Timber decking markets continue to grow throughout the United Kingdom, and a new series of seminars is steering landscape architects and timber merchants to choose treated Southern Pine materials. SPC’s Northern European representative Eddie Pearce recently completed the third of four seminars being held across Britain. The full-day program includes presentations by Eddie and two industry experts covering product selection, wood preservatives, as well as design considerations, fasteners and maintenance of completed structures. A question-and-answer period concludes the agenda, with discussions on local building regulations and market trends.

Thus far, the consensus is that the British decking market will continue to grow for at least the next five years. Attendees have rated the session as very informative; several requested a list of treated Southern Pine suppliers in the UK. "It was clear from our discussions that treated Southern Pine is gaining ground in the marketplace, despite the fact that it is the more costly option for building a timber deck," Eddie noted. "Treated Southern Pine is increasing its market share as a result of these seminars and our presence at trade shows," he added. Questions arose about certification, and wood from well-managed forests; several attendees using tropical hardwoods for decking are now finding limited supplies available. Eddie reminded his audience that a continuous supply is assured when using American softwoods. Forty-two attended the seminar in High Wycombe, 27 at Loughborough, and 33 at Basildon. The final seminar in this series will be held next Thursday in Dublin.

Code Officials Learn About Raised Floors

Louisiana code officials gathered last week in New Orleans, and the Southern Pine Council (SPC) was there to promote the merits of raised floor construction. Their conference was the first official meeting of the Building Officials Association of Louisiana (BOAL) since adoption of the statewide building code, spurred by the destruction of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. During the two-day event, code officials received training on the fundamentals of the 2006 International Building Code, which now includes new guidelines for flood-resistant construction. Attendance was double that of the 2005 event, reflecting a definite upswing in demand for staff training as local jurisdictions struggle to comply with state law.

U.S. exports continued the positive trend in January, being up 8% to 73 million board feet. Canada, Mexico and Japan led the way. Southern Pine exports totaled 27 million board feet, slightly down from January 2006. Treated export volume reached eight million board feet, while bright stock totaled 19 MMbf. Major offshore destinations for Southern Pine include Dominican Republic, Bahamas and Puerto Rico. For more information, contact SFPA’s director of economic services Wade Camp, 504/443-4464 ext. 217, or e-mail: wcamp@sfpa.org.

Download a PDF of the form at www.sfpa.org, if you have not receive a questionnaire in the mail. Or, contact SFPA’s Wade Camp, wcamp@sfpa.org to obtain the questionnaire. The deadline for receiving completed questionnaires is April 27.