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November 13, 2009 Outlooks Predict Improvement in 2010 Two recently released outlooks offer guidance as to what the wood products industry can expect regarding construction and softwood lumber market activities next year.
The International Wood Markets Group recently released a report titled “Wood Markets 2010 – the Five-Year Outlook for North American Solid Wood Products.” In a news release, the report’s publishers say, “After facing declining markets and prices since 2006, the 2010 outlook predicts that there will be enough building blocks in place to allow for some much needed market improvement. But it is in 2011 – and especially in 2012 and 2013 – that a real housing recovery is forecast to take hold, creating higher prices with significant price volatility occurring as sudden demand surges catch the lumber market by surprise.”
Click here to see a news release about the wood market outlook along with some details from the report. And click here to learn how to purchase the outlook. |
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Congress Extends Tax Credit for Homebuyers Legislation extending an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers to April 30, 2010, was passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama last week. In addition, homeowners who have lived in their current homes at least five years can now receive a $6,500 credit when purchasing a new home. The first-time homebuyer tax credit was initially set to expire Nov. 30. The National Association of Home Builders estimates the extended and expanded homebuyer tax credit will create 211,000 jobs and generate 180,000 additional home sales in the coming year. Click here for NAHB’s news release on the credit.
In related news, NAHB reports that though residential remodeling remained relatively weak during the third quarter, remodelers are starting to report that conditions are stabilizing. Click here for details. |
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Jacksonville Raised Floor Living TV Segments Now Available The first three segments of a six-part television series promoting raised floor foundations in Jacksonville, Fla., and the surrounding area can now be viewed online. The series is airing on Jacksonville’s CBS and FOX affiliates in conjunction with the “Design Your Dream Home” sweepstakes being sponsored by Raised Floor Living. The winner will receive the services of local designer Bob Esposito, recently named the winner of APA’s “Raise the Floor 2009 Design Challenge,” also being held in Jacksonville. Bob and the winning homeowner will be featured in the final segment of the series, scheduled to air Dec. 9. Click here to see the segments, which feature SFPA staff members Cathy Kaake, senior director of engineered and framing markets, and Richard Kleiner, director of treated markets. Additional segments will be posted as they become available. For more information on the sweepstakes, contact Richard Wallace, SFPA’s vice president of communications, at 504/443-4464, ext. 236, or by e-mail at rwallace@sfpa.org. |
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South Carolina Joins Arkansas in Allowing More Wood in Schools South Carolina has joined Arkansas in allowing greater use of wood in school construction. The move will save the district money while opening the door to schools that are better for the environment and for learning, WoodWorks said in a recent news release.
“We congratulate the administration for recognizing that the manual needed to change,” said Pat Schleisman, PE, regional director of Woodworks Southeast. “The previous policy was based on some long-standing misperceptions, but as Arkansas recognized last year when its prohibitive legislation was changed, wood offers a lot of benefits—especially to school districts trying to cope with decreasing budgets and increasing numbers of students. The reality is that wood schools can easily meet the same exacting standards for safety and service life as other materials, but provide much needed advantages related to cost, speed of construction, design flexibility, energy efficiency and sustainability.”
WoodWorks – an initiative of the Wood Products Council to promote the use of wood in non-residential construction –APA and the South Carolina Forestry Association partnered in the effort to demonstrate the benefits of using wood in school construction. Click here to see the full news release along with examples of cost-savings realized by Arkansas when three schools originally designed for steel or concrete were converted to wood framing following a legislative change in that state last year. |
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