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Registration Now Open For 2024 WCMA Regional Plant Tour Event

Registration is now open for the Wood Component Manufacturers Association’s (WCMA’s) 2024 Regional Plant Tour Event. The WCMA is excited to host the event that will be held June 3-4 in Auburn, ME. The event includes tours of five state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. This event gives attendees an opportunity to see advanced machinery in action, and […]

Despite Current Headwinds, AHEC Sees Europe As An Important Growth Market For U.S. Hardwoods

There’s no denying 2023 was a challenging year for U.S. hardwood mills: production hit historically low levels and demand has declined both domestically and in export markets around the world, including in Europe, where lumber exports are down nearly 40 percent compared to 2022. And in the current economic and geopolitical situation, we’re under no […]

Port Delay Bills Are The Result Of Industry Input

Association executives have a similar responsibility to members of Congress (although hopefully our opinion ratings are higher!); we have to both help lead based on our beliefs while also being responsive to the needs of our constituents. While luckily we don’t go to the ballot box every few years, in order for an association to […]

Cypress Promotion In 2024

Late last month, members of the Southern Cypress Manufacturers Association (SCMA), along with promotion sponsors, gathered for the association’s 2024 Annual Meeting at The Charleston Place in Charleston, South Carolina. The event was held in conjunction with the Hardwood Manufacturers Association’s 2024 National Conference and Expo held at the luxury hotel. Attendees were briefed on […]

Why Knot: Call Over To The Other Side

Words have the power to influence people. The statement, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” led to a revolutionary war. Or how about the statement “I […]

Despite Current Headwinds, AHEC Sees Europe As An Important Growth Market For U.S. Hardwoods

There’s no denying 2023 was a challenging year for U.S. Hardwood mills: production hit historically low levels and demand has declined both domestically and in export markets around the world, including in Europe, where lumber exports are down nearly 40 percent compared to 2022.  And in the current economic and geopolitical situation, we’re under no illusions […]

Adding Star Power To The Industry In 2024

Who isn’t always looking for ways to keep valuable conversations going with customers and others who could benefit from learning what you know–especially when it relates to the Hardwood industry? This year the Chinese astrological calendar has put our industry in the spotlight, without even trying, because 2024 is the Year of the Wood Dragon. […]

SCMA

Cypress Promotion In 2024 Late last month, members of the Southern Cypress Manufacturers Association (SCMA), along with promotion sponsors, gathered for the association’s 2024 Annual Meeting at The Charleston Place in Charleston, South Carolina. The event was held in conjunction with the Hardwood Manufacturers Association’s 2024 National Conference and Expo held at the luxury hotel. […]

EPA Piles On Red Tape, Releases Stringent Air Quality Standard

On February 7, EPA announced it would tighten the final air quality standard for PM 2.5, also known as “fine particulate matter,” from 12 micrograms (ug) per cubic meter to a more stringent 9 ug, a level which could impose up to $900 million in compliance costs on the wood products sector.  Unfortunately, federal regulators are […]

Why A Diversified Demand Base Is Key To Lasting Demand For Wood Products

Lumber demand from single-family home construction and remodeling is volatile—the last few years alone have seen major swings from the COVID pandemic in 2020 to high interest rates last year. To minimize the impact of that volatility on the wood products industry, the work of the Softwood Lumber Board to expand and diversify Softwood lumber […]