by Web Editor | Sep 30, 2015 | News
The British Columbia provincial government says it is investing $2.2 million in the Wood First program to promote the use of B.C. wood both locally and internationally, and help advance innovative wood-building systems and value-added wood products.
The funding is being awarded to six industry trade associations and institutions with proven records in research, development and marketing of wood products and skills training to carry out Wood First activities. They include:
• BC Wood Specialties Group – $558,910
• Canadian Wood Council – $770,109
• University of British Columbia – Centre for Advanced Wood Processing – $359,166
• University of British Columbia – Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability – $65,000
• FPInnovations – $428,928
• Design Build Research Institute – $51,762
Funding from the Province will be supplemented with additional funds provided by industry.
Wood First is focused on advancing the use of wood in B.C. Since the program was launched in 2009, wood use in the mid-rise and non-residential construction sectors is increasing and recognition of wood as a preferred building material continues to grow. A recent survey of B.C. engineers, architects and builders confirmed that 40% are increasing the use of structural wood and 77% believe B.C. is well positioned to export its products and knowledge.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/canadian-news/british-columbia-invests-22-million-promote-wood-buildings-products?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news
by Web Editor | Sep 28, 2015 | News
Wood Products Industry Releases ‘Reuse Wood’ Website
The American Wood Council (AWC) and Canadian Wood Council (CWC) have partnered with Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA) to develop an online North American directory outlining reuse and recycling options for wood and wood products. The website can be found at: ReuseWood.org.
“For wood products, there has historically been a lack of awareness of the opportunities to recycle and reuse wood products, and thereby extend their useful life. We are aiming to change that,” said AWC President & CEO Robert Glowinski. “Our industry wants to do its part when it comes to the full life-cycle impact of our products. It’s our hope that this directory will help educate builders, designers and consumers on the many opportunities to salvage, recycle or reuse wood products, in turn reducing waste.”
“Various construction sector stakeholders are increasingly being called upon to balance functionality and cost objectives with reduced environmental impacts on the built environment” explained CWC President Michael Giroux. “This online resource is one of the ways the wood industry is taking ownership in the areas of reuse and recycle – affirming the renewable qualities of wood and wood products, and assisting the design/construction communities in reaching their green objectives.”
Features of the website include:
- The business directory is accessible via both map and list, with easy sorting capabilities according to target categories (location, services provided, etc).
- Individual listing pages show the contact information, location and available services for each business.
- The sustainable wood guide includes useful information and articles on the different wood products and the opportunities for wood reuse or recycling.
From the American Wood Council: awc.org.
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by Web Editor | Sep 25, 2015 | News
Today, ARAUCO North America announced plans to build a new particleboard mill located in Grayling, Michigan, to produce 424 million ft2 (750,000m3)/year of panels, along with full lamination capabilities to support the Prism TFL decorative surfacing program.
This $325 million investment will be the single largest continuous particleboard press in North America, and one of the highest capacity presses in the world. Ground-breaking is estimated for late 2016, with the rollout of the first panel during the latter part of 2018.
This investment will generate approximately 250 direct permanent jobs, and is expected to yield important economic and community development benefits to the Crawford County region. The addition of panel capacity to this geographical area will improve customer access to a stable, cost-efficient supply of high quality particleboard and decorative panel products. The location of this plant will also complement the supply of MDF from our neighboring mill in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Together with the ARAUCO North American Executive Management Team, Kelly Shotbolt remarks, “There is no better way to signal the commitment we have to the renewal and modernization of the North American composite panel industry. Our objective with this investment,” Mr. Shotbolt adds, “is to improve the logistics of our entire manufacturing footprint, and support the growth of our customers in the Mid-Western Region.”
From Arauco North America: https://www.arauco-na.com/resources/media-center/news-and-press-releases/arauco-announces-325-million-investment-for-new-particleboard-mill
by Web Editor | Sep 23, 2015 | News
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, in partnership with the Softwood Lumber Board and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council, recently announced the winners of the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition. The two winning development teams were granted a combined $3 million in funding to support the development of tall wood demonstration projects in New York and Portland, Oregon.
At a press conference hosted in New York this morning, Secretary Vilsack congratulated the competition winners. “The U.S. wood products industry is vitally important as it employs more than 547,000 people in manufacturing and forestry, with another 2.4 million jobs supported by U.S. private forest owners,” said Vilsack. “By embracing the benefits of wood as a sustainable building material, these demonstration projects have the ability to help change the face of our communities, mitigate climate change and support jobs in rural America. I look forward to seeing how these two buildings help lead the way in furthering the industry.”
Next-generation lumber and mass timber products are becoming the latest innovation in building. Innovative new technologies and building systems have enabled longer wood spans, taller walls, and higher buildings, and continue to expand the possibilities for wood use in construction. Mass timber wood products are flexible, strong, and fire resistant, and can be used as a safe and sustainable alternative to concrete, masonry, and steel. Using wood helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by storing carbon and simultaneously offsetting emissions from conventional building materials.
Wood can also help struggling rural forest communities. During the Recession, the drop in new construction and decline in home remodeling had a deep impact on wood manufacturing. However, if next-generation wood products can penetrate just five to fifteen percent of the non-residential North American market, it would mean roughly 0.8 – 2.4 billion board feet of lumber consumed annually. To put that in real-world context, roughly 35 jobs are created for each million board feet of wood processed.
The two winning proposals – Framework and 475 West 18th – were selected by a panel of distinguished jurors in the architecture and engineering fields who are familiar with innovative wood building systems. While each took a unique approach, both projects met the Competition’s criteria to showcase the safe application, practicality and sustainability of a minimum 80-foot structure that uses mass timber, composite wood technologies and innovative building techniques.
From the USDA: https://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2015/09/0259.xml
by Web Editor | Sep 11, 2015 | News
Plywood, flooring and green mills would be removed and fees would be scaled back under a simplified proposal for the Hardwood Checkoff program – an ad promotion program for hardwood lumber manufacturers similar to the ‘Got Milk’ program run by milk producers. The proposed changes to the “Hardwood Lumber and Hardwood Plywood Promotion, Research, and Information Order” would result in program funding being cut from an estimated $10 million down to around $3 million to $4 million.
Hardwood Checkoff sponsor The Blue Ribbon Committee submitted a letter to the USDA dated Sept. 7 calling for the changes. The public comment period closed Sept. 9, with more than 1,300 woodworkers weighing in on the USDA’s June 9 re-proposal of the Hardwood Checkoff.
The latest changes involve a notable reduction in the scope of the program — from the original 1,426 mills targeted to approximately 375 mills selling kiln-dried lumber only. The eligible mills would be assessed at a flat rate of $.50 per $1,000 in sales, while mills under $2 million would continue to be exempted.
According to the BRC, “The changes we are recommending would significantly reduce [the checkoff], resulting in a roughly $3 to $4 million annual program…we would point out that even this lowered amount is over 10 times what has ever been collected through voluntary programs in the past.” The committee also noted the greater ability to leverage checkoff funds through building on the programs already begun by the softwood and paper checkoffs.
The BRC said opposition to the original proposal convinced it “that the target would need to be reduced.” Specifically, the BRC agreed to remove green mills, plywood, and unfinished flooring from the program, and to simplify the assessment rate to one calculation, lowered from $1 to $.50 per $1,000 in sales.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/plywood-flooring-dropped-hardwood-checkoff-proposal?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news
