A diverse range of target audiences will be seeing SPC messages in leading trade magazines throughout 2007. This year’s schedule aims to promote raised floor construction, treated decking and engineered products, plus direct readers to the many resources found online at www.southernpine.com. Some 25,000 deck builders are seeing SPC’s newest ad in Professional Deck Builder magazine. The ad features the attributes of building decks with real wood. It’s also seen in the new Deck World magazine, a bimonthly publication from the American Fence Association, that debuts next month and will have an initial circulation of 14,000 readers. More than 40,000 design-build professionals will notice SPC’s six announcements throughout the year in The Construction Specifier and Residential Design/Build Business, directing them to SPC’s site. In six other issues of the same magazines, SPC’s professional education e-classroom courses are promoted. More than 12,000 members of homebuilder associations in Houston, New Orleans, and Orlando will learn all about raised floor construction from SPC ads in their monthly magazines and newsletters. In addition, insertions in Coastal Contractor magazine will encourage raised floor building professionals to sign up for SPC’s online database. SPC will continue its full-page ad in Structural Building Components, calling attention to Southern Pine cost savings for floor and roof trusses. "The 2007 schedule will keep Southern Pine messages highly visible before a wide range of building trade audiences, while complementing activities related to Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts," comments Richard Wallace, SFPA vice-president of communications.

Lumber Library CD Package

For 2007, searching for Southern Pine information just became a little easier on the eyes. SFPA, on behalf of the Southern Pine Council, has repackaged its popular Lumber Library CD inside an eye-catching sleeve. Inside, the new-edition CD contains dozens of Southern Pine brochures and information sheets covering topics ranging from treated wood to raised floors. "Users continue to find our Lumber Library CD incredibly convenient, as all of our literature offerings can be found in one simple location," said Steve Bean, VP of marketing. "There are no lengthy downloads and, if the user is online, access to our complete Web site is just a few mouse clicks away." Like the original edition, the 2007 Lumber Library CD is a disk-based Web site that allows most of the functionality of an online site. Users view the contents of the CD via Internet Explorer or any other browser. All Southern Pine publications currently on the SPC Web site in PDF format are included on the disk – more than 50 titles in all. This CD is the most-requested item at trade shows and seminars throughout the year. A free copy of this CD library is available upon request; e-mail info@southernpine.com.

The 6th annual Southern Pine Sawmill Assessment has been mailed to 300 sawmills across the South. Results of this survey provide Southern Pine sawmillers with operational and financial benchmarks for 2006. This third-party survey is available to all Southern Pine manufacturers and you are encouraged to participate. If you did not receive a questionnaire in the mail, you can download a PDF at www.sfpa.org. You can also contact SFPA’s Wade Camp, 504/443_4464 ext. 217, or wcamp@sfpa.org to obtain the questionnaire. The deadline for receiving completed questionnaires is April 27, 2007.

Professionals involved in all aspects of historic wood structures will benefit from a new web site devoted to inspection and evaluation techniques. Check out: http://qp.ntht.org/historicwoodstructures for an extensive library of manuals, reports and publications, an interactive discussion board, plus an equipment library of links and demonstration videos. The site also provides continuing education Webinars and short courses. This site offers simplified, one-stop access to the information professionals in the field need. Focused on wood structures, the site provides the latest information on assessment techniques ranging from visual to stress wave timing to resistance drilling. It is maintained by the University of Minnesota Duluth Natural Resources Research Institute and the USDA Forest Products Laboratory.

On February 1, a free, interactive Webinar will provide engineers, historic preservationists, inspectors, and facilities managers with excellent information on conducting detailed condition assessments of wood structures. Visit the site for more information, or e-mail: historicwoodstructures@nrri.umn.edu.