Lumber

An Eventful Year, to Say the Least

  • President Steve Stroder looks back on the pace of change and some of the industry's top issues.
  • SBCA took the tough stands that strong leadership requires to serve the best interests of all CMs when addressing the Southern Pine design value issue, which resulted in SBCA hosting the first Lumber Summit and the formation of the Lumber in Components Council.
  • A revamped BCMC may very well turn out to be one of the best shows we have had in some time.
  • Scott Ward takes on the leadership of SBCA and is the second father-son combination to serve WTCA/SBCA (Bob Ward President 1991, Scott 2013). The first pair was Don (1992 and 1993) and Ben (2009) Hershey.

May You Live in Interesting Times

  • The inaugural Lumber Summit held May 14-15 in Charlotte, NC, brought together  key lumber industry leaders, the top five lumber producers in North America, and component manufacturers representing approximately 700 million board feet of U.S. structural lumber purchases.
  • The SBCA Lumber Collaboration Council (LCC) resulted from the success of the summit.
  • A recent industry plant tour furthered relationships with the fire service and is a strong reminder to embrace plant tours as our most effective outreach tool.

SBCA: Vanguard for U.S. Light-Frame Construction

  • SBCA brought concerns over SYP visual grades to the forefront nearly two years ago.
  • SPIB conducted testing, without requesting input from SBCA and other interested parties, which resulted in a recommendation to reduce Southern Pine design values by as much as 30 percent. This could have a considerable negative impact on light-frame construction and the U.S. economy.
  • The key to solving this issue is communication; SBCA is working with a strong coalition to develop a more reasonable solution.

Lumber's Perfect Storm: If It Comes, It Won't Be Until 2013

Remember back, if you can, to the last time this country’s housing market’s sluggishness resembled what we’re experiencing today. From 1988-1992, the U.S. experienced an economic recession. It wasn’t nearly as profound or prolonged as our current situation, but nonetheless many of you probably remember (or have been told) how bad the housing market was. Housing starts experienced a 45 percent drop over that timespan. When housing recovered swiftly from 1992 through 1994, lumber prices skyrocketed.