DHA eNews - CHPVA Appeals CITT Decision On Chinese Plywood
The Canadian Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association as well as coalition member companies have appealed the Canadian International Trade Tribunal's decision that Canadian decorative hardwood plywood manufacturers have not been injured by hardwood plywood imported from China. The notice was filed with the Federal Court of Appeal in Ottawa on March 19.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is reviewing Chinese-made cabinets and vanities shipped to the U.S. between October 9, 2019 and March 31, 2021. Interested parties must request a review before the end of April.
In 2020, EU and UK imports of plywood fell 6% to 4.28 million cubic meters. This followed a decline of 5% in 2019. However, the total volume of imports of plywood in 2020 still resulted in the fourth strongest year in the last two decades.
Recent COVID-19 news and stories that impact our industry include:
- Wood production hits 13-year high - but lumber prices are still up 171% since the start of the pandemic
- Experts say: "The economy is coming back to life."
- Harvard study shows how the pandemic boosted the home improvement industry
- And, more coronavirus humor
See the DHA coronavirus news and resources pages for more information and updates.
Capital Testing (formerly HPVA Laboratories®) has added the ASTM D2394 falling-ball indentation test to their line of expert testing services. The new magnetically controlled impact testing equipment is ideal for understanding just how well your products compare with competition. Contact the experienced technicians at Capital Testing for a quote on this or other flooring tests.
Crown Prince Salman announced plans to plant 10 billion trees over the coming decades to combat climate change. Saudi Arabia will also collaborate with neighboring countries to plant a total of 40 billion trees throughout the Middle East.
Over the past decade, interest in reforestation has soared. The focus has been on planting more trees, but where will the seedlings come from? A recent study shows that the U.S. is already short more than two billion seedlings per year, and that's just to get the country halfway to the reforesting potential of the lower 48 states.
Huge swaths of forests burned in Oregon on September 7, including 63,000 acres on private lands. State law requires that forest owners replant within two years, but owners can't do this without seedlings. Forest owners used to rely on state-run nurseries, but many of these have been closed.
New research shows that the Tongass National Forest, which accounts for 5% of all U.S. National Forest lands, holds 44% of all carbon stored by USFS-administered forests.
The Washington Senate has just passed a bill to help prevent and fight wildfires. California has authorized $536 million to be spent on forest management projects and ways to reduce wildfires.
Source: 570 News
Many of the cabinet manufacturers in the FDMC 300, a group that includes the largest cabinet companies in North America, showed solid results in 2020 with at least some increase in sales. Total sales for FDMC 300 companies grew 1.25% to nearly $58 billion.
MasterBrand Cabinets, North America’s largest cabinet manufacturer, will shut down its cabinet plant in Talladega, AL and lay off about 300 employees. The company says that this is due to changing market conditions and consumer tastes.
The residential furniture market continues to grow. New orders increased by 27% in January, the eighth straight month of double-digit growth vs. the same month last year.
Stanley has suspended production at its High Point, NC plant and will temporarily furlough all employees due to problems with production flow and logistics, caused by the pandemic. Specific reasons given included delays in raw materials, lack of capacity in transportation routes, and "shockingly high" ocean freight rates.
Engineers at MIT have been studying the natural filtering capability of sapwood. They had already demonstrated that simple filters made from peeled cross-sections of sapwood branches effectively filter bacteria. Now, the same team has made further advances and proven that it works outside the lab in the real world.
Economists at Export Development Canada revised their forecasts for 2021, predicting a dramatic surge in U.S. and Canadian growth. The EDC raised its forecast for U.S. growth by more than two percentage points to 6.3%. Canada's forecast for growth was revised upward to 5.5%.
QUIZ: The oldest veneer was cut from which species of tree?