NEWS

The Decorative Hardwoods Association® Spring Conference kicks off on Sunday at the gorgeous Kiawah Island Golf Resort. We still have a few spots available for the coastal and reef fishing trip!

Growing trends include separate refrigerator and freezer units, smart appliances, more storage to eliminate clutter, low-maintenance materials, and some color - or black.

Demand for second kitchens increased last year, as the popularity of outdoor kitchens continues to grow. Outdoor kitchens have been one of the top three most popular home features for the past two years. Designs that integrate kitchens and family living spaces were the second most-desired feature.

Source: Architect Magazine, AIA Home Design Trends Survey, Hanley Wood

The markets for kitchen cabinets in the U.S., China, Japan, and India are projected to grow from 2016 to 2022, with the highest growth in China in 2016. Studies predict growth for Europe and Southeast Asia, but at a lower level than in 2012 to 2016.

NKBA's latest study details homeowners' behavior and attitudes about cooking, entertaining, and kitchen design and shows how changing lifestyles influence kitchen cabinet and remodeling choices.

The NGBS Green Builder’s Resource Guide shows that certified green homes command higher prices: High-performance certified green homes in NC sold for a 9.5% price premium over non-certified green homes. Builders can and should reap those benefits.

Source: Home Innovation

Birchland Plywood-Veneer

HPVA Laboratories® recently certified Birchland Plywood-Veneer's plant in Thessalon, Ontario, to the new EPA TSCA Title VI requirements.

Chesterfield Wood Products

Last week, HPVA Laboratories® officially certified Chesterfield Wood Products' manufacturing facility in Morgantown, NC, for EPA TSCA Title VI compliance.

From The Forest

From The Forest's operations in Weston, WI, are the latest to receive certification from HPVA Laboratories® to EPA's TSCA requirements.

This week, the Murphy Plywood facility in Eugene, OR, was awarded ANSI/HPVA HP-1-2016 certification by HPVA Laboratories®, attesting that Murphy's production and quality management systems meet the rigorous requirements of the American National Standard for Hardwood and Decorative Plywood.

WMBF News features Darlington Veneer and General Manager Pat Lynch as the company celebrates 100 years of manufacturing quality hardwood plywood products.

A fire last August left Manthei Veneer's rotary veneer lathing plant a total loss. The company will expand its second facility to house the early-stage lathing operations; the goal is to have the addition operational by March 2019.

Courtesy of EarthCam, you can now watch a time lapse video of the construction process from along the first base line, the third base line, and center field.

Swinerton Builders are constructing a mass timber structure in Hillsboro, Oregon. As of 2017, it will use more Cross Laminated Timber panels than any other building in the United States.

Here are the Top 10 Amazing Wood Products and WoodWorking Projects You Must See - 10 AWESOME Art Wood Architect! Best Woodworking Project.

The EPA stated that from this point forward, biomass from managed forests will be treated as carbon neutral when used for energy production at stationary sources.

Source: EPA, AF&PA, AWC

The new rule would require the EPA to use the best available science and prohibit the use of studies that can't be released publicly "in a manner that is sufficient for independent analysis and substantial reproduction of research results."

There are too many trees in Sierra Nevada forests, say scientists affiliated with the National Science Foundation (NSF) Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (CZO).

Learn with our infographics how the EU wants to use forests' power to absorb CO2 to fight climate change and offset carbon from the land use sector.

California and West Virginia have biggest job gains for the year, North Dakota has largest decline; Texas and Alaska have largest monthly pickup, New York and Hawaii have largest monthly drops. 

A U.S. manufacturer of tropical wood products has been accused of purchasing illegal timber from a Brazilian firm with a record of illegal logging - and whose owner has fled the country after being implicated in the deaths of local farmers in an attempt to gain access to forestland. The same U.S. manufacturer is allegedly buying timber from an Indonesian company with a history of illegal logging and violence.

The newly formed Asian Forest Cooperation Organization's mission is to strengthen cooperation to combat climate change. Key initiatives include forest rehabilitation, prevention of forest degradation, and conservation of biodiversity.

The lesser long-nosed bat, whose food and energy source is agave, is the first bat to be removed from the endangered species list. The Washington Post suggests celebrating with a shot of tequila. 

Vietnam's growing exports of wooden furniture increased its share of the global market to 6%. The global wooden furniture market is estimated to reach $120 billion this year.

These skyscraping superstars are the stalwart examples of their species.

As seen in the graphic above, based on EarthTime's deforestation data and story, Brazil's Rondônia state changed drastically over a 30-year period. It started as pristine forest in 1984, then came a single road the following year that exploded into a town of 20,000 people with tens of thousands of square kilometers of forest cut for crops and cattle.

Climate models predict that an increase in greenhouse gases will dry out the Amazon rainforest in the future while causing wetter conditions in the woodlands of Africa and Indonesia. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions have identified an unexpected but major factor in this worldwide precipitation shift: the direct response of the forests themselves to higher levels of carbon dioxide.