Welcome to Lumber Shorts brought to you by the Southern Forest Products Association. Lumber Shorts is a new informational newsletter offering the latest industry news; delivered straight to your inbox. Lumber Shorts will be sent twice a month throughout 2022.
In early December, the Southern Forest Products Association hosted its final board meeting of 2021. At the meeting, the SFPA Board of Directors elected its 2022 slate of officers. The officers assume their new roles immediately. The board also reelected Eric Gee to serve as Executive Director for the organization.
Eric Gee
Executive Director
Southern Forest Products Association
“I look forward to continuing the legacy of this association, working with the excellent staff at SFPA,” said Chairman Will Lampe. “I am extremely proud of how SFPA has evolved as a leading association with a strong voice in the industry,” continued Lampe. “I am also delighted that Eric will continue serving his role as Executive Director. Eric has a track record of building great teams and growing business. I am excited to watch Eric lead SFPA into our next era of growth.”
Chairman Will Lampe
Lampe & Malphrus Lumber Company
Smithfield, North Carolina
Treasurer Rich Mills
Hood Industries
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Vice Chairman Mark Richardson
Westervelt Lumber
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Immediate Past Chairman
Craig Forbes
Weyerhaeuser Company
Hot Springs, Arkansas
In early November, Fernanda Vale and Gabriela Sandoval of American Softwoods Mexico traveled to Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico for three days of meetings and events to benefit American Softwoods’ program in Mexico and Latin America. Taking the time to meet with lumber and panel distributors provided valuable insight and information regarding different market needs, and created opportunities to showcase U.S.-engineered wood products, including Southern Yellow Pine (SYP).
“It was incredible to connect directly with SYP importers and distributors. It gave us an opportunity to better understand their unique needs and goals regarding American Softwoods,” explained Fernanda Vale. “We took the opportunity to create short video recordings that will help us promote U.S. wood products and SYP to new global market segments.”
Vale and Sandoval first visited Maderas La Mi, Maderas La Mision’s primary clients are furniture manufacturers, who have adopted SYP recently, after a lack of lumber in the market put a strain on production. SYP’s versatility makes it an excellent choice for both furniture and indoor applications. Next, Vale and Sandoval met with FICAMEX, a lumber distributor that builds with U.S. lumber. FICAMEX also works with furniture manufacturers and builders. They visited several construction sites to explore how SYP is being used in housing and commercial builds in Mexico.
The Pine wood nematode (PWN), also known as pine wilt nematode, is a microscopic, worm-like creature which the Chinese government deemed a serious threat to local conifer forests. Native to North America, the PWN causes a condition in the trees called pine wilt disease; and is often fatal to the host tree. Invisible to the naked eye, the PWN are spread by sawyer beetles laying their eggs in the bark of dead or dying conifer trees. Long distanced spread occurs through the transport of wood infested with PWN.
As the Chinese work to control the import and spread of PWN (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) in their country, American Softwood representatives in China are on the front lines of receiving the information and helping customers navigate any new quarantine requirements so that Southern Pine lumber successfully passes inspection upon arrival. Proper documentation of the Heat-Treating process and certification should accompany the shipments, especially for rough material that may not be grade-marked.
SFPA is actively monitoring the decree and will provide updates as more information becomes available closer to the implementation date.
