies. More than half of the magazine’s readers are in the southeastern states, making it a prime vehicle for the Southern Pine message.

The 14-page section includes an article by Richard Wallace, SFPA’s vice president of communications, who tells dealers and wholesalers about the many tools and programs SFPA and the Southern Pine Council offer to help them sell Southern Pine. “Dealers can benefit from the wealth of product information and other resources available from SFPA,” Richard writes. “Helpful printed guides and an extensive online presence that includes a handy product locator are just two ways that SFPA provides sales support.”

The section also includes stories contributed by the Southeastern Manufacturers Lumber Association’s Southern Pine Awareness Network about their Real Outdoor Living campaign and the tools they offer to help educate dealers and their customers about using treated wood for outdoor projects.

Click here for an online version of the magazine. The Southern forest products section starts on page 28. The Southern Pine article is titled “Battle out the recession by using free resources to sell more Southern Pine.” For more information, contact Richard at 504/443-4464, ext. 236, or by e-mail at rwallace@sfpa.org.

Green Building News from AWC

Here are a couple of important updates from AWC on the green building front.

The U.S. Green Building Council has announced a fourth public comment period on its Forest Certification Benchmarks. The comment period opens on June 14 and remains open for 20 days, closing on July 4 at 5 p.m. PDT. More than 1,100 comments were received on the third draft of the benchmarks. Only the portions of the benchmarks that changed since the last draft will be open for comment. Additionally, USGBC will reopen the “opt-in” voting process under which national member organizations can register to vote on the final benchmarks. The first opt-in registration did not result in the necessary balance between users, producers, and general interests. The opt-in registration period closes on July 21. For more information, visit USGBC’s website or contact Ken Bland at 202/463-2765 or kenneth_bland@afandpa.org

Also, several members of Congress as well as state officials continue to express their concern to USGBC about LEED’s treatment of wood. Congressional Timber Caucus co-chairs – Kevin Brady (R-Texas), Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Mike Ross (D-Ark.) – have co-signed a letter expressing their support for the U.S. forest products industry and calling on USGBC to reconsider its exclusive endorsement of Forest Stewardship Council wood at the expense of other credible third-party certification programs such as SFI and ATFS in the LEED green building standard (click here to see letter). House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Congressman Travis Childers (D-Miss.) have each written a letter to the USGBC expressing similar concerns and asking USGBC to reconsider its forest benchmark approach. In addition, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter (R) and Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe (D) each submitted a letter to USGBC conveying their respective state’s concerns with proposed revisions to the forest certification benchmark. To date, AWC’s staff has tracked letters of concern written to USGBC by nine governors, three state foresters, one state secretary, one U.S. senator, and seven U.S. representatives. AWC, the American Forest & Paper Association and allies will continue to educate policymakers about concerns with the LEED standards, seeking that they, in turn, express their frustration with USGBC about the discriminatory treatment of wood in LEED. For more information, contact Suzanne Madden at 202/463-5168 or suzanne_madden@afandpa.org.   

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