Chinese Delegates Visit APA, Tour Wood Building Projects

by | Sep 18, 2017 | News

A delegation from China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) visited Tacoma, Washington-based APA-The Engineered Wood Association and toured wood-framed building projects in Seattle on September 11.

The delegation, led by Director General Yu Binyang, was the highest level foreign government group to visit APA in recent years. In addition to APA, the trade visit was hosted by the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Lab (FPL), located in Madison, Wisconsin.

Representatives from the City of Bellevue, Wash. Planning and Development Department and U.S. Embassy Agricultural Trade Office in Beijing were also present.

The visit comes as China begins to formulate the nation’s timber structure construction development plan as part of the 13th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development. In a meeting held at APA headquarters in Tacoma, Director General Yu Binyang and other MOHURD representatives discussed opportunities and challenges around building with wood in China. Considerations included the importance of sustainability, green building, codes and standards, and further development of trade relations with the U.S.

“We were very pleased to host this Ministerial delegation from the People’s Republic of China,” said APA President, Edward Elias. “The caliber of this mission, in both the quality of participants and content, demonstrates the effectiveness of APA’s efforts to expand the interests of the North American wood products industry within this key Asian market.”

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/seeking-greener-construction-chinese-delegates-visit-us-wood?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news

Elias To Become APA President

Elias To Become APA President

by | Aug 21, 2013 | Update

In early August, Composite Panel Assn. and its allies in the Federal Wood Industry Coalition (FWIC) filed a petition with the EPA seeking additional time for public comment on both of the agency’s proposed formaldehyde regulations. EPA had granted a 17-day extension to August 26 for its proposed third party certification framework rule, and a 30-day extension to September 9 for its emissions standards rule. CPA considered both extensions to be inadequate given the complexity of the rules.

CPA asked for an extension through October 9 for submittal of comments on the proposed rules. “The rules are extremely complex and involve the interaction of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, thirty party certifiers, accrediting bodies and others,” the letter for extension stated.

CPA participated in a California Air Resources Board (CARB) discussion session with industry stakeholders on the differences between EPA’s proposed formaldehyde regulations and CARB’s current Airborne Toxic Control Measure (ATCM) for Composite Wood Products. The full-day session in Sacramento, Calif. covered many topics of concern to CPA members, including the disclosure of confidential business information, the handling of non-complying lots, definitions of hardboard and laminated products for purposes of exemption, treatment of ULEF and NAF, and various obligations of third party certifiers and the supply chain.