american hardwoods: pioneering the new “green” gold … · working technology tradeshow in ......

several studies whichhave considered allphases of U.S. hard-wood lumber produc-tion–and not just atone phase, but atevery stage.• BACKGROUND. In2009, AHEC laid thegroundwork for whatmay become the mostphenomenal changeever in setting andmaintaining standardsof environmental qual-

Singapore/Hazlehurst, Mississippi/Millersburg,Ohio–Certification for U.S. hardwoods may soon be cat-egorically obsolete. Not only will the current certificationsbe obsolete, but U.S. hardwoods will be the internationalgold standard by which all other raw materials will bemeasured. These changes may well be in place by thebeginning of 2013.When the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC)convened in late May in Singapore this year, AHECDirector Mike Snow announced some news that promis-es to profoundly change and advance the interests ofU.S. hardwood exporters and possibly importers as well.Through the use of independent consultants who looked

closely at sustainability of U.S. hardwoods (among other considerations), theirconclusive findings may likely pave the way for new, expanded and broader mar-kets for American hardwoods. The changes are being made through the use of

Vol. 39 No. 2

The Import/Export Wood Purchasing NewsP.O. Box 34908Memphis, TN 38184-0908

Address Service Requested

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAID

MEMPHIS, TENN.PERMIT 270

Serving Forest Products Buyers Worldwide

American Hardwoods: Pioneering The New “Green” Gold Standard

IWPA Hosts Reception At IWF

October/November 2012

IWF Packs Georgia Arena With Exhibitors, AttendeesPhotos By Gary and Terry Miller Atlanta, Georgia–Approximately 850 exhibitors recently filled booth space at

this yearʼs International Woodworking Machinery & Furniture Supply Fair (IWF)at the Georgia World Congress Center here. Regarded as the largest wood-working technology tradeshow in North America, IWF occurs every other yearand occupies more than 365,000 net square feet of space.

Ken Stephens, Associated Hardwoods, Inc., Granite Falls, N.C.; Christian Mengel, VM InternationalLLC, Greensboro, N.C.; Tom Herga, Olam Wood Products, Leland, N.C.; Tom Wilson, InternationalSpecialties, Inc., Collierville, Tenn.; and Romel Bezerra, InterSomma, Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Chris Strang, Downes & Reader Hardwood Co., Inc., Stoughton, Mass.; Annette Ferri, IWPA,Alexandria, Va.; Jim Reader, Downes & Reader Hardwood Co., Inc.; Lance Clark, IWPA; and Jay Singh,Downes & Reader Hardwood Co., Inc.

Additional photos on page 14 Continued on page 13

Additional photos on pages 10, 12 & 14 Continued on page 13

IWF serves as a predominant event for introducing and selling manufacturingequipment, supplies and innovative new technology. This year the show wasattended by visitors from over 80 countries and all 50 states in the U.S. These

By T. Jensen Lacey

Mike Snow

Additional photos on pages 15 & 16 Continued on page 13

The Seneca Creek Study revealed an ever-increasing timber base in the USA,and confirmed that there is low risk of it being illegally harvested. Now theLife Cycle Assessment, combined with the Environmental ProductDeclarations now available, provides to all consumers real science to proveAmerican Hardwoods are sustainable and use of them are better for the envi-ronment than using plastic, concrete and steel.

Atlanta, Georgia–The International Wood Products Association (IWPA) wasamong the throngs of companies and organizations in attendance at the recentInternational Woodworking Machinery & Furniture Supply Fair (IWF), held here

at the Georgia World Congress Center.The IWPA debuted the latest 2012 edition of its International Wood & IndustryBuyers Guide at IWF, which this year had an increased attendance by 40 per-

Bobby Hansen, Sean Testar, Gregg Wilkinson, and Brad Jurkowski, Liberty Woods International,Carlsbad, Calif.

Karl Schmertzler, Mel Yoder and Paul Dow, Yoder Lumber Co., Inc., Millersburg, Ohio

Import/Export Wood Purchasing News

THE

WASHINGTONSCENE

RUS GUSTIN RYAN MACMASTER

Continued on page 17 Continued on page 17 Continued on page 17Continued on page 17

Rus Gustin is asales represen-tative for RAMF o r e s tProducts, Inc.based inShinglehouse,PA. Gustin han-dles sales ofgreen and kilndried hardwoodlumber alongwith pallet andrail tie materials.He also handlesthe domesticfreight for loadsthe companydelivers.

RAM ForestsProducts is alarge sawmill

R y a nMacMaster isresponsible forsales and pur-chasing at ArgoFine Imports(AFI), based inMetairie, La.Argo FineImports is amajor independ-ent importer offine plywoodsoffering bothfuture and spotmarket sales.Don MacMaster,founder of AFIhas been sup-plying importedplywoodʼs to dis-tributors and

TIM KASSIS

For more information on AHEC and the export promotion programs,call (703)435-2900, fax (703)435-2537, or visit the website,www.ahec.org.

Tim Kassisserves as salesand export divi-sion manager forKretz LumberCo., located inAntigo, Wis.Kretz LumberCo. offersveneer logs andhardwood lum-ber, dimensionand panels inHard and SoftM a p l e ,Basswood, Redand White Oak,Ash and Cherry.The firm pro-duces approxi-mately 15 millionboard feet annu-

By Michael SnowExecutive Director

American Hardwood Export CouncilReston, Virginia

Brian Adams isB r i d g e w e l lR e s o u r c e s ʼImport Managerfor theI n t e r n a t i o n a lWood ProductsDivision inTigard, Ore. B r i d g e w e l lResources is aglobal supplier ofdomestic andi n t e r n a t i o n a lhardwood andsoftwood prod-ucts, servingretailers, manu-facturers andother customers.With its nationalnetwork of distri-

(As reported in Builder Pulse,which reprinted Bloombergʼsreport by Christopher Donville)

British Columbia–West FraserTimber Co. (WFT) and WesternForest Products, Inc. (WEF) are lead-ing Canadian lumber producers to thebiggest combined profit since 2006 asmills run at five-year highs to feed aU.S. housing rebound and near-record Chinese demand.Lumber mills in British Columbia,Canadaʼs leading forestry region, ranat 86 percent of production capacity inthe five months through May, com-pared with 82 percent for all of 2011,according to the Western WoodProducts Association. Lumber futuresrose to a 15-month high recently onthe Chicago Mercantile Exchange.The industry is recovering from loss-es and mill closures during the four-year U.S. housing bust amid resur-gent new-home sales and buildingactivity south of the border. Some pro-ducers are also capitalizing on ordersfrom China for imported Canadianlumber even as the Asian countryʼseconomy slows.“Weʼre extremely early on in the lum-

ber cycle and it has the potential to bea four-year run,” Paul Jannke, alumber-market analyst at Westford,Massachusetts-based Forest Eco-nomic Advisors LLC, said in a tele-phone interview. He estimates theindustry in West Canada in 2012 willprobably earn the most since beforethe housing decline and that next yearis looking even better.Shares of West Fraser, the largestNorth American maker of softwoodlumber used in home construction,have advanced 34 percent this year inToronto while Western Forest gained31 percent. The S&P/Toronto StockExchange Composite Index rose 1.1percent.

Spectacular Combination

“For lumber producers, itʼs really thecombination of China and the U.S.thatʼs been so spectacular,” DavidElstone, an analyst at Gibsons, BritishColumbia-based research firm ERAForest Products Research, said in atelephone interview. ERA recom-mends holding West Fraser shares.“We have market diversification thatweʼve never seen before, with theU.S. as the biggest, China in second,

Biggest Lumber Profit Since ’06 Led By Canada/U.S.Connection To Feed China Market Demands

Continued on page 16 Continued on page 18

Continued on page 34

BRIAN ADAMS

AHEC Announces Release Of ISO-Conformant LifeCycle Assessment Report On U.S. Hardwood Lumber

The American Hardwood ExportCouncil (AHEC) is pleased toannounce publication of the ISO-con-formant report on the Life CycleAssessment (LCA) of rough-sawnkiln-dried hardwood lumber. Thereport, which has been prepared bysustainability experts PE Internationalafter an intensive process of data col-lection, analysis, and review, is thefirst stage of AHEC's LCA project.The report is available on

AHECʼs website: www.americanhard-wood.org/sustainability/life-cycle-assessment/The report contains data on the envi-

ronmental profile of U.S. rough-sawn,kiln-dried hardwood lumber using acomprehensive set of environmentalimpacts. It covers the environmentallife cycle of hardwood lumber frompoint of harvest in the U.S. through todelivery at the importers yard inmajor export markets. It providesquantitative data on Global WarmingPotential, Acidification Potential,Eutrophication Potential, Photo-chemical Ozone Creation Potential,and Ozone Depletion Potential. Italso provides a qualitative assess-ment of toxicity, biodiversity, land useand land use change, and waterresource impacts. The report includesa sensitivity analysis to show howenvironmental impacts vary accordingto key factors such as species, lumberthickness, and transport distance andmode.The report is an essential require-

ment for use of AHEC's LCA data inscience-based assessments of thesustainability of U.S. hardwood lum-ber compared to other wood and non-

wood materials. It demonstrates thecredibility and reliability of the LCAdata that AHEC will be making avail-able to manufacturers, designersand retailers through formalEnvironmental Product Declarations(EPDs) and AHECʼs own on-linespecies guides and environmentalprofiles. It also underpins on-goingcollaborative work by AHEC and PEInternational to develop innovativecomputer-based systems for model-ling environmental impacts of woodmaterial choices in product design.Independent Critical Review Panel

commends AHEC's LCA project for its“excellent execution.”A key requirement for compliance to

ISO standards for LCA is that all datais critically reviewed by an externalpanel of independent LCA experts.According to the final statement of thePanel reviewing the report:“The study has been carried out in

compliance with ISO 14040 and ISO14044. The critical review panel foundthe overall quality of the methodologyand its execution to be excellent forthe purposes of the study. The studyis reported in a comprehensive man-ner and includes appropriate andtransparent documentation of its limi-tations in scope".The statement goes on to praise the

broad product coverage of the reportand quality of the data: "One of the outstanding features of

the study is the broad coverage of

Groups to File Amicus Briefs withU.S. Supreme Court Supporting

Forest Roads Petition

Groups representing a broad range ofinterests will file more than a dozenamicus briefs supporting argumentsmade by the American Forest & PaperAssociation (AF&PA) and other peti-tioners in their brief asking the U.S.Supreme Court to reverse a NinthCircuit decision requiring industrialdischarge permits for logging roads.Among those who filed briefs are 31state attorneys general, dozens ofstate and local forestry associations,and other well-respected nationalorganizations. Collectively, the briefsaffirm the need to reverse the NinthCircuitʼs erroneous decision that over-turned the Environmental ProtectionAgencyʼs (EPA) long-standing inter-pretation of the Clean Water Act.“This large number of supportingbriefs highlights the significant nega-tive consequences that would occur ifthe Ninth Circuitʼs decision stands,”said AF&PA President and CEODonna Harman. “We hope theSupreme Court sees the potential far-reaching effects their decision willhave on the U.S. paper and woodproducts industry and its nearly900,000 employees.”“The Ninth Circuitʼs ruling upends a

successful decades-long complianceprocess, and the resulting confusionwill disrupt the fiber supply chain thatallows our industry to operate.”For over 35 years, EPA has effective-ly regulated runoff from logging roadsthrough state best management prac-tices that are adapted to local condi-tions, which AF&PA and others main-tain is the appropriate course ofaction.The court is expected to hear argu-ments on the case in December andissue a final decision by June 2013.

Supreme Court Reviews Forest Roads Case

The U.S. Supreme Court recentlyannounced it would review NEDC v.Brown, the Ninth Circuit ruling thatlogging roads are “industrial facilities”subject to the National PollutantDischarge Elimination System(NPDES) requirements of the CleanWater Act (CWA). That decision inval-idated Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) regulations that havebeen in place since 1976. Thoserules regulate forest roads as non-point sources under a BestManagement Practices (BMP) sys-tem.According to the American ForestResource Council (AFRC), there aretwo separate appeals that will be con-solidated for argument, the State of

http://www.ahec.org

http://www.americanhard-wood.org/sustainability/life-cycle-assessment/The





FEATURES:IWF Packs Georgia Arena . . . . . . . . . .1

IWPA Guide Debuts At IWF . . . . . . . . .1

American Hardwoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

.GLENTRUAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

TREAT HARDWOOD LUMBER . . . . . .5

MIDWEST WALNUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

LAWRENCE LUMBER CO. . . . . . . . . .8

OHIO VALLEY VENEER. . . . . . . . . . . .9

DEPARTMENTS:Who's Who in Imports/Exports .............2

Washington Scene................................2

Biggest Lumber Profit Since ʻ06................2

The Politics of Imports and U.S. Jobs .....3

Stock Exchange .........................20 & 21

Business Trends Abroad.....................25

Business Trends Can., Hardwoods.............27

Business Trends U.S.A., Hardwoods.............28

Import/Export Calendar.......................29

Newswires ..........................................30

Classified Opportunities......................31

Advertisers Index ................................31

U.S. & Canadian Softwood Forest Products

Export Suppliers.............................34 & 35

Table of Contents

Send address changes to:


P.O. Box 34908, Memphis, TN 38184-0908.

Annual subscription rates - 6 bi-monthly issuesU.S. $75 - 1 year; $90 - 2 years; $100 - 3 years;CANADIAN & FOREIGN ORDERS MUST BE PAID BYCHECK DRAWN ON U.S. BANK, CREDIT CARD, OR BYWIRE TRANSFER Canada $90 (U.S. dollars) - 1 year; $105 -2 years; $130 - 3 years; Foreign (airmail) $140 - 1 year; $224- 2 years (U.S. dollars)

A Bi-Monthly newspaper servingthe International wood trade.

Published byInternational Wood Trade Publications, Inc.

P. O. Box 34908Memphis, TN 38184

Tel. (901) 372-8280 FAX (901) 373-6180Web Site: http://www.woodpurchasingnews.com

E-Mail Addresses:Advertising: [email protected]

Editorial: [email protected]: [email protected]

Publisher: Paul J. Miller - 1922-2010Gary Miller - PresidentWayne Miller - Vice President/Executive Editor Paul Miller, Jr. - Vice President/EditorTerry Miller - Vice President/Associate Editor- Secretary/Treasurer

Sue Putnam - Editorial DirectorMichelle Keller - Associate EditorJohn M. Gray, Jr. - Production/Art DirectorWalter J. Lee - Production/Asst. Art DirectorRachael Stokes - Advertising ManagerLisa Carpenter - Circulation ManagerU.S. Correspondents: Chicago, Ill., Grand Rapids, Mich., HighPoint, N.C., Los Angeles, Calif., Portland, Ore., Memphis, Tenn.Canadian Correspondents: TorontoForeign Correspondents: Brazil, Philippines, Malaysia, Chile,Bangkok, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand.The Import/Export Wood Purchasing News is the product ofa company and its affiliates that have been in the publishingbusiness for over 86 years.Other publications edited for specialized markets and distrib-uted worldwide include:Forest Products Export Directory • Hardwood PurchasingHandbook • National Hardwood Magazine • Dimension & WoodComponents Buyerʼs Guide • Imported Wood PurchasingGuide • Green Bookʼs Hardwood Marketing Directory • GreenBookʼs Softwood Marketing Directory • The Softwood ForestProducts Buyer

The publisher reserves the right toaccept or reject editorial content andAdvertisements at the staff’s discre-

Jobs (and in a more general sense, theeconomy) is the issue that will domi-nate this election, and more important-ly, the policies actually enacted after allthe tickertape has been cleared away inNovember.But itʼs fairly easy to say “jobs must becreated!” as a policy; itʼs a lot harder toactually boost the economy and deflateunemployment. So, while both partiestalk about U.S. manufacturing, theyalso, to different extents attack (or

avoid) the issue of imports.Thatʼs why we continue tobeat the drum on a jobs sup-porting program that actuallyworks for U.S. manufacturingand U.S. consumers –imports. Now while it mightsound counterintuitive to saythat imports will help get the

American economy back on track, itʼsthe truth.I donʼt even need to convince you – letthe National Retail Federation, theU.S. Chamber of Commerce, andcountless others do it for me. An initia-tive called Imports Work

With the Presidential elections (not tomention the entire House and a thirdof the Senate) mere weeks away, it iseasy to get caught up in putting outyard signs, handing out bumper stick-ers, or arguing with your friends, fam-ily, and anyone whoʼll listen about whoyou think should win. And while thatcivic participation is an important partof our democratic system, Iʼd like totake a few moments and talk aboutwhat happens after the election.Iʼm not going to say that thetwo Presidential candidatesare the same – they bothhave views that differ widelywith each other; but no matterwhich one of them wins inNovember, the wheels willkeep right on turning. Andmore importantly for our dis-cussion – businesses will keep righton running. As you listen to the debates and thespeeches leading up to the election,youʼll hear a common element in all ofthem, no matter who is running foroffice or what the political party – jobs.


(www.importswork.com) details themany positive ways in which the U.S.benefits from imports – itʼs not just thecompanies importing products and


By Brent J. McClendon, CAEExecutive Vice President

International Wood Products Associationwww.iwpawood.org

The Politics Of Imports And U.S. Jobs

at least one thing is plain and simple. At Cersosimo we provide you with the largest and most consistent supply of quality hardwood—from the heart of New England forests. And we’ve been doing it for over 55 years. You’ve come to count on us to be there and deliver the best—and do it consistently.

It’s straight talk from folks who are easy to talk to, who know the business inside and out—and whose integrity is as solid as the lumber we provide.

In today’s complex world

www.cersosimolumber.comwww.cersosimolumber.com

http://www.woodpurchasingnews.com

mailto:[email protected]



http://www.iwpawood.org

http://www.importswork.com

www.cersosimolumber.com

GLENTRUAN–A Vietnam-based Quality Furniture Manufacturer Specializing In American Hardwoods Import/Export Wood Purchasing News


Ian Tailyour (left), one of the American management team members atGlentruan Furniture Ltd., located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, meetswith Celebrity Chef Bobby Chinn. The renowned chef recently contract-ed with Glentruan to purchase handcrafted solid Walnut tables, usingNo. 2 Common 4/4 with a matte finish.

Pictured is American hardwood material stocked at Glentruan.In inventory: 4/4 No. 2 Common White AshHandcrafting at Glentruan pairs modern machinery and advanced adhe-sives with time-tested traditional woodworking techniques.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam–GlentruanFurniture Ltd. specializes in custommanufacturing of fine furniture,accessories and decorations.Headquartered here, the company is a100% foreign-owned factory - led byBritish and American businessmen,and thought to be staffed by some ofthe finest craftsmen and craftswomenworking in Vietnam today. Its philoso-phy is based on the belief that thereare four elements that add up to cus-tomer satisfaction: quality, consisten-cy, on-time delivery, and competitivepricing. No surprise there, but it is hardto believe that such quality furniture ismass produced in this highly competi-tive country. Established in 1999, as many foreigninvestors arrived to set up mass pro-duction furniture in Vietnam,Glentruan has positioned itself with areputation for “very well made” furni-ture, most of which is produced forquality buyers. The emphasis is onsolid wood, made in high valuespecies with American hardwood asthe main material. The companyfocuses on Black Walnut, Ash, WhiteOak, Hard Maple and some Red Oak.

“We have recently made a range ofchildrenʼs school furniture for the highend market of Japan using AmericanWhite Ash,” said Ian Tailyour one ofthe American management team – ofScottish descent. “We have found thatthe Japanese market appreciates U.S.Hardwoods; especially White Oak,Walnut, and Ash. Our products arealso featured in some of the finesthotels, resorts and restaurants aroundthe world. We use a lot of solidAmerican Black Walnut for hotels,restaurants and resorts which haveincluded the famous Raffles Hotel inSingapore and Bryant Park in NewYork City.” Tailyour confirms that, in the 13 yearssince its establishment, Glentruan hascustom made furniture for clientsalmost all over the world. Recently thecompany made solid Walnut tables forTV celebrity chef Bobby Chinn usingNo. 2 Common 4/4 Walnut with amatte finish.Another exciting furniture range isGlentruanʼs solid ʻWood Stoolʼ craftedfrom solid American White Oak from

A Glentruan craftsman handworks American White Ash.

Glentruan purchases North American Black Walnut, Ash, Red and WhiteOak, and Hard Maple. Pictured is a piece of furniture made of AmericanBlack Walnut.

EXPORTERS OF QUALITYAPPALACHIAN & NORTHERN HARDWOODS

FAX: 574-753-2525or call 574-753-3151

Logansport, Indiana 46947

Their sister company is Indiana Dimension Incorporated (IDI)Fax: (574) 739-2818 Phone: (574) 739-2319

COMPLETE EXPORT PREPARATION DONE AT OUR YARD WITHMILLING AND DRY KILN FACILITIES

RED OAKCHERRYASHWALNUT

WHITE OAKHICKORYHARD & SOFT MAPLE

email: [email protected] page address: http://www.colehardwood.com

By Michael Buckley


http://www.colehardwood.com


TREAT HARDWOOD LUMBER Strives to Provide the Best Appalachian HardwoodsBy Gary Miller


A load of Poplar is being loaded into a shipping container.

Treatʼs Yard Supervisor Tommy Gilford unloads lumber from the kiln.

Situated on about 12 acres, facilities include anoffice building, a green stacker line (shown here),a stick shed, two storage sheds and approximate-ly 300,000 board feet per charge of dry kiln capac-ity and a boiler room.

Rolling stock at the yard in Wilkesboro, N.C. includes four forklifts, threeof which are manufactured by Hyster, Danville, Ill., and the other forkliftwas bought from Taylor Machine Works, located in Louisville, Miss.

At their yard in Wilkesboro, N.C., Treat invento-ries 1.5 million board feet (5/4 FAS shown here)in dry storage sheds that are covered on threesides to protect their kiln dried lumber from theweather and other elements.

Treat Hardwood Lumber Co. owners Stacey Treat and Douglas Morris

Wilkesboro, N.C.—Treat Hardwood Lumber Co.(THL), located here, offers Appalachian hardwood lum-ber in a variety of species such as Poplar, Red andWhite Oak, Hickory, Hard and Soft Maple and Walnut.The company is global since their lumber sales extendto customers located throughout North America, China,Vietnam, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan,Singapore, Italy and Germany.“We process about one million board feet per month ofAppalachian hardwood lumber at this facility,” StaceyTreat, one of the owners of the company that handles alot of the export sales for his company, said. Situated onabout 12 acres, facilities include an office building, agreen stacker line, a stick shed, two storage sheds and

Treat Hardwood Lumberʼs green Poplar lumber on its way to the stack-er.

5/4 Poplar lumber in Treatʼs cooling shed.

approximately 300,000 board feet percharge of dry kiln capacity and a boil-er room.“At our yard here in Wilkesboro, N.C.,

Over the past 27 years Liberty Woods has established itself as the industry leading, reliable source for imported hardwood plywood.

Our expertly trained overseas inspection team ensuresour customers receive high quality products at competitive prices.

As the only plywood importer to charter exclusive vessels, Liberty Woods has a distinct advantage over our competition when it comes to providing on-time delivery and inventory for the spot market.

LIBERTY WOODS INTERNATIONAL

THE VALUE LEADERIN HARDWOOD PLYWOOD

PRODUCTS

Qingdao, Shandong, China | Shanghai, China | Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia | Jakarta, Indonesia | Belém, Pará, Brazil | Carlsbad, Ca

(800) 367-7054 | (760) 438-8030 | www.LibertyWoods.com

CAPABLE. RELIABLE. LIBERTY WOODS. SINCE 1985

http://www.LibertyWoods.com


Left to Right: Juan Gonzalez, Diane Johnston and Larry Mether in front ofMidwest Walnutʼs inventory in Fontana, California at Golden State Reload.

Vice President of Purchasing and Product Development Shane Cook with dif-ferent grades and thicknesses of Walnut lumber that is packaged and pre-pared for shipment.

MIDWEST WALNUT—The Walnut Solution For Appearance Grade Applications

Midwest Walnut inventories 8/4, 10-foot flitches for their overseas customers.

A grader for Midwest Walnut grades Walnut lumber.

Along with their Walnut veneer logs, Midwest Walnutalso offers cants and White Oak veneer logs.

Midwest Walnut offers dimension squares that are ready to use and they alsohave the ability to mould, joint and/or plane them.

Midwest Walnut is equipped with high-grade Brewco horizontal resaws at itsfacilities in Willow Springs, Mo. and Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Salamanca Lumber Co., Inc. PO Box 416, Salamanca, New York State14779, USA.Phone: (1) 716-945-4810 Fax: (1) 716-945-1531 Attn: Mr. Reinier Taapken.

Email: [email protected]


By Terry Miller

Council Bluffs, Iowa—Operating two sawmill facil-ities, one which is located here and another in WillowSprings, Mo., Midwest Walnut continues to forgeahead with steady moderate growth in the global mar-ket for their Walnut lumber, furniture squares, dimen-sion, high-end gun blanks, cants, veneer and sawlogs.Midwest Walnut has been exporting their productssince the late 1960ʼs and was among the first U.S.hardwood lumber suppliers to obtain an export licensefor Walnut. The company has over 50 years of experi-ence exporting. Despite the slow yet recovering economy, Midwest

Walnut continues to make capitalimprovements in their operations andproduct offerings.The company recently expandedtheir boiler capacity by installing a 400horsepower gas-fired wood boiler atits Willow Springs operation. “Wecompletely upgraded our wood firedboilers with electronics,” Presidentand Owner Jim Plowman explained.“Wellons, Inc. came in and upgradedour entire system. “We have a 550 horsepower woodwaste boiler and we installed the 400horsepower boiler. We achieved twothings—expansion and a backup ifone goes down,” he continued. “Theelectronic updates were imperative tomaking the boilers operate as effi-ciently as possible.”Midwest Walnut also built two new


www.salamancalumber.com


Your SYP Partner Online:SouthernPineGlobal.com

Meet our Southern Yellow Pine Exporters

©Southern Forest Products Association Cooperator, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

Promotional Partner, American Softwoods™

Alamco Wood Products, Inc.alamco.com

Almond Brothers Lumber Co.almondlumber.com

American Trade LLCamtradellc.com

Anthony Forest Products Co.anthonyforest.com

Anthony Timberlands, Inc.anthonytimberlands.com

Atlas Trading Internationalatlastradinginternational.com

Aveesa & Ezyan Ali Enterprises , Inc.uslogsandlumber.com

BCH Trading Companybch-trading.com

Blue Water Lumberbluewaterlumber.com

Bridgewell Resources, LLCbridgewellres.com

Cameron Lumber Companycameronlumber.com

Canadian Wood Productscanadianwood.ca

Conner Industries, Inc.connerindustries.com

Cox Industries, Inc.coxwood.com

Culpeper Wood Preserversculpeperwood.com

Deltic Timber Corporationdeltic.com

Durable Wood Products USA, Inc.durablewoods.com

Elof Hansson, Inc.elofhansson.com

Follen Wood Preserving Company, Inc.follen.com

Forest City Trading Groupfctg.com

Fortress Wood Productsfortresswood.com

FTI Americaftiamerica.com

Georgia-Pacific LLCgapac.com

Gulf South Forest Products, Inc.lumberexport.com

Harrigan Lumber Company, Inc.harriganlumber.com

Hood Industrieshoodindustries.com

Hoover Treated Wood Products, Inc.frtw.com

Klausner Trading USA, Inc.klausner-group.com

Klumb Lumber Companyklumblumber.com

KM China Properties [email protected]

Laminated Timberslaminatedtimbers.com

Lampe & Malphrus Lumber Co., [email protected]

Mauvila Timber, LLCkeyportwarehousing.com

McShan Lumber Company, Inc.mcshanlumber.com

Mid-States Wood Preservers(318) 247 3741

Mississippi Development Authoritymississippi.org

Natural Tradenatural-trade.net

Ontario Project Management, [email protected]

Patrick Lumber Companypatlbr.com

Putnam Lumber & Export Companyputnamlumber.com

Ray White Lumber Companyraywhitelumber.com

Richmond International Forest Productsrifp.com

Robinson Lumber Companyroblumco.com

Roy O Martin-Rocky Creek Lumberroyomartin.com

Shamrock Tradingshamrockbm.com

Southern USA Forest Group LLCsyplogs.com

Southmark Forest Productssouthmarkforest.com

Super Lumberwesellwood.com

Swift Lumber, Inc.swiftlumber.com

Tampa International Forest Productstifp.com

Texas Forest Productstexasforestproducts.com

The Maine Wood Treatersmainewoodtreaters.com

Thomasson Companythomassonlumber.com

Tradewinds International, Inc.tradewindsintl.com

Tolleson Lumber Companytollesonlumber.com

Tumac Lumber Companytumac.com

Vanport Internationalvanport-intl.com

Westervelt Lumberwesterveltlumber.com

West Fraser, Inc.westfraser.com

Weyerhaeuser Companywoodbywy.com




www.southernpineglobal.com


LAWRENCE LUMBER CO. INC. Provides Individual Quality— “Piece-by-Piece”

Kim Beam serves as the firmʼs office manager.

The Cross Flow Pre-Dryer that LLC purchased from SII Dry Kilns, savesa large amount of energy.

Steve Leonard is the purchasing manager for LLC.

Lawrence Lumber Co., Inc. is a 27-acre hardwood concentration yard located in Maiden,N.C.

Tito Gori and his daughter Maura (not pictured) founded LLC in 1993.


Maiden, N.C.—Lawrence LumberCo., Inc. (LLC), located here, is ahardwood concentration yard situatedon 28 acres. The firm specializes inselling kiln-dried 4/4 through 8/4 Redand White Oak, 4/4 through 8/4 WhiteAsh and 4/4 through 12/4 Poplar. Thegrades of lumber offered by the oper-ation are No. 2 Common and Better.About 50 percent of LLCʼs hardwoodlumber is marketed domestically inthe U.S. and the other 50 percent issold abroad. Tito indicated his firmʼshardwood lumber sales abroad areexpected to increase. “We are begin-ning to ship our lumber to hardwoodconcentration yards in different coun-tries,” he explained. “We are also tar-geting large woodworking factoriesabroad.”Founded in 1993 by Tito Gori and hisdaughter Maura, LLC is presentlylocated in Maiden, N.C., nearHighway 321 and Interstate 40, whichis in a prime location for servingcustomers globally. A graduate ofthe National Hardwood LumberAssociationʼs Inspector TrainingSchool, Maura originally openedLawrence Lumber in Erie, Pa., buyingand selling lumber and logs forAzienda Legnami (A.L.A.), herfatherʼs company in Italy. “Maura isvery well known in the lumber busi-ness because she traveled extensive-ly visiting suppliers when we firstestablished our company,” Owner TitoGori explained. A.L.A. has three lumberyards locatedin Arezzo, Pesaro and Rome, Italy.These three yards have a total capac-ity of 80,000 square meters including40,000 square meters of coveredbuildings, in addition to dry kilns andmillwork services. A.L.A. handleshardwood and softwood lumber, ply-wood and semi-processed productsfrom around the world. LLC has a dry kiln capacity of800,000 board feet per charge count-ing their new pre-dryer/dry kiln andfive dry kilns. They also have two fansheds totaling 500,000 board feetcapacity. “SII Dry Kilns is one of the best dry-kiln manufacturers in the world,” TitoGori said. “Paula Turlington and DanMathews have my highest compli-

By Gary Miller

Steve Staryak is LLCʼs export sales manager.

www.midwestwalnut.com

Edward and Carol Robbins are the owners/operators of Ohio ValleyVeneer, Inc., which was established in 1990.


Piketon, Ohio—Ohio Valley Veneer(OVV), based here, specializes in thetimbering and cutting of hardwoods.Currently, the companyʼs timberlandsconsist primarily of Appalachian hard-woods. Managed and overseen byOhio Valley Realty Company, OVVcurrently owns over 2,000 acres ofland in the Ohio, Kentucky, WestVirginia and Virginia regions with addi-tional acres that they are also contracttimbering.Located just 30 miles North of theOhio River, OVV offers 4/4 through16/4 Walnut, Red and White Oak,Hard and Soft Maple, Poplar, Hickoryand Ash in up to 16-foot lengths. Theoperation cuts approximately 20 mil-lion board feet of Appalachian hard-wood annually. Ohio Valley Veneer also starteda new operation in countries aroundthe world and will be doing theseactivities under its international corpo-ration. Ohio Valley International, LLC(OVI) was created for the pursuit andexecution of international busi-ness. Over the past several years,many opportunities have opened upfor OVI abroad and they have had theability to move forward with work inEurope, Asia and Africa.


Lumber Sales - Paul DowPhone 001-330-893-3121Fax [email protected]

Lei ZhaoShanghai Office

Email [email protected] 86-13917158857

Log Sales - Eugene A.Walters, CFFax 001-304-464-4988

Phone [email protected]

Ohio Valleyʼs corporate office is located in Piketon, Ohio.The firm now offers Walnut boules, which are primarily marketed in Europe.

A Walnut log being sawn at Ohio Valley Veneer.

Poplar lumber being sawn at OVVʼs Peebles mill.

Ohio Valley Veneer expanded again with the purchase of the Crownover mill located in Peebles, Ohio in 2010. Thismill operates with two Innovec Stero Scanners, 2-8′ band head rigs, and a Cleereman 42 LP carriage for the pro-duction of 15 million feet annually.

OHIO VALLEY VENEER Offers Complete Package By Paul Miller Jr.

William ʻBillʼ Robbins is the founderof Robbins Lumber Company.





IWF PHOTOS - Continued from page 1

Nick Bohlke, Deanna Fasnacht and Mark Soupene, M. Böhlke Veneer Corp.,Fairfield, Ohio

Terry Miller, Import/Export Wood Purchasing News, Memphis, Tenn.;Randy Flament, Emporium Hardwoods Inc., Emporium, Pa.; and JesseLaSon, Rossi Group, Cromwell, Conn.

Michael Walz, Don Shultz, Janet Craig, and Richard Walz, WalzCraftIndustries, La Crosse, Wis.

Paul Newton, Tim Girardi, Mike Gaines, and Keith Finewood, NorthlandCorp., LaGrange, Ky.; and Rod Renwick, Northland Corp., Montreal,Que.

Gerry Vanveenendaal, Midwest Hardwood Corp., Maple Grove, Minn.; AlHarrison, Intermountain Wood Products, Salt Lake City, Utah; and JoyceConkin-Wilson and Chris Haugen, Midwest Hardwood Corp.

Jason Gobel, Ed Armbruster, and Richard Uria, Industrial Timber &Lumber Corp., Beachwood, Ohio

Chad Lange, Lange Customs, Knoxville, Tenn.; Dan Terbovich and PeterTerbovich, Horizon Wood Products Inc., Ridgway, Pa.

Mark Herskind, Baillie Lumber Co., Hamburg, N.Y.; Mark Vollinger, W.M.Cramer Lumber Co., Hickory, N.C.; and Richard Peters, BanksHardwoods Inc., White Pigeon, Mich.

Norm and Kristina Murray, and Tom Johel, U•C Coatings Corp., Buffalo,N.Y.

Dan Caldwell, Atlanta Hardwood Corp., Mableton, Ga.; Patrick Altham,AHC Export Lumber, Huntersville, N.C.; Michelle Ye, AHC ExportLumber, Foshan, China; and Desmond Zhao, AHC Export Lumber,Beijing, China

Brian Shepley, Richmond International Forest Products, Richmond, Va.;Hal Mitchell, Atlanta Hardwood Corp., Atlanta, Ga.; Tom Hibdon, AHCCraig Imports, Huntersville, N.C.; and Nace Austin, Hardwoods Inc. ofAtlanta, Mableton, Ga.

Fred and Teresa Teague, and Colleen and Greg Hubble, Prime LumberCo., Thomasville, N.C.

Billy and Bob Thompson, Thompson Forest Products International,Greensboro, N.C.

Additional photos on page 12

Chris Strang, Downes & Reader Hardwood Co. Inc., Stoughton, Mass.; DaveBlain and Jeff Leonard, Leonard Lumber Co., Durham, Conn.; Jim Reader,Downes & Reader Hardwood Co. Inc.; Jim Howard, Atlanta Hardwood Corp.,Mableton, Ga.; and Crystal Oldham, Hardwood Forest Foundation, Memphis,Tenn.

Jack Matson, eLIMBS LLC, Belpre, Ohio; Linwood Truitt, Beasley ForestProducts Inc., Hazlehurst, Ga.; Karen Alford, eLIMBS LLC; Eric Burchett,Huntersville Hardwoods, Huntersville, N.C.; and Dan Caldwell, AtlantaHardwood Corp., Mableton, Ga.

Monica Davidson and Gurhan Hudson, Shelter Forest International, Portland,Ore.; Rod Loe, Shelter Forest International, Xuzhou, China; Ryan Loe andMichael Stringfellow, Shelter Forest International, Portland, Ore.; and MelissaRichardson, Shelter Forest International, Las Vegas, Nev.

Eric Lacey, Brian Rivers and Richard Wilson, Middle Tennessee LumberCo. Inc., Burns, Tenn.

Pat Lynch and Grady Mulbery, Roseburg Forest Products, Roseburg, Ore.;Tony Butler, Roseburg Forest Products, Simsboro, La.; and Michael Gerber,Roseburg Forest Products, Atlanta, Ga.


www.hancocklumber.com

Chris Kemp, Bill Baker, and Derek Wheeland, Wheeland Lumber Co.,Inc., Liberty, Pa.

Lisa and Bill Graban, Prime Lumber Co., Thomasville, N.C.

Greg Hubble, Prime Lumber Co., Thomasville, N.C.; Lenny Shibley,Inter-Continental Hardwoods, Currie, N.C.; and Fred Teague, PrimeLumber Co.

Wade Mosby, The Collins Cos., Portland, Ore.; Kevin Slabaugh,McKillican, Austin, Texas; Paul Eastman, The Collins Cos., Kane, Pa.;and Mike Shuey, The Collins Cos., Portland, Ore.

Cami Waner, The Collins Cos., Portland, Ore.; and Stephani Bisignano,The Collins Cos., Scottsdale, Ariz.

Kevin Kahila, Banks Hardwoods Inc., White Pigeon, Mich.; BarryBennett and Greg Grimes, Hartselle Plywood & Lumber, Hartselle, Ala.;and Spencer Lutz, Banks Hardwoods, Inc.

Brett Smith and Steve Jones, Ron Jones Hardwood Sales Inc., UnionCity, Pa.; Atlee Kaufman, 77 Coach Supply Ltd., Millersburg, Ohio; andTrevor Vaughan, Ron Jones Hardwood Sales, Inc.

Luis Ramirez, Inversiones Lel Libano, Villanueva, Guatemala; RubenGonzalez, Banks Hardwoods, Inc., White Pigeon, Mich.; and BorisMoran, Deposito Sinai, San Marcos, Guatemala

Kevin Kahila, Spencer Lutz, and Mike Middleton, Banks Hardwoods,Inc., White Pigeon, Mich.

Gary Miller, Import/Export Wood Purchasing News, Memphis, Tenn.;Linda Jovanovich, Hardwood Manufacturers Assoc., Pittsburgh, Pa.;and Steve Jones, Ron Jones Hardwood Sales Inc., Union City, Pa.

Greg Ritchie, Banks Hardwoods Inc., White Pigeon, Mich.; andAlexander Flatischler and Vladimir Kucera, Frischeis, Stockerau, Austria

Geoff Hillenmeyer and Richard Wilson, Middle Tennessee Lumber Co.,Inc., Burns, Tenn.

John Biedermann, and Scot Whittington, Hardwoods Inc., Mableton,Ga.; Jim Howard, Atlanta Hardwood Corp., Mableton, Ga.

Dwight Kratzer, Walnut Creek Planing, Millersburg, Ohio; and AlfredMayo and Norman Atchley, Parton Lumber Co., Rutherfordton, N.C.

Bo Hammond, Northwest Hardwoods, Inc., Mount Sidney, Va.; RandyBrown, Northwest Hardwoods, Inc., Erie, Pa.; and Scott Linton,Northwest Hardwoods, Inc., Kansas City, Mo.

Tony Triolo, Inter-Continental Hardwoods, Currie, N.C.; Thomas Owens,Northwest Hardwoods, Inc., Little Rock, Ark.; Bonnie Camarena, NorthwestHardwoods, Inc., Valencia, Calif.; and Fred Coffrin, Inter-ContinentalHardwoods



Additional photos on page 14

Bob McCabe, Bingaman & Son Lumber Inc., Kreamer, Pa.; Elizabeth DiFiore,Thruway Hardwood and Plywood Corp./Syracuse Forest Products, Buffalo,N.Y.; Brad Bingaman, Bingaman & Son Lumber Inc.; John DiFiore, ThruwayHardwood and Plywood Corp./Syracuse Forest Products; and ChrisBingaman, Bingaman & Son Lumber Inc.

Jim Higgins and Dave Sondel, U•C Coatings Corp., Buffalo, N.Y.; AlfredMayo, Parton Lumber Co., Rutherfordton, N.C.; and Norm Murray, PamPrzybylski-Ladue, and Tom Johel, U•C Coatings Corp.



cent over the 2010 show.IWPA staff members also met with itsmembers in their respective exhibitionbooths during IWF. Additionally, IWPAhosted a reception, which was attend-ed by more than 120 of its membersand their guests. The reception wassponsored by Pollmeier.The IWPAʼs mission is: Advancinginternational trade in wood productsthrough education and leadership inbusiness, environmental and publicaffairs.Established in 1956, IWPA is theleading international trade associationfor the North American imported woodproducts industry, representing 220companies and trade organizationsengaged in the import of hardwoodsand softwoods from sustainably man-aged forests in more than 30 nationsacross the globe. Association mem-bers consist of three key groupsinvolved in the import process: U.S.importers and consuming industries,offshore manufacturers and the serv-ice providers that facilitate trade.IWPA serves the needs of the entireindustry by developing programs andproviding services that will increasepublic acceptance and greater use ofimported wood products in the U.S.marketplace.IWPAʼs registered lobbyists and vol-unteer leaders meet frequently withmembers of the House and Senateand regulatory officials to make surethey are aware of industry's top priori-ty issues and concerns. Various industry sectors ofthe Association meet regularly to dis-cuss the latest trade issues impactingtheir sector, develop product stan-dards or other common areas of inter-est.

AMERICAN HARDWOODS - Continued from page 1

ifications for U.S. hardwoods. AHECcommissioned a third-party objectiveevaluation of the state of the U.S.hardwood inventory, as well asassessing the risk of illegally harvest-ed U.S. hardwood entering the mar-ketplace. Known as the Seneca CreekStudy, the report concludes that therecan be high confidence regardingadherence to national and state lawsin the hardwood sector and that stolentimber is likely to represent less than 1percent of total U.S. hardwood pro-duction. The authors of Seneca CreekStudy also have shown that U.S.hardwood can be considered LowRisk in all five “risk categories” of theFSC controlled wood standard. Inother words, in addition to low risk ofillegal logging, it is very unlikely that

IWF -Continued from page 1

IWPA -Continued from page 1

attendees are connected to the woodproducts industry on various levels,and early registration figures toppedthose posted in 2010 by 40 percent.IWF show officials stated that theincreased attendance and interest inthe event can be attributed to demandfor new machinery, supplies and serv-ices that the show exhibitors offer.In addition to the large volume ofexhibitors, attendees were offeredmore than three dozen educationalcourses at IWF, from basics in woodfinishing and production to marketingstrategies, business management andbest practices in lean manufacturing.Also, educational seminars wereavailable in business management,manufacturing, furniture, marketing,sales and wood. Expanded versions of the educationalseminars were also available in IWFʼsfive symposiums, and The CabinetMakers Association offered certifica-tion sessions at the IWF.In addition to education, the 2012Challenger Awards were presented towinners from a field of 50 competingcompanies. The Challenger Awardrewards companies for entering forcompetition their most innovativeproduct developments.For post-show information aboutIWF, visit its website at www.iwfat-lanta.com.

•

International conducted a Life CycleInventory, or LCI, in which they com-piled the complete range of all U.S.hardwood lumber products from whatthey referred to as “point of extraction”to the point of delivery in theimportersʼ yard. Using this data, PEInternational then conducted a LifeCycle Impact Analysis. This studyemployed special software known asGabi 4, which took in data such as theprocesses used to harvest, saw, kiln-dry and transport the lumber. The soft-ware also analyzed outputs of prod-uct, emissions and waste–so it didnʼtjust consider what was created, butalso what was put out into the envi-ronment.From all this data, PE Internationalcharted the Global Warming Potential,or GWP, of 19 different species ofU.S. hardwoods and included datasuch as forestry management prac-tices, sawmilling, transportation fromthe processing site, and carbonuptake. They found: “irrespective ofspecies, carbon storage in product ismore than sufficient to offset the GWPof all emissions….during forestry,

If you have questions regarding IWPAmembership, please call (703) 820-6696, fax (703) 820-8550, [email protected].

•

any American hardwood is derivedfrom forests where human rights orhigh conservation values are threat-ened by management activities, orfrom forests being converted to plan-tations or non-forest use, or fromgenetically modified trees.Known as the Seneca Creek Study,the specific findings of the study arethat the hardwood inventory standingof timber is growing at an even greaterrate (in advance of removals) thanpreviously indicated by the U.S.Department of Agriculture.Shortly after this, AHEC commis-sioned another study through a differ-ent third-party independent organiza-tion with EU and UN credentials. PEInternational, a renowned sustainabil-ity authority, is based in Germany buthas offices virtually the world over.They were commissioned to do a two-part study, focusing on U.S. hardwoodproduction from “seedling to gate.”The first part of the study involved anin-depth look at the life cycle of U.S.hardwoods in order to come up withan environmentally-credentialed lifecycle assessment, or LCA.Following completion of the LCA, PE

http://www.iwfat-lanta.com




www.olamonline.com



Curt Wolfhope, Lewis Lumber Products, Inc., PictureRocks, Pa.; and Paul Eastman, The Collins Cos.,Kane, Pa.

Steve Arnold and Jason Boman, Missouri WalnutLLC, Neosho, Mo.

Bill Buchanan, Doug Fikes, and Mike Owens,Buchanan Hardwood Flooring, Aliceville, Ala.

Jeremy Rentschler and Roy Rentschler, IndianaDimension, Inc., Logansport, Ind.

Jeremy Rentschler, Indiana Dimension, Inc., Logansport, Ind.; MichaelRuhlin, Mikeʼs Woodworking & Renovation LLC, Maumee, Ohio; RichardPeters, Banks Hardwoods, Inc., White Pigeon, Mich.; and RoyRentschler, Indiana Dimension, Inc.

Tim DiGuardi, Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp., East Earl, Pa.; andMike Mamrak, Lewis Lumber Products, Inc., Picture Rock, Pa.

Gregg Wilkinson, Liberty Woods International, Carlsbad, Calif.; Lenny Shibley,Inter-Continental Hardwoods, Currie, N.C.; and Sean Testar, Liberty WoodsInternational

Jim McGuffin, Shamrock Building Materials, Inc., Portland, Ore.; Sergei Kotov,SGK Nordic, Riga, Latvia; Monica Davidson, Shelter Forest International,Xuzhou, China; and Rod Loe, Shelter Forest International, Portland, Ore.

Boris Dzhunusov, Woodbridge International, Russian Federation, Moscow,Russia; Olga Tikhonova, Murom Plywood Mill, Russia; Georgy Krapivin,Woodbridge International., Russian Federation,; and Gary Miller,Import/Export Wood Purchasing News, Memphis, Tenn.

Nick Böhlke, M. Böhlke Veneer Corp., Fairfield, Ohio; Brent McClendon,International Wood Products Assoc., Alexandria, Va.; Lukas Schmid, M.Bohlke Veneer Corp.; and Jim Picha, Samling USA, Mount Pleasant, S.C.

Zack Overstreet, Bobby Slaton, Ken Roscoe, and Albert Haithcock, PatrickIndustries, Inc., Elkhart, Ind.

Scott Hilmen, Liberty Woods International, Carlsbad, Calif.; Lance Clark,International Wood Products Assoc., Alexandria, Va.; Matt Bunner, RobertWeed Plywood Corp., Bristol, Ind.; and Ashley Amidon, International WoodProducts Assoc.

Annette Ferri, International Wood Products Association, Alexandria, Va.; OmarLinares and Joel Linares, Beacon Hardwoods, Miami, Fla.; and RichardHering, Brookside Veneers Ltd., Cranbury, N.J.

Juhan Haikala, Plywood & Door Manufacturing Corp., Union, N.J.; NormanRoberts, Roberts Plywood Co., Deer Park, N.Y.; and Heath Saunders and JerryLeonard, AkzoNobel, High Point, N.C.

Phil Leupold and Eric Anderson, Weyerhaeuser Corp., Federal Way, Wash.

Ken Stephens, Associated Hardwoods, Inc., Granite Falls, N.C.; Robert Wilhiteand Doug Martin, Pollmeier, Inc., Portland, Ore.; Norm Murray, U•C CoatingsCorp., Buffalo, N.Y.; and Tim Wooley, Pollmeier Inc.

Mark Barford, National Hardwood Lumber Association, Memphis, Tenn.; HerbJenkins, Gibson Guitar, Nashville, Tenn.; Rick Ekstein, Weston ForestProducts, Mississauga, Ont.; Michael Shapiro, Weston Premium Woods,Brampton, Ont.; and Steve Rhone, Weston Forest Products

Dan Wilson, Dongwha USA, Portland, Ore.; Craig Smith, Ike Trading Co.,Atlanta, Ga.; Brian MacDonald, Ike Trading Co., Boston, Mass.; and DavidWeed, Robert Weed Plywood Corp., Bristol, Ind.

Dave Warne, guest, Mooresville, N.C.; and Peter Casey, Lewis LumberProducts, Inc., Picture Rock, Pa.

IWPA PHOTOS - Continued from page 1



those companies already now cer-tified. Also, for those hardwoodbusinesses for which obtainingand maintaining individual certifi-cation has been cost-prohibitive,the new environmental credentialswill do away with all that.• REACTIONS AMONG MANU-FACTURERS. Paul Dow withRolling Ridge Woods, Ltd. inMillersburg, Ohio, offered his com-ments about this latest news.

“Through dedi-cation and per-severance,” hesaid, “AHEChas been suc-cessful intelling the sci-e n c e - b a s e dstory of NorthA m e r i c a nh a r d w o o d s .The fact-based, third-

party studies have proven the sus-tainability of our hardwood forests.With EPDs now being possiblethrough the work of AHEC, U.S. lum-ber manufacturers will have a sub-stantial advantage in the global mar-ketplace wherever verification of sus-

tainability of the timber resources andthe carbon footprint are a concern.”Dow concluded by saying, “I hope thatthis is just the beginning of an under-standing that American hardwood

sawmilling, kiln drying and all stagesof transport to deliver 1-inch lumber tothe European market.” This study alsoproves that local materials are notnecessarily more environmentally-friendly.• TECHNOLOGY FOR MANUFAC-TURERS. PE International has alsodeveloped what they call an “i-Report”tool for U.S. hardwood lumber, tomake this information available tolumber manufacturers. With the i-Report tool, users can input their owndata (including hardwood species,energy used to treat the hardwood,mode and distance of transport), andfrom this information, can see theenvironmental impact expected as aresult.• IMPLICATIONS. In an interview,AHEC Director Mike Snow went intomore detail on this latest “green” newsand what it means not only to U.S.lumber manufacturers, but for theglobal market. “Through its partner-ship with PE International,” he said,“AHEC will be producing the firstʻgenericʼ EPDs for American hard-wood Lumber and veneer.”He explained that EPD stands for“Environmental Product Declaration,”according to the InternationalStandards Organization, based inGeneva, Switzerland.Snow went on to explain the ramifica-tions for U.S. hardwood lumber manu-facturers. “AHEC has arranged forAHEC members to use PEʼs patentedʻi-Reportʼ software to produce theirown specific EPDs based on their ownkiln efficiency, power efficiency andother considerations. This will provideincentives for companies to look forways to become more efficient forcompetitive reasons, which is ofcourse the whole point of doing this inthe first place. Not only is it importantto see how wood compares to othermaterials, but LCA pinpoints ʻhotspotsʼ where environmental perform-ance can be improved.”He went on to add, “There is pendinglegislation in many parts of the world,beginning with Europe, that willrequire EPDs for all building productsby 2015 and for all consumer productsshortly thereafter. Many companies,including some automakers, arealready using EPDs. The main benefitfor U.S. hardwood exporters (espe-cially AHEC members) is that they willbe able to provide wood delivered tooverseas manufacturers with an ISO-compliant EPD. The manufacturersthen only need to add the EPDs fortheir own additional processing(machining, finishing, etc.). Our com-petitors cannot yet provide that infor-mation, and even when they can inthe future, the advantages of our sus-tainable forestry and efficient industrytaken together will give U.S. suppliersan advantage. The other immediateadvantage will be an increased use ofwood in ʻgreenʼ building systems,which are almost all based on LCA(except, of course, LEED in the U.S.,but that is changing.)• TIMELINE. Snow said that by thisNovember these new Hardwood cre-dentials should be a reality. The impli-cations for all U.S. hardwoodexporters is that those who are not ina position to have access to certifiedraw materials will soon have the samestandard of verifiable sustainability as


lumber and products manufacturedusing them have a positive impact onour environment.”Eugene A. Walters, Certified Forester

Paul Dow

www.newmanlumber.com


and the General Manager of RollingRidge Woods Ltd., had this to sayabout this latest news. “As a profes-sional forester, I am delighted thatAHEC hasadvanced theissue of the sus-tainability ofAmerican hard-woods to the glob-al marketplace.The hardwood for-est communityand hardwoodindustry in theUSA have longbeen misunder-stood with regards to the manage-ment of our hardwood resources. Notonly do our hardwood forests providea sustainable raw material for manybeautiful and useful products, but theyalso enhance our lives by providing aclean atmosphere, clean water, andhabitats for a variety of wildlifespecies.” He added, “The hardwood

Sourcing wood overseas is one thing. Getting it delivered reliably is another. With our in-house customs and logistics team, Bridgewell Resources takes the hassles out of importing the world’s highest quality hardwoods and the headaches out of keeping up on the current, complex regulations. Enjoy a trusted, long-term resource for paneling, flooring, decking, plywood, moulding, timbers and more, in all grades and sizes. When it comes to importing, we make it painless.

Panels / Lumber / Moulding / Decking / Flooring

800.570.3566 / [email protected]


forest community has advanced theʻgreen agendaʼ for years with littlerecognition and it is indeed overduethat the message of our stewardshipof this vital resource is promoted.”In Utica, Miss., from the corporateheadquarters of Kitchen BrothersManufacturing Co., Sales ManagerJohn Clark hadthis reaction tothe new certifica-tion of U.S. hard-woods. “Theʻgreenʼ movementhas threatenedour access tomarkets aroundthe world as wellas in the USA andthere have beenmany laws enacted around the worldin response to the ʻgreenʼ movement.For example, in many cases the dif-ferent ʻgreenʼ building codes that wereenacted by law dictate the use of non-hardwood materials because theyaward points for those materials anddo not award points for hardwood use.The truth is, there is only a small per-centage of hardwood timber lots that

can economically certify under theForest Stewardship Council (FSC)scheme (the only one recognized byLEED). Taxpayers spend hundreds ofmillions of dollars each year to oper-ate the U.S. Forest Service. Its pur-pose is to manage our Federal tim-berlands as well as to maintain a com-plete inventory of both public and pri-vate timber lands. The Seneca CreekStudy revealed an ever-increasingtimber base in the USA, and con-firmed that there is low risk of it beingillegally harvested. Now the Life CycleAssessment is complete and, com-bined with the Environmental ProductDeclarations that are now available,provides to all consumers real scienceto prove American hardwoods aresustainable and use of them are bet-ter for the environment than usingplastic (from petroleum), as well asconcrete and steel. This now negatesthe need to have a third party certifyanything so we will now see if theʻgreenʼ movement is about the envi-ronment or if it is about the money thatcan be siphoned from our industry.”History may prove that AHECʼs longterm effort to clarify environmental

credentials of U.S. hardwoods will beas significant as the establishment ofthe NHLA grading standards of1898–maybe more. Based on wherethis trend is going, they are settingthemselves up to be the pioneer in theindustry, raising the bar to create anew “green” gold standard.(About the author of this article:T. Jensen Lacey's work has appearedin many publications, includingVanderbilt, Good Housekeeping andSouthern Living. Lacey's current spe-cialties are history, technical and trav-el writing. She has more than 12books and novels to her credit; this isher 800th article. She maybe contacted at [email protected]; her website iswww.tjensenlacey.com.)

•

Eugene A. WaltersJohn Clark


Oregonʼs (Decker v. NorthwestEnvironmental Defense Fund) andindustryʼs (Georgia-Pacific West v.NEDC). The questions the SupremeCourt has asked the appellants toaddress in their briefing focus onwhether runoff from logging roadsshould be regulated as industrialstorm water and whether the NinthCircuit should have deferred to EPA.Oral argument is likely to be sched-uled in late November or earlyDecember. The Courtʼs ruling is likelyto be announced in the spring of 2013.

Forestry Provisions for Farm Bill

The House Agriculture Committeecompleted its work on legislationreauthorizing the Farm Bill, whichincludes several important forestryprovisions that apply to federal lands.The markup contained several forestrelated amendments, including asuccessful amendment fromRepresentative Kristi Noem (R-SD)that would allow the Forest Service tocategorically exclude forest healthtreatments on lands identified as “crit-ical areas” for projects up to 10,000acres. The underlying legislation orig-inally limited that categorical exclu-sion to 1,000 acres. Other significantprovisions in the bill include:• Stewardship contracting, which isdue to expire in 2013, would beextended to 2017.• Expansion of the Good NeighborAuthority, which is currently a pilot inColorado, will expand to include allNational Forest System lands. Thiswould allow for the Forest Service tocontract with states to do hazardousfuels reduction and other projects onthe National Forests. • Authorizes expedited treatments for“critical areas” designated as sufferingfrom “insect infestation, drought, dis-ease, or storm damage,” or at “futurerisk of insect infestations or diseaseoutbreaks.” The Noem amendmentbrought this authority to 10,000 acres. • Authorizes the Forest Service tohire back retirees to “provide technicalservices for conservation-related pro-grams and authorities on NationalForest System lands.”Officials indicated Schraderʼs FarmBill amendment attempt was a sign ofgrowing frustration with the House

WASHINGTON SCENE -Continued from page 2


http://www.BridgewellResources.com

mailto:@yahoo.com

http://www.tjensenlacey.com


Tropical & European HardwoodsProducer and Exporter

ROMEA LEGNAMI S.p.A.Italy-30034 Gambarare di Mira (Venice)- S.S. 309 Romea – Ang. Via Onari – Ph. +39 041 562 9811 – Fax +39 041 562 9810

www.romealegnami.com – [email protected] any enquiry please contact our Sales Team at +39 041 562 9816

Romea is a family company with over 300 years of history in the processing of timber, our timber history has led us build the right know-how to help our customers find the right timber and

solution for their projects, building a long lasting relationship and mutual trust with them.We are specialized in delivering full service and we are flexible to respond to any custom-made enquiry.

Our main products are: African Mahogany (Khaya), Afrormosia, Black/White Limba, Bubinga, Chestnut, Doussie, Edinam, Sycamore Maple, European White Oak, Iroko, Kosipo, Shedua, Padouk, Pearwood,

Sapele, Sipo, Teak Burma, Wenge, Venetian Walnut, Zebrawood, European Beechwood, and much more.

Sustainability

HighReputation

Just in Time Quality

Reliability Full Service


Natural Resources Committee, whichto date has not taken any action onthe legislation.

•

Hardwood Lumber Association,the Appalachian HardwoodManufacturers, Inc. and the AmericanHardwood Export Council.

•

WHOʼS WHO - AdamsContinued from page 2

bution yards, reloads, and mill directofferings, they can assure promptdelivery at competitive prices. Theirsales team provides a full range ofservices. For international buyers,they have skilled traders versed inseveral international languages andexperience in all world markets.Adams is responsible for sourcingmaterial, coordinating with internation-al offices and handling selectedaccounts. “Our objective is to exceedcustomer expectations so we focus onthe customersʼ needs tailoring a pro-gram specific for each account,”Adams said. Bridgewellʼs main international officeis located in Shanghai, China, allow-ing greater opportunities in importingand exporting. “It is an advantage tohave this structure – an office over-seas – which allows us to deliver onour promises of prompt turns onquotes, real time inspections andaccurate market information,” Adamsnoted. “We have local roots, but aglobal reach. Our responsiveness andattention to our customers reflectthat.”Adams is a graduate of Oregon StateUniversityʼs Wood Science andEngineering program and has workedin the forest products industry formore than 20 years. Adams hasworked his way from production tosales to management. Adams called Newnan, Georgiahome until 14 months ago when hewas recruited to join the Bridgewellteam. The International WoodProducts Association and ForestProduct Association member is ahunting, fishing and golf enthusiast –taking full advantage of the Oregonrecreation opportunities. He has set-tled back in Oregon with his wife,Trisha, and daughters Caitlin, 13,Bailey, 10, and Arlene, 8.Bridgewell offers port-to-port service,an in-house logistics and complianceteam that handles international docu-mentation, customs compliance andpersonalized service with one point ofcontact. It is an operating company ofAtlas Holdings LLC, a Connecticut-based company that owns and oper-ates businesses in a number of indus-trial sectors. More information aboutproducts and services can be found atwww.BridgewellResources.com.

•

Committee and a board member ofAmerican Hardwood Export Council.Kassis and his wife Becki have twochildren and three grandchildren. Inhis spare time he enjoys playing golfand hunting.Kretz Lumber is an employee-owned,vertically integrated, global forestproducts company. The firmʼs hard-woods are harvested from the abun-dant resources of the Great Lakesregion. Their foresters manage 9,000acres of company-owned forestlandand thousands of acres of privatelyowned forestland. As good stewards,Kretz promotes and practices sustain-able forest management.

•

WASHINGTON SCENE -Continued from page 16

WHOʼS WHO - GustinContinued from page 2

operation with one million board feetof dry kilns. The firm has an annualproduction of approximately 25 millionboard feet of hardwood lumber.Species produced include, Ash,Cherry, Hard and Soft Maple, and Redand White Oak.Services include export preparationand packaging and container loading.FSC certified products are available.

Gustin has been employed by RAMForest Products for 29 years and inhis current position for the past 22years. He began his career at anEthan Allen plant in Eldred, PA. Healso worked as a maintenancemechanic for Tree Sweet OrangeJuice Co. based in Fort Pierce, Fl.Next, Gustin worked at JoslynManufacturing Co., a manufacturer ofelectrical insulators based in Lima,N.Y., as he finished acquiring hisdegree from Elim Bible Institute, alsolocated in Lima.Gustin began his career with RAMForest Products as a lumber handler.He went on to gain six years of lumberinspection experience with the com-pany before he moved into the salesdepartment.He and Karen, his wife of 32 years,have two children and one grandchild.In his spare time Gustin enjoys watch-ing and participating in sports, is anactive Sunday school teacher at hischurch and plays guitar in the worshipband.RAM Forest Products, Inc. is certifiedby the Forestry Stewardship Counciland a member of the National

WHOʼS WHO - KassisContinued from page 2

ally. Special services offered by Kretzinclude: kiln drying, surfacing, ripping,moulding and gluing.Kassis has been in his current posi-tion for 25 years. He began his careerin the forest products industry in 1973as a lumber inspector for WisconsinForest Products, also located inAntigo.A graduate of Antigo High School,Kassis attended NorthcentralTechnical College, located in Wausau,Wis. He is a member and president ofthe City of Antigoʼs City Council; onthe City of Antigoʼs Board of Review;chairman of the City of Antigoʼs Parkand Recreation; a member of City ofAntigo Personal and Finance; LakeStates Lumber Association; NationalHardwood Lumber Association Rules

laminators since 1979. Speciesoffered include Meranti, Birch, Poplar,Red Oak, Fuma, and Okoume.In his current position full-time for thepast two years, MacMaster has beenworking summers for the family-

WHOʼS WHO - McMasterContinued from page 2

http://www.romealegnami.com


http://www.BridgewellResources.com



price data from the U.S. Bureau ofLabor.While U.S. housing starts fell 1.1 per-cent in July versus June, the numberof building permits climbed to anannual rate of 812,000 last month, themost since August 2008, according toCommerce Department data.That suggests residential construc-tion activity in the largest export mar-ket for Canadian lumber may extendgains in the second half of the year.Historically low borrowing costs areamong reasons that demand forhomes in the U.S. is increasing.About 36 percent of British Columbialumber was exported to the U.S. in thefirst six months of this year, accordingto FEAʼs Jannke.Canada ships higher-quality lumberto the U.S. for use in new-home build-ing and residential renovations,according to Elstone. Much of thelumber destined for China is lower-quality wood from trees killed bymountain pine beetles, he said. Theinfestation in the interior of BritishColumbia is the worldʼs worst. Theaffected lumber is used in residentialconstruction and for making concreteforms.

China Exports

Canadian lumber exports to Chinawere about 1.2 billion nominal boardfeet in the second quarter, the sec-ond-highest quarterly tally on record,FEAʼs Jannke said. By comparison,the quarterly average in 2009 wasabout 400 million board feet.Most of the Chinese imports are com-prised of Spruce, Pine and Fir --known in the industry as SPF -- that

comes from British Columbia, ERAdata show.“The Chinese consumer, they areessentially in love with our SPF prod-uct,” ERAʼs Elstone said.Chinese demand for British Columbialumber is showing signs of easing,said Bryan Yu, Vancouver-basedeconomist at Central 1 Credit Union, atrade association for credit unions inBritish Columbia and Ontario.

Pulp Demand

“China has really stepped up inrecent years to support our forestindustry,” Yu said in a telephone inter-view. “We are now seeing some crest-ing of lumber exports to both Chinaand the U.S.”Canfor, North Americaʼs second-largest softwood lumber producer byproduction capacity, will have a loss ofabout C$14 million this year, accord-ing to the average of four analystsʼestimates. That partly reflects expec-tations for the companyʼs 50 percent-owned Canfor Pulp Products, Inc.(CFX) amid weak demand and fallingprices for pulp used to make paper tis-sue and printing and writing paper,ERAʼs Elstone said.Next year will probably be better. Theanalysts surveyed expect Canfor toswing to a profit C$72.7 million in2013, according to the average oftheir estimates. Canfor has risen 19percent this year to C$12.72 inToronto trading.Patrick Elliott, a Canfor spokesman,didnʼt immediately return a call forcomment.“There are risks to the lumber recov-ery, such as the U.S. election and the

WHOʼS WHO - MacMasterContinued from page 17

owned company for the past 10 years.A graduate of Mandeville HighSchool, Mandeville, La., he obtained aBachelor of Science degree in busi-ness administration with a marketingminor.Married to Rebecca he enjoys hunt-ing and fishing in his spare time. Heand his wife also enjoy attending NewOrleans Saints games regularly.Argoʼs product line offers specialtylengths of 70”, 80”, 81”, 90”, 99”, 100”,102”; as well as the standard lengthsof 7ʼ, 8ʼ, 9ʼ, and 10ʼ. With Meranti ply-wood truckload orders, they offermixed sizes and lengths.Argo Fine Imports offers expertiseand knowledge of the plywood marketthat includes industry manufacturers,wholesale and chain retail yard dis-tributors and home centers. Theircombined staff has over 100+ years ofexperience in the industry.For more information visitwww.argofineimports.com.

•

CANADIAN/U.S. PROFIT -Continued from page 2

and we still have Japan,” he said.West Fraserʼs British Columbia andAlberta mills operated at full capacityin the second quarter, the companysaid on a conference call last month.The Vancouver-based companyʼsearnings before one-time items willmore than double to C$59.8 million

($59.8 million) this year, according tothe average of four analystsʼ esti-mates compiled by Bloomberg. Profitwill advance to C$191.5 million nextyear, the highest since 2006, accord-ing to the analysts.

Strandboard Demand

“Weʼre price takers and we run ourbusiness on cost control,” WestFraser Chief Financial Officer LarryHughes said by telephone recently.He declined to comment on the out-look for earnings.The company mostly harvests treesin British Columbiaʼs interior. WesternForest, which operates in theprovinceʼs coastal forests, will see itsearnings climb 52 percent this yearand more than double in 2013 to thehighest since at least 2004, accordingto analysts.Stronger U.S. demand for buildingmaterials is also helping Toronto-based Norbord, Inc. (NBD) and othermakers of oriented strandboard, a ply-wood substitute. Norbord, which hasits biggest operations in the southernU.S., has doubled this year toC$16.21 this year in Toronto on high-er prices for the material.Norbord executives werenʼt immedi-ately available for comment.Lumber futures in Chicago fell 0.4percent to $291.90 per 1,000 boardfeet on Auguat 24. They traded at$309.50 on August 13. One board footof wood is 1 inch thick and 1 footsquare.

Pine Beetles

Oriented strandboard rose 24 percentthrough July, according to monthly

http://www.argofineimports.com

www.ichardwoods.com

american hardwoods: pioneering the new “green” gold … · working technology tradeshow in ......

Documents