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Midyear Meeting June 19-20 Will you be there?
And don't miss EXPO 2007 June 21-23
See you in Atlanta!
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June 1, 2007 Progress on the Green Building Front AF&PA reports that seven states have now endorsed Green Globes™ as an equal alternative to LEED® when it comes to achieving “green” status for public and commercial buildings. This ongoing campaign is important because LEED requires that wood building products come only from trees certified through the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), while the majority of the trees grown in the South are certified through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the American Tree Farm System (ATFS). Green Globes recognizes timber certified not only by FSC, but also through SFI, ATFS and the Canadian Standards Association. The seven states that now give Green Globes equal footing with LEED through either regulation or legislation are Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota (signed into law May 25), Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
A series of fliers called “Wood and Green Building” produced by the Wood Promotion Network provides information SFPA members can use to help explain to their customers and public officials that 1) when it comes to green building, nothing beats wood, 2) Green Globes is a worthy alternative to LEED and 3) FSC is not the only forest certification program that qualifies wood as coming from a “green” source. Here are links to downloadable PDFs of the four fliers: LEED® vs. Green Globes™; Home Builder Guidelines; The Role of Life Cycle Assessment; and Using Wood to Fight Climate Change. |
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Imports Down, Exports Up Canadian softwood lumber imports into the United States are down 19% through March, while non-Canadian imports (mainly from Germany, Chile, Brazil and Sweden) dropped 52%. On an annualized basis, Canadian plus non-Canadian imports for 2007 will come in around 20 Bbf, which is 5 Bbf less than the 2005 peak. The most active destination states for Canadian imports include 1) Texas, 2) Georgia and 3) Illinois. The top 10 states account for almost 50% of total Canadian imports. Meanwhile, softwood exports are up 13% through March with an 18% increase for Southern Pine. On an annualized rate, SP exports could top 350 MMbf in 2007, a multi-year high. Active SP export destinations include 1) Dominican Republic, 2) Caribbean, 3) Spain, 4) Taiwan and 5) Mexico. Domestic SP shipments are down 18% through March compared to the same period in 2006. Annualized, SP will come in around 16 Bbf, which is 3 Bbf off the peak experienced in 2005. The U.S. West is also down 18% through April with 2007 shipments estimated to finish at 15.5 Bbf. For more information, contact Wade Camp, SFPA’s director of economic services. |
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New SFPA Member
SFPA welcomes
Butler, Snow, O’Mara, Stevens & Cannada PLLC
as its newest
Associate member. With offices in Memphis, Tenn., and Jackson and Gulfport
in Mississippi, Butler Snow has provided legal
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Copyright © 2007. Reproduction in whole or in part, by electronic or mechanical means, without written authorization from SFPA is prohibited. |
Efforts
to ensure that building products derived through established sustainable
forestry programs maintain their spot in the marketplace become more crucial
as big-box retailers step up their efforts to serve the “green” market.
The New York Times reported in a recent article that Home Depot is
introducing an “Eco Options” label that identifies products as
environmentally friendly. Meeting the FSC certification process is one way
products can qualify, according to the story. SFI and ATFS aren’t mentioned.
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION