DHA eNews - Congress Passes New Trade Rules To Counter China's Trade Practices
Legislation to support fair trade was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, supported by coalitions including several DHA plywood and engineered wood flooring members.
Domestic kitchen cabinet manufacturers and their suppliers logged an important victory as U.S. Customs found that a U.S. cabinet importer evaded antidumping orders. The case was built based on information from a whistleblower. DHA recently discussed customs enforcement with a law firm that specializes in bringing whistleblower tips to the government, which can result in a reward for the whistleblower. If you have concerns about potential evasion of customs duties, you can contact Sam Buffone at sam@blackandbuffone.com.
Imports continue to grow even as deforestation and forest crime persist in many of these countries with high exports. You can be confident in the wood products you use by purchasing from companies that follow DHA’s legal timber due diligence standard.
If you have questions or comments, contact me. I look forward to hearing from you. News and details are below.
Keith A. Christman, President
Decorative Hardwoods Association
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The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the America COMPETES Act to improve U.S. competitiveness with China. The legislation includes provisions from the Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act that would make it quicker and easier for U.S. companies and agencies to counter circumvention and illegal subsidies. Coalitions that include several DHA plywood and engineered wood flooring member companies support the new trade rules.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued an affirmative determination that U.S. Cabinet Depot has been evading the antidumping and countervailing orders on wooden cabinets, vanities, and components from China. The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association said the decision is a huge win for the U.S. domestic industry. The case began with an anonymous tip.
Despite the pandemic, China's wood-based panel industry quickly resumed production in 2020, increasing total output by 1%. A key driver: the increase in the production of plywood, which rose by 12% to 256 million cubic meters.
In 2021, Brazil's plywood exports grew by 5.1% to reach 2.8 million cubic meters. The value of those exports soared to nearly $1.2 billion, up by a whopping 85%, as the average price jumped 76.1% to $428.40 per cubic meter. The U.S. accounted for 42.8% of Brazil's total plywood exports.
Find out what's new in the latest copy of the Decorative Hardwoods Association Where to Buy Membership Directory, available beginning today at no charge to you. The DHA Where to Buy is used by thousands of designers, specifiers, architects, woodworkers, and more to find hardwood plywood, engineered wood flooring, veneer, and the machinery and supplies needed to produce beautiful hardwood products.
At DHA, we know people love wood. Color trends for 2022 spell the end of the all-white kitchen as the pros anticipate a preference for painted or wood cabinets in warm, neutral hues.
Submit your entries by July 1 for a chance to win the grand prize of $3,000. Everyone in the supply chain wins: in addition to the grand prize of $3,000, the supplier of the veneer will win $2,000 and the salesperson who sold the veneer will receive $1,000.
DHA member AHF Products was recognized with four platinum ADEX Awards, including an award for three new commercial engineered hardwood flooring lines for the architecture and design community: Wooded Habitat, Nurtured, and Deeply Rooted. The lines feature a variety of white oak, northern red oak, hickory, maple, and birch hardwood products.
Michigan's robust commercial forestry program includes 1,800 members who grow trees on 2.2 million acres of land. The program maintains healthy forests that are available to the public while providing a tax break to private landowners who manage their land for long-term timber production. The forest products industry generates more than $21 billion a year and supports more than 91,000 jobs, from logging to lumber and paper mills to manufacturing wood products, reports the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Oregon's legislature is considering a bill to make Elliott State Forest a research forest, preserving the oldest trees and protecting vulnerable species while allowing some logging.
Tamarack Timberlands, an investment firm owned by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, has assumed direct ownership of 870,000 acres of timberland. The timberland is spread throughout the U.S. South and is certified to Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) forest management standards.
A new study shows that the agreement between Norway and Indonesia, intended to help Indonesia reach its climate goals, had little impact. Indonesia did prevent about 87 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere, but this was only about 4% of its goal. Approximately 50% of Indonesia's annual emissions between 2000 and 2016 were a result of deforestation.
Careful supply chain research resulted in the world's largest sovereign wealth fund placing Brazilian multinational beef producer, Marfrig, under observation "due to risk that company contributes to serious environmental damage."
Recent stories and updates about the pandemic's impact on our industry include:
- COVID-19 update: Ongoing inflation, rising mortgage rates, and home price appreciation
- COVID-19 causes shipping delays with lumber, furniture
- Omicron stresses already understaffed jobsites as workers call in sick
- With COVID-19 now detected in Ontario deer, experts seek to fill research gap
See the DHA coronavirus news and resources pages for more news and information.
Capital Testing has long been trusted by California's Office of the State Fire Marshal as an approved testing organization. Now, Capital Testing has been officially approved as a testing, inspection, and certification organization. The update in classification allows Capital Testing to certify and approve building materials using the ASTM E84 test method, a commonly used method for evaluating the flame spread and smoke development of building materials.
AF&PA members met or surpassed most of the sustainability goals, including a 24.1% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
What is the fastest-growing hardwood tree?