2009 Annual Meeting

October 10-13

The Roosevelt

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October 9, 2009

Workshop Brings Together Wood Promotion Leaders

Representatives of wood promotion associations and consultancy groups in several nations recently met in Vancouver to discuss what’s worked and what hasn’t when it comes to positioning wood as a preferred building material. The International Wood Promotion Network (iWPN) was created in 2008 by leaders of wood promotion networks in four countries. With the workshop held Oct. 1-2, the group expanded its ranks to include additional wood promotion leaders. Digges Morgan, SFPA’s president, and Cathy Kaake, senior director of engineered and framing markets, were among the attendees.

“Hearing from people who are promoting wood throughout North America, the U.K., Sweden, New Zealand and Australia was very helpful,” Digges said. “For example, while climate change is an important issue here, it’s  not a top issue like it is in these other countries, so they are a little ahead of us in dealing with it. Seeing how they’re handling it will help us as we develop responses to green-building issues in our country.”

To help facilitate an ongoing sharing of ideas, iWPN also launched a Web site at www.iWPN.net. The site includes information about the various campaigns iWPN participants are using to promote wood in their countries.

Updated Lumber Library CD Available

The Southern Pine Council’s complete library of technical and reference publications remains the most popular handout at trade shows and seminars with more than 3,000 copies of the library distributed so far this year. Conveniently stored on a single CD, this collection of PDFs enables building professionals to keep the latest Southern Pine facts at their fingertips. The 2009 Lumber Library CD also now includes an updated version of the publication, Pressure-Treated Southern Pine, a 16-page summary of the latest standards, specifications and applications for this versatile material. “By distributing SPC’s library on a CD, updated editions can be easily added and distributed before the more costly step of printing hard copies,” says SFPA’s vice president of communications Richard Wallace. “We are finding more audiences actually prefer the electronic copies of SPC’s literature.”

To obtain a free copy of the latest CD, request publication #130 by e-mail to info@southernpine.com.

Workshop, Webinar Cover Changes in Lacey Act

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently made changes to the Lacey Act to include wood products. A workshop and live webinar are being offered to provide an overview of the act, how it will be enforced, how to establish a due diligence program and more. The workshop is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 13 at the Embassy Suites Portland Airport in Portland, Ore. The event is sponsored by the Forest Products Society Willamette Valley Chapter, the Oregon Wood Innovation Center, Oregon State University’s Forest Products Department and Mississippi State University. Click here for more information about the workshop and how to register.

Watch for Annual Meeting Recap, Photos

SFPA’s 2009 Annual Meeting is right around the corner. Be sure and check out next week’s newsletter for a recap of meeting activities and plenty of photos. The meeting is Oct. 10-13 at The Roosevelt in New Orleans.

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