by Web Editor | Sep 7, 2018 | News
In a recent message from the National Hardwood Lumber Association encouraging member companies to contact representatives in Washington regarding the tariff situation, NHLA passed on this information from the Hardwood Federation on the importance of the wood products industry to the United States.
The wood products industry in the United States is an important contributor to the U.S. economy, accounting for approximately 4 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP. Wood products companies are among the top ten manufacturing sector employers in 47 states, producing $210 billion in products annually.
The industry employs nearly 900,000 people; more than the automotive, chemicals and plastics industries. Many of them are in rural areas where employment opportunities are limited.
Hardwood is an important sub-sector of the wood products industry and has a heavy reliance on export markets for its survival.
In 2017, U.S. hardwood producers shipped $4.04 billion worth of U.S. products to global markets; $2.09 billion to Greater China, including Hong Kong and Macau. Combined, China, the NAFTA countries and the E.U. make up 82 percent of hardwood exports. Dependable, long-term export markets are vital to the sustainability of the hardwood industry. In 2017, the U.S. had a trade surplus of $1.475 billion in hardwood lumber, up from $1.1 billion in 2015.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/how-important-us-wood-products-industry?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news
by Web Editor | Aug 4, 2017 | News
If Yugon Kim realizes his dream, the new office building or housing complex going up in your city may be made out of large hardwood panels called cross laminated timber (CLT). The technology behind CLT has been used for decades in Europe, and it is just beginning to take root in the United States with softwood CLT leading the way. Kim’s Boston-based, architectural design firm IKD just won a $250,000 grant from the Forest Service for designing, developing and constructing the first hardwood CLT demonstration project in the United States.
The aim is to take low-value hardwoods and turn them into a high-value CLT construction project as a proof of concept. Kim explained, “Over 50% of every hardwood log in the region goes to low-value materials like pallets and cants. Our idea is to utilize this material and to upcycle it.”
Kim along with his design partner Tomomi Itakura have created an outdoor CLT construction project that is titled the Conversation Plinth and will be integrated as circular discs that provide a platform for viewing a sculpture at the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library.
Kim suggested, “The ultimate goal is to construct buildings in the United States using hardwood CLT. Our research hopes to lead toward hardwood mass timbers being used for U.S construction projects.”
The Conversation Plinth was designed for Exhibit Columbus, the annual celebration of architecture, art, design and community in Columbus, Indiana. IKD’s design was selected to win an inaugural J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize as part of a national competition.
From Pallet Enterprise: https://palletenterprise.com/view_article/4927/Hardwood-CLT
