Newsletter

Sawmill Safety Awards Announced

Six SFPA member sawmills are recipients of the Sawmill Safety Award, recognizing outstanding safety records during 2017.

SFPA lumber manufacturer members are considered for the award based on information submitted regarding occupational injuries and illnesses. Safety performance is judged by how each mill’s safety record stacks up against facilities with comparable lumber output throughout the year. Division I includes sawmills that produce 50 million board feet or less annually; Division II sawmills produce 51 to 150 million board feet; and Division III mills produce more than 150 million board feet. The six sawmills being honored this year:

Division I

• Weyerhaeuser Company – Zwolle, La

Division II

• Canfor Southern Pine – Urbana, AR; Graham, NC
• Weyerhaeuser Company – Millport, AL; Holden, LA

Division III

• Weyerhaeuser Company – Bruce,

Successful Spring Meeting

Some 200 registered attendees convened in Atlanta last week for the 2018 SFPA/SLMA Spring Meeting & Expo.  The meeting kicked off with a welcome reception and dinner at the College Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday night. The agenda featured meetings of both boards of directors, as well as industry updates covering tax reform plus issues related to the environment and sustainability. A trade expo featured displays from more than three dozen companies offering products and services to the wood industry.

The SFPA Board of Directors received staff reports on the progress of Expo 2019, the Raised Floor Living campaign and SFPA publications, an update on the recent International inbound China mission, reviewed 2017 financial statements, approved an amendment to the Savings Incentive Plan, and discussed future meetings. The SFPA Board of Directors also welcomed new member, Conifex El Dorado, Inc.

Remodeled Website: RaisedFloorLiving.com is Live!

SFPA is pleased to announce the launch of the remodeled website, RaisedFloorLiving.com. This updated site creates an information hub for both homebuilders and homebuyers featuring all the advantages and specifications to build a raised floor home. The new portal for building professionals, RaisedFloorLivingPro.com strikes a perfect balance between clear and logical navigation and extensive details to satisfy the needs of its users. Raised Floor Living’s expertise in the industry is demonstrated through dynamic charts, tables, diagrams and attractive imagery that will serve lumber dealers as helpful resources. Searchability is also incorporated into the site for easy access to information. Style and function merge into a website that provides a comprehensive, educational portal for Raised Floor Living’s growing acceptance, especially in flood-prone areas.

This remodeled site will support the new edition of “Raised Wood Floor Foundations – Design & Construction Guide” which is available as a PDF download from the publications page of SouthernPine.com.

SFPA Welcomes Westwood Heat Treated Lumber Corporation

SFPA welcomes Westwood Heat Treated Lumber Corporation of Macon, Georgia as a new Associate member. Westwood Heat Treated Lumber Corporation is a technology and patent holder for the thermo-modification of wood – a Green alternative for pressure-treated lumber. In 2007, Westwood installed four thermo-modification chambers at US hardwood sawmills. Westwood is now introducing softwood thermo-modification to the United States with plans to place softwood thermo-modification kilns at softwood sawmills – producing thermo-treated SYP decking.

Igor Danchenko, Ph.D., is the company’s president. Contact Igor at 478/228-5555 or send an e-mail to wood@westwoodcorporation.com. To learn more about Westwood Heat Treated Lumber Corporation, visit www.thermotreatedwood.com and www.thermotreatedpine.com

Spring Meeting Update

The SFPA/SLMA Spring Meeting is set for March 14-16 at the Omni Hotel at the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Click here for the updated meeting agenda, registration form and a list of available sponsorship opportunities.

The updated agenda includes guest speaker, Ted McKinney, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. Under Secretary McKinney leads the development and implementation of the Department’s trade policy, oversees and facilitates foreign market access, and promotes opportunities for U.S. agriculture through various trade programs and high-level government negotiations.

Remember, the hotel cutoff date is February 24 to receive SFPA’s special group rate. A block of rooms is reserved for attendees, at a special nightly rate of $219 plus taxes. To make your reservations, call 800/843-6664 and mention Southern Forest Products Association to obtain the discounted rate. Please remember to also complete and return the meeting registration form.

2017: Record Year for SP Exports

Exports of Southern Pine lumber continue to surge and reached a record level of $312 million in 2017. Within this volume, exports of pressure-treated lumber also reach an all-time sales record of $175 million, a 28% increase from the previous year.

Exports have jumped sharply in regions targeted by the Southern Pine Council’s (SPC) international market development efforts. Record sales were achieved in China and emerging markets recently targeted by SPC in Southeast Asia, Central America, and South America. “Rising demand for Southern Pine lumber is undeniably linked to the industry’s efforts to introduce this species to buyers worldwide,” noted Jerry Hingle, SPC’s international consultant.

SFPA partners with the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (SLMA) to unite the common export objectives of Southern Pine lumber producers under the SPC promotional banner. The associations leverage USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)-administered programs to promote exports of Southern Pine lumber. 

Register for SFPA/SLMA Spring Meeting

Make plans to attend the 2018 SFPA/SLMA Spring Meeting & Expo, to be held March 14-16 at the Omni Hotel at the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia.  Click here to review the agenda and registration form.

During this event, a Trade Expo will be held.  SFPA and SLMA member suppliers to the forest products industry can reserve a tabletop exhibit space during the meeting. Interested SFPA and SLMA members can review the registration form for details and additional sponsorship opportunities.

A block of rooms is reserved for those attending this meeting, at the special nightly rate of $219 plus taxes.  To make your reservation, call 800/843-6664 and mention SFPA. The hotel cutoff date is February 24.

“The meeting agenda includes SFPA and SLMA Board meetings, industry updates, and speakers regarding Southern Pine CLT.”  This is a great opportunity to network with industry representatives and visit with exhibitors,” noted SFPA’s Executive Director Tami Kessler.

Lumber Industry Impacts U.S. Economy

Recently, a report by Forest Economic Advisors (FEA), commissioned by the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB), emphasized the importance the softwood lumber industry has on the U.S. economy. FEA estimates the 775,674 jobs, with a total payroll of more than $46 billion, are tied to the softwood lumber manufacturing industry. These numbers are based on both direct manufacturing and via downstream industries that use softwood lumber as a primary input.

Currently, 509 sawmills operate in 464 mostly rural communities across 32 states. The direct sales, employment and wages of the nation’s lumber mills have a direct impact on these rural communities. The mills form microeconomic hubs that generate substantial indirect employment and wages, in the form of goods, materials and services employees bought using their incomes, specifically through investment in housing. Because most mills are in rural areas with limited employment opportunities, these jobs are extremely important to both state and regional economies.

Southern Pine Featured at MumbaiWood 2017

This was the first year American Softwoods (AMSO) exhibited at MumbaiWood at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, India. Six U.S.-based softwood exporters attended the show under the banner of the American Softwoods Pavilion. Show sponsors stated that over 10,000 visitors toured the displays of 250 exhibitors.

AMSO’s market consultant Manav Sheth, based in Mumbai, was present throughout the show and took the opportunity to improve the level of knowledge about American softwood species, grades and sizes among Indian visitors at the stand. Two SFPA brochures in Hindi (American Softwoods Species Guide and Southern Yellow Pine Export Grades) were available at the show, as well as the full range of English language AMSO publications. These were well received by visitors to the show and will be an asset in our continuing promotional work in India.

“Considering rising American softwood lumber volumes shipped to India,

SFPA Welcomes Yoshikawa Lumber LLC

SFPA welcomes Yoshikawa Lumber LLC of Camas, Washington as a new Associate member. Yoshikawa Lumber is a wholesale export distributor, specializing in sourcing and exporting softwood lumber to markets in Asia and Europe.

Yoshi Yoshikawa is the company’s President. Contact Yoshi at 360/513-8873 or send an e-mail to yoshi@yoshikawalumber.com. To learn more about Yoshikawa Lumber LLC, visit www.yoshikawalumber.com.