NEWS

Great news: the revised hardwood plywood standard, ANSI/HPVA HP-1-2024, has been finalized. Now is the time to preorder your hard copies of the full-size or pocket-size standard.

DHA members and trade coalitions have been raising concerns and filing trade cases to counter the dumping of hardwood plywood and engineered wood floors into the North American market at artificially low prices for nearly a decade. Europe is similarly suffering from dumping from China. The EU has opened a dumping investigation against hardwood plywood from China.

As Europe focuses on China, U.S. imports of hardwood plywood from Vietnam have more than doubled to over 415 million square feet in 2024 through August. The Commerce Department recently reaffirmed its conclusion that Vietnam is a nonmarket economy like China. This surge in imports will cause more problems for U.S. manufacturers, as it appears that Vietnamese manufacturers—as anticipated—have found workarounds for last year's circumvention ruling.

If you have questions or comments, contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.


Keith A. Christman, President
Decorative Hardwoods Association

The European Union opened a 14-month antidumping investigation into the sharp increase in Chinese plywood that has been flooding its ports. EU imports from China are already up by 23% for January–August 2024. There are growing concerns that Russia is now using China to circumvent sanctions, as evidenced by trade between the countries soaring by 74%.

U.S. imports of hardwood plywood continue to surge, up by nearly 22% in value year-to-date through August. The value of imports from Vietnam grew by nearly 72% and from Indonesia by more than 28%. The volume of all imports so far this year reached more than 1.6 billion square feet, up by more than 8%. The volume of imports from Vietnam more than doubled to over 415 million square feet.

In 1960, the U.S. Congress set the third week of October as National Forest Products Week. The purpose: to celebrate forest products and the industry values of responsibility, sustainability, and community. Forest products are naturally sustainable and store carbon, which helps fight climate change.

Due to popular demand, DHA will publish hard copies of the newly revised American National Standard for Hardwood and Decorative Plywood (ANSI/HPVA HP-1). The revised standard establishes marketing classifications and includes revisions to veneer grading tables, among other changes. Now is the time to order: submit your order today for the full-size or pocket-size version.

We will continue to provide a free, downloadable PDF of the standard to facilitate hardwood plywood sales.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack responded to a letter signed by DHA and 54 other forestry associations. The forestry letter urged the USDA to acknowledge the full spectrum of forest products and the benefits of diverse markets, including sawlogs, pulpwood, and biomass.

Vilsack stated, "The USDA Forest Service is using a multi-pronged approach to deliver support, technical assistance, improved policies, and financial incentives to facilitate and create diverse markets for the forest products sector. I understand the importance of the forest products industry and the critical role markets play for all forest products."

DHA allies, including the Hardwood Federation and Forest Resources Association, signed a letter to the House Ways & Means Committee's Rural America Tax Team in support of estate tax reform. The letter urges Congress to maintain a stepped-up basis for calculating estate tax, which is critical for the continuation of family businesses. The letter also urges Congress to maintain the $13.61 million per person enhanced estate tax exemption, set to sunset in 2025.

The Hardwood Federation is fighting to support the hardwood industry and our businesses. Recent comments submitted endorsed the tax package that would restore 100% bonus depreciation of equipment, the depreciation and amortization interest deduction, and the R&D tax credit. The Hardwood Federation also pushed for continued estate tax flexibility and a permanent 20% small business deduction for pass-through entities.

Vietnam's exports of bedroom furniture to the U.S. reached $162 million this September, up by 23% vs. last September. The value of exports of bedroom furniture was $1.48 billion from January through September, an increase of 28% vs. one year ago.

DHA member AHF Products has hired Brent Emore as its chief financial officer. Emore is a seasoned veteran of the flooring world, having previously worked at Mohawk Industries where he spent 15 years in various leadership roles, including CFO of its North American flooring segment.

After a slight decline last year, homeowner spending on improvements and repairs is expected to grow again by the middle of 2025. The Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity report estimates that spending for home renovation and maintenance will grow by 1.2% through the third quarter of 2025.

Cabinetworks has filed a notice with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry that it will officially close its assembly plant in Delaware Township because of declining multi-family direct sales business. Layoffs, set for December, will affect 420 people.

PHOTO © CABINETWORKS GROUP

Researchers at the University of Missouri demonstrated how wood products can play an important role in long-term carbon storage. Their report, Carbon and Biomass Dynamics in Missouri Forests and Implications for Climate Change, showed that benefits include moving carbon stored in trees from the forest to products like flooring and lumber, while increasing space in the forest for more trees and carbon storage.

Hurricane Helene traveled across nearly 9 million acres of forestland in Georgia. The Georgia Forest Commission estimated that the negative impact on timber resources will reach $1.28 billion. The commission is working with state and federal partners to identify resources that might be available for landowners affected by the hurricane.

The U.S. Forest Service is working hard to reopen parts of the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina, which suffered significant damage from Helene. Extensive recovery efforts continue, particularly in the hardest-hit Appalachian and Grandfather Ranger districts. The Appalachian Ranger District includes forestland along the North Carolina and Tennessee border.

What is the creepy name of these wood-eating mushrooms?

Answer: Dead man’s fingers (Xylaria polymorph).

PHOTO © MATT KASON