DHA® eNews - Top Trends In Kitchen Cabinets
Today's millennials have embraced the urban chic trend. What this means: We are seeing more clean, European-style frameless construction and finishes in kitchens. Top trends for 2018 include painted cabinets and soft-close drawers.
A recent Redfin survey found that 35% of those who bought a house last year made an offer without seeing the home in person. The response from millennials was even higher: 45%.
A recent analysis by the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies reports that some sustainable forest certification has failed, citing examples involving the Forest Stewardship Council. Researchers say FSC has had little or no effect on tropical deforestation. Recent scandals involved FSC-certified loggers in Russia and Peru as well as an FSC-certified Austrian company in Romania. A Chinese supplier implicated in the Lumber Liquidators case held an FSC chain of custody certification.
Dutch scientists are using a new method of DNA testing to identify illegally harvested timber. The refined test is precise enough to differentiate between trees cut in neighboring areas. This is essential as a specific location is needed to determine whether wood has been illegally logged. "We can accurately differentiate the origin of timber down to a 14-kilometer radius," says scientist Mart Vlam of Wageningen University.
Purdue researchers believe they can build stronger bridges using concrete infused with wood nanocrystals.
The spotted lanternfly, a native of the Far East, was first spotted in Pennsylvania about 3 years ago in a shipment of stone from Asia. The lanternfly has surprised U.S. entomologists: It consumes a broader range of host plants than expected - including grapes, fruit trees, and hardwood trees - and reproduces more quickly. The insect has caused more damage in less time than any other invasive pest in the Mid-Atlantic region and has no known predators in North America.
Photo © Emelie Swackhamer
The Center for Biological Diversity has petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the tricolored bat as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. Tricolors face threats from white-nose syndrome and human disturbance at hibernation and roost sites.
Roseburg Forest Products named Ashlee Cribb Vice President of Structural Products, which includes responsibility for the engineered wood products plant being built in Chester, SC. Mark Avery was promoted to Senior Vice President of Industrial Products and National Accounts.
Photo © Roseburg Forest Products
This year's industry experts and topics include:
- Markets and Materials by Janice Dietz, Atlanta's 2017 Top Designer and HGTV contributor, and Grace Jeffers, author of Design for Global Forestry
- Economics and Trade by Richard Kaglic, Federal Reserve senior economist, and Tim Brightbill of Wiley and Rein
- Forestry: Legality, Development, and Sustainability by Susanne Breitkopf, Environmental Investigation Agency, Tim Adams, South Carolina director of resource development, and Mike Snow, executive director of AHEC
We will stay at the luxurious Kiawah Island Golf Resort, where we will provide plenty of networking events, hold division and committee meetings, and recognize Reggie Hubbard and Kris York.
HPVA is now the Decorative Hardwoods Association®. The leadership team launched the rebrand with an easy-to-use comprehensive new website to serve trade professionals, manufacturers, suppliers, and consumers. Don Finkell, chairman of the board, stated: "This name change will better describe our diverse membership of North American hardwood plywood, engineered wood flooring, and hardwood veneer manufacturers."
The alliance will bring European PET decorative panel technology to North America.
Total sales of wood flooring in China rose 5% in 2017. Sales of wood "composite" flooring were up 10%.
AHEC's January/February 2018 report showed a sharp increase in U.S. hardwood timber exports to Africa, Middle East, India, and Oceania last year, but a significant decline - 23% - in the value in exports of U.S. hardwood veneers.
The NAM 2017 4th Quarter Manufacturers' Outlook Survey shows that optimism rose to an unprecedented high of 94.6 as most respondents said that tax reform would help their businesses.
The Oregon Employment Department believes that the wood products industry is experiencing a rebound. They expect companies in central Oregon to hire nearly 3,000 workers over the next 6 years.
The Washington State Senate passed 2 bipartisan bills on February 12 that could help create more timber jobs across the state. Senate Bill 6140 is designed to make common-sense land swaps easier. Senate Bill 5450 would add cross-laminated timber to the state building code.
New home sales are at their lowest level since August of last year due to higher mortgage rates and the loss of homeowner tax breaks in expensive markets.
Lenders are making changes to encourage home buying. Buyers can expect loans with lower down payments, less restrictive debt-to-income ratio requirements, and more relaxed rules on the calculation of student loan payments.
Oregon State University and the College of Forestry officially launched a $79.5 million initiative in January 2015 to build the Oregon Forest Science Complex. Once completed, the state-of-the-art facility will include an academic building and separate lab facility to provide current and future students with a transformative educational experience across a full range of degree programs.
Photo © Oregon State University
Watch Craftsmen Combine Wood And Resin To Create Stunning Home Decor. The finished products are stunning!
Credit: Black Forest Wood Co.
Heat waves that are expected more often in coming decades could disrupt one of earth’s most reliable defenses against climate change, researchers including a University of North Florida professor have concluded.