|
Kentucky Wood Industry E-News |
|
Ohio Valley Lumber Drying Association 2015 Spring Meeting
The spring meeting of the Ohio Valley Lumber Drying Association will meet in French Lick, IN on April 16 - 17, 2015 at the French Lick Springs Hotel &  Resort. The meeting will feature industry tours of the following: Frank Miller Lumber and Salem Hardwoods sawmill division and concentration yard. Technical presentations will include: How to Dry Quarter Sawn Lumber, Future of White Oak Supply, Revisiting the Timber Quality Index, and Overall Forest Health Concerns.
The room block ends March 24. So if you plan to come to the meeting and need overnight accommodations, please make your reservations before March 25 to secure the lower room rate and ask for the Ohio Valley Lumber Drying Association room block when you call to make the reservation. Click here for detailed program and registration materials.
|
White Oak Sustainability Meeting Held March 25 in Lexington
The White Oak Sustainability Meeting, conducted by UK Department of Forestry - Extension, will provide industries involved in the  production or use of grade white oak with up-to-date information on white oak supply, long and short term sustainability, and threats. Experts in white oak and hardwood demand and supply, growth in bourbon and whiskey markets, forest and oak sustainability, forest growth and drain, and white oak insect and diseases will be presenting. The meeting will be held March 25, 2015 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites in Lexington, KY. Registration is $25 and can be done online at www.ukforestry.orgor by calling 859.257.7597. |
|
5-Day Lumber Grading Short Course
May 11-15, 2015 | Morehead, KY
Maysville Community and Technical College (Rowan Campus)
The value of "rules conscious" employees is a more carefully  manufactured product, a more profitable yield from the log, and a better sense of the value of the lumber being handled. This four-day workshop will include a thorough study and explanation of the NHLA Rules Book, emphasizing the basics of hardwood lumber inspection. This popular workshop gives yardmen, sawyers, edgermen, sales and office staff, and management level personnel an introduction to lumber inspection. Classes will begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m.
INSTRUCTOR
This short course will be taught by Benji Richards, NHLA National Inspector.
FEES & REGISTRATION
The seminar fee includes registration, NHLA Rules Book, Student Manual for Lumber Grades, Certificate of Completion and lunch each day. Notebook, clipboard, pen/pencil, grading stick and pocket  calculator will be provided. This course is limited to 30 attendees. Pre-registration is required with payment. Registration will be determined on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration deadline is May 4th. $650 per student.
For more information and registration details click on this link.
|
|
2&3A Oak & Hard Maple Prices Projected to Fall & China Inventories Dampen Lumber Purchases
 The Hardwood Leader March, 2015 edition is reporting a continued decrease in the demand for #2&3A Common red oak, white oak, and hard maple and for prices to continue to fall due to the large lumber inventories manufacturers are carrying and imports of flooring climbing. This is what the Hardwood Leader had to say:
"With domestic flooring manufacturers flush with lumber and flooring imports climbing, look for #2&3A Com Red Oak, White Oak and Hard Maple prices to fall further, and stay depressed into summer." (more...)
Look for snippets and short articles from The Hardwood Leader in future issues of the Kentucky Wood Industry E-News.
|
|
January 2015 Housing Commentary by Urs Buehlmann and Al Schuler
January housing data was mixed - as to be expected for a winter month. The most troubling component is remodeling or improvement spending. While it is not reported directly, it is interpolated. And since January of 2014, improvement spending has decreased each month. Year-over-Year, remodeling expenditures have declined by nearly 30 percent. For most data reported, we must remind ourselves we  are well below historical averages in most of these categories. Housing, obviously, reacts to the overall economy; when the economy improves, we should expect to see most housing sectors improve as well. As written in previous months, the near-term outlook on the U.S. housing market remains unchanged - there are potentially several negative macro-factors or headwinds at this point in time for a robust housing recovery (based on historical long-term averages). Why?
1) Lack-luster household formation,
2) A constrained quantity of well-paying jobs being created,
3) A sluggish economy,
4) Declining real median annual household incomes,
5) Strict home loan lending standards, and
6) Global uncertainty
Click here to read the full report.
|
Kentucky Timber Back in the Green
Resilient $7.9 billion wood products industry meets rebounding demand with more efficient operations
by Gary Wollenhaupt
 Long an underpinning of the state economy, Kentucky's $7.9 billion forestry industry is growing again today with a recovering U.S. housing market and the rising global thirst for spirits aged in wood barrels. Meanwhile, it has cultivated a more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable culture of operations.
Kentucky is one of the top three producers of sawn hardwood in the nation, harvesting species such as oak, hickory and ash that are raw product for a variety of goods from furniture to building materials to bourbon barrels to railroad cross ties to some of the most unique specialty needs.
Click here to read the full article.
Editor's Note: This article references last year's report because the newest report was not available at the time the article was written. The new report will be available at the end of March.
|
|
Could Forests Help States Offset Coal Plant Emissions Under EPA Rule? Probably Not
by Emily Holden and Elizabeth Harball, E&E reporters
A funny thing happens when states are told to cut greenhouse gas emissions or shut down their coal plants: They start looking for solutions in unexpected places, like forests.
U.S. EPA's draft rule to cut power sector carbon emissions suggests states could reach their targets by making coal plants more efficient, using more natural gas and renewable energy, and reducing power consumption. But it doesn't limit them to those options.
At least two states -- Georgia and Kentucky -- have expressed interest in using trees as a carbon sink to offset emissions from fossil fuel plants. EPA seems to be throwing cold water on that idea, though.
Click here to read the full article.
|
|
|
|
|
March 2015
University of Kentucky
Department of Forestry
|
|
