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December 7, 2007

SPC Certificate Should Ease Exports

The Southern Pine Council’s International Committee took quick action when it learned that Southern Pine shipments were getting stalled in United Kingdom ports. U.K. ports require documentation showing that the timber being imported comes from countries that practice sustainable forestry and not from countries that allow illegal logging or harvesting operations. In response, the committee created a task force to develop appropriate documentation during its meeting in Atlanta, Ga., last June. The result is an SPC “Certificate of Legality and Sustainability” that is now available for use by members of SPFA and the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association.

“Some member companies were providing documentation to get their shipments accepted, but we thought it was important to have a uniform certificate with the SPC stamp that all of our companies can use,” said SFPA Director of International Markets Ned DeJarnette.

The document consists of two pieces. The first is a four-page description of how forests are managed and protected in the United States to ensure that forest resources remain healthy and abundant. The second is an actual certificate signed by a representative of the SFPA or SLMA member mill stating that the lumber provided to the customer “was legally harvested from sustainable timberlands.” The certificate also identifies which U.S. state or states the lumber comes from.

“We believe countries will eventually require certification through programs like FSC or SFI (Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative),” Ned said. “In the meantime, though, this certificate should facilitate movement of Southern Pine lumber once it arrives at U.K. ports.”

For more information, contact Ned at 504/443-4464, ext. 233, or edejarnette@sfpa.org.

Raised Floors a Topic at Durability Conference

Almost 80 participants from the wood products community, primarily university and government researchers and association representatives, but also architects, engineers, builders, building officials and floodplain managers attended a recent conference titled “Durability of Wood-Framed Housing … Lessons Learned from Natural Disasters.”

The conference, held in Biloxi, Miss., offered five technical sessions related to wood-framed housing: design; engineering; construction; biological and ecological consequences; and land use and building codes.

Cathy Kaake, SFPA’s director of engineered & framing markets, gave a presentation on raised floor foundations during the construction session and also staffed a Southern Pine Council exhibit promoting raised floors. In her presentation, she described the current market status of raised wood floor foundations versus concrete slab-on-grades and discussed market growth opportunity for the wood products industry.  She also explained building code requirements for flood-resistant construction and how those code requirements can be met with raised floors. 

“The response was very positive and generated additional discussion,” Cathy said. “The variety of professional disciplines represented at the conference also resulted in new ideas we can use to advance raised floor foundations.  We still have our work cut out for us, however, in convincing builders to make the switch from slab-on-grade foundations.  A local builder participating on a conference panel said he didn't foresee builders changing from slab-on-grade foundations in areas just a few miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico.”

For more information, contact Cathy at 504/443-4464, ext. 214, ckaake@sfpa.org. 

Tour Helps Teachers Understand Forest Products Industry

The Temperate Forest Foundation is seeking sponsors for its 2008 South Central Teacher Forestry Tour to be held in Starkville, Miss., June 3-6. The foundation is a nonprofit organization designed to promote public awareness of healthy forest practices. Held annually since 1994, the two-day teacher tours help educators better understand sustainable forestry and the forest products industry through visits to the woods, learning centers and mills. Companies and other businesses can sponsor a teacher for $700 or sign up as a general tour sponsor. For more information, visit www.forestinfo.org/Teachers or e-mail Forestry Education Manager Lisa Leonard at lleaonard@forestinfo.org.

FPS Releases New ‘Useful Woods’ Guide

The Forest Products Society recently released a follow-up to A Guide to Useful Woods of the World, published in 2001. The new publication – A Guide to More Useful Woods of the World – adds 71 additional wood data sheets, bringing the total to 350. It also contains two comprehensive indexes and 14 articles on wood-related matters. The original guide includes 279 woods of the world. For each wood, the guides provide information on scientific and family names, common names, distribution, the tree, the timber, seasoning, durability, workability, uses and supplies. Purchase the new guide only or a set of both by visiting www.forestprod.org/mycart or calling 608-231-1361, ext. 202.

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