Newsletter
NewsNOTE – February 8
IndiaWood Show Preview One of the largest delegations representing U.S. wood products travels this week to IndiaWood, to be held February 10-14 in Bangalore. Every two years since 2002, this event showcases the nation’s burgeoning woodworking and wood products industry. India’s appetite for wood raw material continues to grow as its furniture industry booms. About 20 agents on behalf of SFPA and the Softwood Export Council are joining forces to promote lumber products under the American Softwoods banner. Richard Kleiner, SFPA’s director of international market development, will be joined by Frank Stewart, manager of technical support for the Western Wood Products Association, in making softwood lumber presentations to more than 200 importers and wood users already registered for the seminar. “Product requests from India through SouthernPineGlobal.com have become more frequent in the past year,” said Kleiner. “The timing is right for promotion and education,” he...
read moreNewsNOTE – January 31
More Answers to Questions about New Design Values The recent approval of the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau’s (SPIB) new design values for visually graded Southern Pine lumber by the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC) Board of Review has generated more questions among producers and customer groups. SFPA facilitated a task group of industry leaders representing key customer groups to develop answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding new design values and their implementation. Click here to review this new collection of questions and answers, now available at www.southernpine.com. SPIB issued Supplement No.9 to the 2002 Standard Grading Rules for Southern Pine Lumber providing new design values effective June 1, 2012. The only design values that will change on June 1 apply to visually graded Southern Pine and Mixed Southern Pine sized 2” to 4” wide and 2” to 4” thick (2x2s through 4x4s) in No.2 and lower grades (No.2, No.3, Stud, Construction, Standard...
read moreNews Release: Design Value Transition
Transition to New Design Values Effective June 1, 2012 The Southern Pine Inspection Bureau (SPIB) has issued Supplement No.9 to the 2002 Standard Grading Rules for Southern Pine Lumber providing new design values effective June 1, 2012. The only design values that will change on June 1 apply to visually graded Southern Pine and Mixed Southern Pine sized 2” to 4” wide and 2” to 4” thick (2x2s through 4x4s) in No.2 and lower grades (No.2, No.3, Stud, Construction, Standard and Utility). SPIB is in the process of submitting new design values for No.2 Dense and No.2 NonDense to the Board of Review of the American Lumber Standard Committee for approval. The new design values for No.2 Dense and No.2 NonDense will also become effective June 1, 2012. Design values for all other grades and sizes of visually graded Southern Pine remain the same, pending results of testing scheduled for completion later in 2012. “The effective date of June 1 allows for an orderly transition to the...
read moreNewsletter – January 19
SP Trade Data Released for November Exports of Southern Pine dipped in November, according to data released by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. For the month, Southern Pine exports are reported to be approximately 33 million board feet (MMbf), 12 percent below October’s shipments and 19 percent above November 2010 shipments. November shipments break out as follows: 15.3 MMbf dressed, 10 MMbf rough and 8 MMbf treated lumber. Year-to-date, Southern Pine exports are estimated to be 368 MMbf, 28 percent above shipments through November of 2010. Softwood lumber imports to the U.S. are estimated to be 755 MMbf in November, four percent above October imports. Year-to-date, imports are down three percent compared to YTD 2010. Canada shipped approximately 731 MMbf to the U.S. in November, and 8 billion board feet year-to-date. SFPA members can find detailed reports in the Members Only sections at www.sfpa.org. For questions, contact Russell Richardson, director of...
read moreDesign Value Forum Report Submitted to SPIB and ALSC
The results of a working session of Southern Pine lumber producers, component manufacturers, builders, lumber dealers and technical experts regarding proposed design values for visually graded Southern Pine lumber are now available in a 31-page report. This report was recently submitted to the Board of Governors of the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau, the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC), and the ALSC Board of Review. This document can be downloaded from the Proposed Design Values landing page on www.southernpine.com. The Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA) facilitated the Southern Pine Design Value Forum, held November 15-16 in Atlanta. “The forum included representatives from a wide cross section of stakeholders.” says Cathy Kaake, SFPA’s senior director of engineered and framing markets. “SPIB and ALSC were asked to give careful and deliberate consideration to this report to ensure that sound science prevails, disruptions in the marketplace are minimized,...
read moreNewsletter -12.16.2011
Design Value Forum Report Submitted to SPIB and ALSC The results of a working session of Southern Pine lumber producers, component manufacturers, builders, lumber dealers and technical experts regarding proposed design values for visually graded Southern Pine lumber are now available in a 31-page report. Click here to read the report, recently submitted to the Board of Governors of the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau (SPIB), the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC) and the ALSC Board of Review. The Southern Forest Products Association facilitated the Southern Pine Design Value Forum, held November 15-16 in Atlanta. “The forum included representatives from a wide cross section of stakeholders.” says Cathy Kaake, SFPA’s senior director of engineered and framing markets. “SPIB and ALSC were asked to give careful and deliberate consideration to this report to ensure that sound science prevails, disruptions in the marketplace are minimized, and confidence in the process is...
read moreSFPA Installs New Officers
The Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA) Board of Directors elected a new slate of officers during its October 25 meeting in New Orleans. They are (pictured below, left to right) Chairman Fritz Mason of Georgia-Pacific LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, Vice-Chairman Tom Rice of Conner Industries, Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas, and Treasurer Rob Taylor of Weyerhaeuser Company of Federal Way, Washington. Joe Patton of Westervelt Lumber in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will serve as immediate past chairman. The board also reelected Adrian Blocker as SFPA president and Tami Kessler as corporate secretary. The officers assume their new roles immediately. “I look forward to working with the excellent staff at SFPA,” Mason said. “Despite the current market conditions, our association is a strong voice in the industry, and I hope to build on that strength as our industry rebounds.” “We believe this is an excellent leadership team that will represent SFPA well and provide guidance as the...
read moreNovember 3, 2011 NewsNote
SPIB’s Proposed Design Values Now Online As a service to the industry, SFPA has posted the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau’s proposed design values for visually graded dimension lumber on its flagship website, SouthernPine.com. New links are posted on the home page, or click here to go directly to the new landing page for all information related to this much-discussed topic. The design values proposed by SPIB are pending approval by the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC) Board of Review. Prior to their next meeting – set for January 5, 2012 in Washington – ALSC is soliciting written comments from all interested parties, to be submitted 10 days before the meeting. Direct comments to Tom Searles, ALSC President by fax to 301/540-8004, or by e-mail to alsc@alsc.org. “SFPA is providing this information to all levels of the Southern Pine lumber manufacturing and supply chain, as a service to our members and their customers,” said SFPA President Adrian Blocker....
read moreOctober 19 Newsletter
Treated SP Shines at DeckExpo SFPA’s marketing efforts for treated Southern Pine products were enhanced last week with an exhibit at the Remodeling Show and DeckExpo in Chicago. Russell Richardson, SFPA’s director of treated and industrial markets, reportedthe show was a solid success. “This show had an impressive turnout. I answered a range of questions from sourcing materials to proper maintenance to correct spacing of the decking. I also made several key contacts to extend SFPA marketing efforts through the supply chain and with end-users.” Russell also noted the value of face-to-face contact at shows such as DeckExpo. “Personal contact goes a long way to building relationships to market SFPA member products,” he added. SFPA exhibited as part of Real Outdoor Living’s Wood Pavilion at the show. “The Wood Pavilion is a great promotion of wood products for the decking industry. Attendees noticed the presence of wood products compared to...
read more
