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January 15, 2010

Time to Retool

As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, SFPA’s Board of Directors will hold a strategic planning session in late February to evaluate the association’s current programs and determine what structure will best serve SFPA’s members and the forest products industry going forward. To facilitate the planning process, the board wants to gather feedback and ideas from as many members of SFPA and the forest products industry as possible. We hope you will help by taking a few minutes to complete a short survey that will be e-mailed next week. When you receive the survey, please feel free to pass it along to industry friends and associates you think might want to participate. A link to the survey will also be available on SFPA’s Web site.

We will report results of the survey and strategic planning meeting in a later issue. Meanwhile, if you have questions, please contact SFPA President Digges Morgan at 504/443-4464, ext. 215, or by e-mail at dmorgan@sfpa.org.

IBS Preview: A Southern Pine Showcase

Southern Pine products will get plenty of attention next week when homebuilders convene in Las Vegas for the annual International Builders’ Show sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders. SFPA has participated in the NAHB show for the past 55 years. This year, SFPA and the Southern Pine Council will be among some 1,200 exhibitors before an anticipated crowd of 70,000 attendees. 

“The SPC exhibit provides builders at the show with their best information resource for all types of building, from structural framing, treated decks and porches, to specialty products and engineered components,” said Richard Wallace, SFPA’s vice president of communications.

SPC will also provide green building information, positioning wood as the renewable, sustainable and responsible building material. Large fabric graphics will form a pictorial backdrop for a 12x35 foot exhibit featuring raised floor systems and SPC’s environmental message. SFPA’s Russell Richardson, director of industrial markets, will be on hand to field questions about green building and specialty products. Wall-framing sections of Southern Pine finger-jointed studs and borate-treated material will hold photo displays of product applications.

Also available at the show will be the new 2010 edition of the Lumber Library CD, a convenient way for builders to reference Southern Pine facts when they return home. SPC’s pocket span card, carpenter pencils labeled with SPC Web sites and Raised Floor Living caps should also be popular handouts.

In addition to builders, this event offers a unique opportunity for SFPA’s staff to meet with print and broadcast media representatives. “This annual exhibit represents SPC’s largest trade show undertaking of the year, and it provides all Southern Pine products important exposure to homebuilders,” notes SFPA President Digges Morgan.  

Lowe’s Web Site for Builders Features Raised Floor Story

Lowe’s published an article about raised floor foundations this week on its Web site for building professionals. “Builders are one of the key audiences for our campaign to promote raised floor foundations, so we appreciate Lowe’s effort to educate building pros on this important topic,” said Richard Wallace, SFPA’s vice president of communications.

Click here to read the story. Lowe’s operates 1,700 home improvement and appliance stores through the United States and Canada.

Newest Edition of Pressure-Treated SP Guide Released

The 2010 edition of the Southern Pine Council’s Pressure-Treated Southern Pine guide is now available for download. Detailing the latest facts regarding specification, selection and application of treated wood, the popular publication guides the way for building professionals as new waterborne preservatives continue to enter the market.

Here are some additional highlights from the 2010 edition.

• Expanded information to assist in specification of engineered wood products, treated to resist termites and decay, and marine lumber, treated to resist attack from saltwater organisms.

• A new page is devoted to termite-resistant framing, explaining the features of “whole-house” treated framing for optimum protection in locations prone to termite attack.

• “Green building” advantages are featured, noting that pressure-treatment helps conserve the nation’s forest resources by extending the life of wood products already in service. Furthermore, wood is renewable, sustainable, recyclable, economical and locally sourced.  

Click here to download a free copy. For questions about the guide, contact Richard Kleiner, SFPA’s director of treated markets, at 504/443-4464, ext. 211, or by e-mail at rkleiner@sfpa.org.

Mills Invited to Participate in 2009 Assessment

SFPA member mills are invited to participate in the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association’s 2009 Southern Pine Sawmill Assessment. The questionnaire gathers key operational and cost statistics that are used to measure competitive advantage and cost positions across the 13-state Southern Pine industry. Logs per hour, sawmill and planer Mbf per hour, yields and grade-out are just some of the operational statistics collected.

The final report, which is provided to all participants, offers managers and first-line operators a unique opportunity to measure their 2009 performance against others in the Southern Pine industry and achieve operational excellence in their peer group.

Click here to download the questionnaire, which is due to SLMA by February 19. For more information, please contact SLMA’s Wade Camp at 770/631-6702 or by e-mail at wade@slma.org.

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