DHA® eNews - Commerce Initiates Anti-Circumvention Inquiry Into Imported Plywood From China; Tariffs Announced
In response to a request from the Coalition for Fair Trade in Hardwood Plywood, the U.S. Department of Commerce will initiate an anti-circumvention inquiry to determine whether plywood with face and back veneers of radiata or agathis pine is circumventing the antidumping and countervailing duties on hardwood plywood products from China. Legislators in Wisconsin and West Virginia introduced a bipartisan bill that would give the Commerce Department the flexibility it needs to take stronger actions and would improve the outcomes of anti-circumvention petitions.
President Trump has announced tariffs on $200 billion in imports from China, effective September 24.
U.S. and Canadian negotiators are pushing for a deal this week. Key issues that need to be resolved include dispute panels, dairy, cross-border shipping, pharmaceuticals, and intellectual property.
The Chinese government has committed to retaliating against U.S. tariffs in "equal scale and equal strength," announcing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports of hardwood logs, lumber, and more. Experts outline three more ways Beijing could strike back at Washington.
The World Floor Covering Association concluded that a majority of its flooring dealer and contractor members support the Trump administration's proposal to impose tariffs on Chinese flooring.
Experts detail their arguments on why tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber do or do not hurt U.S. home builders.
HPVA Laboratories® has awarded EPA TSCA Title VI certification for formaldehyde emissions to the Husky Plywood hardwood plywood manufacturing facility in Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec.
The nine 2018 Columbia Forest Products PureBond® winners demonstrated exceptional design and craftsmanship using PureBond® hardwood plywood. Kip Howlett, Ang Schramm, Dr. Katherine Swank, and Chip Wade judged this year's competition.
HPVA Laboratories® continues to provide formaldehyde emissions certification of composite wood products for compliance with the EPA TSCA Title VI. The Armstrong Hardwood Products manufacturing facility in Somerset, Kentucky was once again recommended for continued certification following a surveillance audit that ensures ongoing compliance with quality management system and quality control testing requirements.
Attention state foresters: Submit your requests for funding to the Hardwood Forestry Fund no later than September 30. Email or call Eva Mentel at 703-435-2900, option 4, for more information.
The Sherwin-Williams color of the year, cavern clay, is a warm, earthy hue that reflects the warmth of the desert. Per Canadian interior designer Kathy Davy, fall trends include "blonde wood, pastels, but very dusty pastels" with "a deeper, almost grey undertone, beautiful greens and soft pinks that really transform the space into a more light and airy feeling. It's very Nordic, very Scandinavian."
Following this trend, a recent survey of prospective home buyers showed that buyers prefer natural wood kitchen cabinets and hardwood floors.
Leveraging improved technology and employing more women could fix the labor shortage in the construction industry.
Source: Builder
A Zillow report shows that home values are 8.7% higher than during the peak of the housing bubble. The West and Southwest show the strongest increases. However, home values in many markets have not yet recovered.
https://www.builderonline.com/land/local-markets/home-values-now-8-7-above-bubble-peak_o
Experts forecast that an additional 1.2 million new homes will be built in California's "highest wildfire risk areas" by 2050. A Villanova University researcher showed that there were 600,000 houses in the West's fire-prone areas in 1940; today, there are about 7 million.
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission rejected a petition from conservation groups to protect the Humboldt marten, a small predator that lives in old-growth redwood forests.
The new express service is expected to increase timber trade between China and the EU. The China-Europe Express train connects 48 cities in China with more than 40 cities in 14 European nations.
U.S. imports of wooden furniture from China grew 2% in June to $1.71 billion. Imports in the first six months of 2018 were 6% higher than the same time period last year.
The BBC reported that high demand for housing in China has resulted in tenants moving into new apartments that have formaldehyde levels of up to two to four times the national standard.
Source: Chemical Watch