Winistorfer Elected to FPS Executive Board
Steve Winistorfer, TECO President, has been elected to the position of Regional Board Member of the Executive Board of the Forest Products Society. FPS, based in Madison, Wisconsin, has more than 1,500 members that are from all segments of the forest products research and industry communities. As the West Central Regional Board Member, Winistorfer represents FPS members in 13 U.S. states and Canadian territories. He has also been named Chair of the Planning Committee that is organizing the FPS 62nd International Convention being held in St. Louis in June 2008.
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Total U.S. Housing Starts (million units)
2004 - 1.949
2005 - 2.073
2006 - 1.817
2007 - 1.47 (forecast)
2008 - 1.61 (forecast)
2009 - 1.84 (forecast)
Forecasts provided by RISI |
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
- Mahatma Gandhi | |
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PS 1-07 Officially Accepted!
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce has conducted a final review and edit of the Voluntary Product Standard for Structural Plywood, PS 1-07. As a result of this action, PS 1-07 has now been officially accepted as the reference document for all plywood used for structural applications in the United States, replacing PS 1-95.
In accepting the new document, NIST adopted a backdated effective date of February 26, 2007, the date of the last meeting of the PS 1 Standing Committee charged with updating the standard. To provide quick access to the entire PS 1-07 document, TECO has placed the new standard on our website at the following link:
As PS 1 is an important reference for many different activites associated with the production and use of structural plywood, we are asking our readers to alert your colleagues regarding the new PS 1-07.
If you have any questions regarding PS 1-07, please contact Dick Bower at TECO's corporate office in Sun Prairie, WI at (608) 837-2790 or via email at dick.bower@tecotested.com. |
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The Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben S. Bernanke, gave remarks on the Subprime Mortgage market and its impact on housing in the US on May 17, 2007. The bundling of mortgages and sale of the cash flows as structured securities has increased the supply of available credit, which has fueled the subprime market of the last 10 years. The process of selling mortgages and therefore passing along the risk caused some unhealthy lending incentive systems for the originator of the loans, which rewarded the number of loans closed instead of the number of quality loans.
The Federal Reserve is cautious in adding rules and regulations to mortgage lending, as some level of sound subprime lending is good for the market. Bernanke concluded by saying that the Fed does not see the problems in subprime lending having a major impact on the rest of the economy. For Bernanke's complete remarks, click here.
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ASTM Meeting Highlights: D7, D14
TECO is committed to providing timely quality testing for wood products and adhesives. Since changes in ASTM Test Methods and Standards can affect product compliance with building code requirements, the TECO certification and lab staff monitor the activities of the ASTM D07 (wood) and D14 (adhesives) committees. The Eugene, OR lab (http://iasonline.org/PDF/TL/TL-207.pdf) is accredited for a wide variety of ASTM test methods (as well as Canadian Standards Association tests and ICC-ES Acceptance Criteria) for adhesives, structural panels and other wood-based products.
One of the more heavily discussed topics at the recent ASTM meetings is the revision of ASTM D5055 to an assessment of the high temperature performance of adhesives used to make I-joists. Web-to-flange, flange-to-flange, and web-to-web bonds are all potentially affected. Last year, the D14 committee finalized a new standard, ASTM D7247, for assessing the high temperature performance of adhesives for structural wood products. The D07 subcommittee D07.02 is currently trying to use this new test method for I-joists. Members must set consensus time, temperature and load conditions, as well as pass/fail criteria for adhesive performance.
After the most recent (April 2007) D07 committee meetings in Madison, WI, two ballot items were issued. The first set exposure and pass/fail criteria for ASTM D7247 testing alone, while the second combined D7247 testing with a new method of high temperature, finger joint testing that was developed at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, WI. Only the first proposal received enough affirmative votes at the subcommittee and main committee levels to be considered a valid ballot. The second one may be revisited in the future. A special subcommittee meeting has been scheduled for August 1st in Madison to attempt to resolve the negative ballots for the first proposal.
For more information, contact Steve Verhey at TECO by calling (608) 837-2790 or via email at steve.verhey@tecotested.com.
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Housing Study Published
"While it will take time to work out current loan problems and work off the oversupply of homes, the long-term outlook for residential investment remains strong," comments Eric S. Belsky, executive director of the Joint Center. Established in 1959, the Joint Center is a collaborative unit affiliated with the Harvard Design School and the Kennedy School of Government. | |
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