EXPO 2009

June 11-13, 2009

in New Orleans

July 6, 2007

SFPA Welcomes West Fraser as New Member

SFPA President Digges Morgan announced this week that West Fraser Inc. has signed on as an active member of the association. “We are excited to have West Fraser’s support and input into SFPA programs and activities,” Digges said.  Adrian Blocker, general manager of U.S. operations, will represent West Fraser on SFPA’s board of directors. The company, which is now the second largest lumber producer in North America, was founded by the Ketcham family in British Columbia in 1955. West Fraser acquired two sawmills in the southern United States in 2000 and purchased 13 southern U.S. sawmills from International Paper in March. In addition to lumber, the company produces panels, plywood, pulp and paper. Learn more about SFPA’s newest member at www.westfraser.com. Contact Adrian at Adrian.blocker@westfraserinc.com.

Forestry Tour Gives Teachers New Understanding

West Fraser’s sawmill in Whitehouse, Fla., was among the stops included in the Florida Forestry Association’s recent Teachers’ Tour. “The teachers’ attitudes toward forestry are changed 180 degrees as a result of seeing the process firsthand and meeting the people who work in the industry,” said Erin Glover, FFA’s director of communication. Forty-four teachers from Miami to the Panhandle visited a research forest, a tree farm, a paper mill, a sawmill and a chemical lab during the tour. “They saw all aspects of forestry practices, from the planting and growing processes, to the mills and finally to the end products,” FFA said in a news release. For more information, visit www.floridaforest.org.  

Baltimore Show Attractive Venue for Promoting SP

The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) reports its annual show and convention held in Baltimore, Md., in late June drew more than 5,300 architects, engineers, specification writers and other design professionals. The Southern Pine Council and APA-The Engineered Wood Association shared an exhibit titled "The Wood Information Center" at this year’s show.  “Working together to promote wood products reduces the cost for both associations and creates a synergy that helps draw additional attendees to the booth,” said SFPA Vice President of Marketing Steve Bean. Joining Steve was APA regional manager Gary Broughton.  "Each of us brought unique information sets to the show, and we were able to complement each other's efforts quite often," Steve said.  

Baltimore proved to be a prime venue for promoting Southern Pine. “This year’s location is in a good market for Southern Pine lumber, so visitors at our display had a vested interest in learning more about using the species in their designs,” Steve said.  Popular take-away items included SPC’s Southern Pine Lumber Library CD, several of the span brochures and the Southern Pine Use Guide, which was especially valuable to attendees because it gives detailed descriptions of Southern Pine's sizes, grades and physical properties, information that is critical to specification writers.

Going forward, CSI has entered into a partnership with Hanley-Wood, a seasoned trade show management firm, to produce the show with CSI as the official sponsor.  The name of the event, which will be held next year in Las Vegas, Nev.,  is changing to "Construct 2008 – The Art and Science of Building" to reflect the range of current and potential professionals participating in the show. 

Mark Your Calendars

SFPA’s 2007 Annual Meeting is set for Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, S.C. It’s a meeting you won’t want to miss, so please mark those dates on your calendar today! Full details, including hotel and meeting registration information, will be available soon. Meanwhile, if you want to learn more about the hotel and Charleston, please visit www.francismarioncharleston.com and www.charlestoncvb.com.

American Softwoods International Staff to Meet

American Softwoods – a joint overseas marketing effort of the Southern Pine Council, APA-The Engineered Wood Association and the Softwood Export Council – will hold a meeting of its international office staff next week in Portland, Ore. Ned DeJarnette, SFPA’s director of international markets, will represent SPC at the meeting. Staff from China, Japan, the United Kingdom, Spain and Mexico will attend sessions on administrative, marketing and product training. “We attempt to hold these meetings once a year because when you can gather all your international staff together in one location face-to-face, it inevitably allows for a more productive exchange and collaboration of ideas that benefit the promotion and marketing of U.S. softwoods overseas,” Ned said.

USDA Proposes Fee Increases

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing an increase in the user fees it charges for export certification of plants and plant products, including wood products. The changes are designed to help APHIS recover the costs of providing export certifications services and would go into effect for fiscal years 2007 through 2012. Here’s a look at the proposed changes:

o        Certification for export or reexport of a commercial shipment would increase from $50 to $99;

o        Certification for export or reexport of a low-value commercial shipment would increase from $23 to $57;

o        Certification for export or reexport of a noncommercial shipment would increase from $23 to $57; and

o        Replacement of any certificate for export or reexport would increase from $7 to $14.

APHIS also proposes a new $16 user fee for exporters who obtain federal export certificates for plants and plant products from state or county cooperators.

The public can comment on the proposed changes through Aug. 13. For more details on the proposal and how to comment, see USDA Proposes to Adjust Export Certification User Fees For Plants and Plant Products at www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom.

PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION  

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