Dana Spessert - speaker and fisherman!

WESTERN HARDWOOD ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONVENTION AUGUST 22-24, 2017

World Class Salmon Fishing DerbyMAY 2017

In this issue:

* Outlook* News* Motivate* Upcoming Events* Classifieds

No. 578May 2017

WHA Board of Directors - Officers

Kurt Landwehr President

Nils Dickmann Vice President

Jeff Stoddard Treasurer

Lee Jimerson Immediate Past President

WHA Board of Directors - Board MembersAaron BlumenkronTricia KilrainScott LeavengoodMike Lipke

Doug MartinJamie PriceLindy StallardStephen Zambo

David SweitzerSecretary/ManagerPO Box 1095Camas, WA 98607Ph: (360) 835-1600Fax: (360) 835-1910Web: www.westernhardwood.orgEmail: wha@westernhardwood.org

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West Slope Wood, LLCYour Supply Partner in North American Hardwoods and Specialty SoftwoodsContact: Chris RycePO Box 25562Portland, OR 97298Ph: (503) 998-7923 Email: chris@westslopewood.comSponsor: Lee Jimerson, Collins

Outlook

In spite of tight supplies in some state, momentum in the housing market and overall optimism are creating positive vibes on the West Coast.

In Washington, a hardwood lumber source notes that the low housing inventory is driving the markets in a positive way. He explained that it should create a perpetual motion for ongoing business. While it may not spike very high (and everyone will be careful about that), the fact that houses are selling and selling very quickly because of the low inventory bodes will throughout the year. He also commented that alder and maple are his two hottest ones right now.

For one California hardwood lumber contact, momentum from a strong 2016 is expected to carry business through the spring and sustain prospects into the summer. The lumber company handles ash, alder, hard and soft maple, red and white oak and exotics. After some fear that the December 2016 activity was just a post election bump, he now thinks that it is going to sustain through

summer.

An Oregon salesman is seeing a tight supply in the hardwood markets, particularly with alder, cottonwood and aspen in the frame grades.

Some highlights:The bureau of Labor Statistics

reported that manufacturing employment increased for the fourth straight month, with the sector adding 11,000 workers in March.

U.S. economy added 98,000 net new nonfarm payroll workers in March, well below the consensus estimate of around 185,000. cont. on page 5

Students will learn Alder, PC Maple, Cottonwood, and other Western Hardwood grades, how to apply them to actual lumber, the application of proprietary grades, and the importance of “on grade” to profi tability.

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REGISTER ONLINEGrade stick is required. You may order one with your registrationRoom and meals are student’s responsibility.

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June 8-9,2017Hardwood Industries

Sherwood, OR9:00 AM - 5:00 PM$200 - WHA members$350 - non-members

BORN IN 1855.

REBORN TODAY.

Lee Jimerson 503.826.5266 LJimerson@collinsco.com

Collins Hardwood

You can tell the age of a tree by its number of rings. But the products it yields help it live on. Collins hardwoods from our Allegheny Forest are FSC certified—and probably would have been the model before the certification even existed. That’s why our hardwoods exhibit such quality and consistency, making them the right choice for your custom work today and for generations to come.

Furniture by Berkeley Mills built with FSC® Collins Black Cherry

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Carpenter, construction worker, craftsman, educator, writer/producer, TV personality – Tommy MacDonald has worn all these hats with skill and attitude and boisterous success. From the rough and tumble Dorchester section of Boston, Tommy was always fixing or building something. From an early fascination with tools, to a voc-tech high school, a 4-year union carpentry apprenticeship program, to 15 years as a journeyman carpenter, Tommy never strayed too far from his tool box.Later, Tommy was accepted at the North Bennet Street School, an internationally renowned craft and trade school, where he honed and refined his native woodworking skills while learning the art of fine furniture making. His curious nature and innate attention to detail led him to carefully research the technical intricacies and fascinating provenances of the historical pieces that inspired his works. It also led to a chance meeting with Bob Vila who appreciated both Tommy’s exceptional craftsmanship and his charismatic presence and featured Tommy and his work on national TV in his Colonial Home project.

The experience was an eye opener. While continuing to expand his fine furniture collection – experimenting with new designs and materials – he became increasingly aware of the opportunity to reach out and share his knowledge and expertise with a wider audience: online, in books, and ultimately on TV. A series of podcasts chronicling in depth the construction of a bombe’ secretary brought Tommy’s mentoring skills to the forefront while capturing his “one of the guys” persona to a “t”.

Tommy’s big break came in 2009 when he hit the airwaves nationally as host/writer/executive producer of WGBH’s new television series, Rough Cut – Woodworking with Tommy Mac. The show was an instant success accruing multiple Emmy Nominations and several Telly Awards, including a Silver, along the way. Tommy can often be found developing and perfecting woodworking tools with Pony Tools, Inc. and educating children across North America as the Celebrity Spokesperson of the Hardwood Forest Foundation.

WESTERN HARDWOOD ASSOCIATIONANNUAL CONVENTION

WORLD FORESTRY CENTER - PORTLAND, OR

WESTERN HARDWOOD ASSOCIATIONP.O. Box 1095, Camas, WA 98607 • 360-835-1600 • www.westernhardwood.org • wha@westernhardwood.org

KEYNOTE SPEAKERTOMMY

MAC

cont. from page 2. New factory orders were also encouraging, increasing for the third straight month in February and rising to its highest level since November 2014.

- excerpted from Moultray, Chad, Ph.D.,DBE. “Monday EconomicReport - April 10, 2017.” | NAM. National Association of Manufacturers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that consumer prices decreased 0.3 percent in March, its first decline in 13 months. The reduced figure stemmed from a reduction in energy costs, down 3.2 percent, including a 6.0 percent decline in gasoline prices. With that said, gasoline costs have jumped nearly 20 percent over the past 12 months. At the same time, food prices increased by 0.3 percent in March, its highest monthly rate since June 2015. Overall the consumer price index increased 2.4 percent year-over-year in March, down from 2.8 percent in February but up from 0.9 percent one year ago. - excerpted from Moultray, Chad, Ph.D.,DBE. “Monday Economic Report - April 17, 2017.” | NAM. National Association of Manufacturers.

While manufacturing activity has turned a corner and is trending in the right direction overall, especially relative to what we saw for much of last year, many of the economic indicators released last week reflected some easing in the latest data. Along those lines, manufacturing production fell in March, ending six straight monthly gains.

The housing market provided some mixed news in the latest reports, even as the longer-term trend remained reassuring. Poor weather was likely a factor in the 6.8 percent decline in new housing starts in March. More importantly, starts have exceeded 1.2 million in five of the past six months—a psychological threshold that we appear to have finally sustained. On a year-over-year basis, new residential construction has risen 9.2 percent. Moreover, housing permits—a proxy of future activity—rebounded somewhat in March, increasing 3.6 percent for the month and jumping 17.0 percent over the past 12 months. Other residential releases were also comforting. For instance, homebuilders have healthy assessments about single-family home sales over the next six months, even with some easing in April. More positively, existing home sales rose to a 10-year high in March and have increased 5.9 percent year-over-year. With that said, inventory levels remain low, limiting sales from growing even further. - excerpted from Moultray, Chad, Ph.D.,DBE. “Monday Economic Report - April 24, 2017”| NAM. National Association of Manufacturers.: n. pag. Print.

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A U G U S T 2 2 - 24 , 2 0 1 7WORLD FORESTRY CENTER - PORTLAND, OR

ANNUALCONVENTION

AUCTION: Contributions support and promote the hardwood industry and the WHA Scholarship Fund. Show your support of the hardwood industry and receive grateful recognition.

SPONSORS: Great opportunity for producers, wholesalers, distributors, importers/exporters and others who supply goods and services to the Western hardwood industry to establish relationships and develop future business. All sponsors are invited to have a Member Showcase 8’ skirted display table.

$10,000 - PC MAPLE PLUS 4 free registrations, 4 raffle tickets, 12 months of newsletter ads.

$5,000 - CHERRY WITH full page ad in program book PLUS 3 free registrations, 3 raffle tickets, ad on event app, name on branded promo item (first come/first choice), 6 months of newsletter ads.

$2,500 - OAK PLUS 2 free registrations, 2 raffle tickets, banner ad on webpage and on-site screen.

$1,500 - MADRONE WITH 1/2 page ad in program book PLUS 1 free registration, 1 raffle ticket.

$ 500 - 1/4 page ad in program book, mention in press releases, featured in promotion materials and newsletter, on-site sign, logo on webpage.

WESTERN HARDWOOD ASSOCIATIONP.O. Box 1095, Camas, WA 98607 • 360-835-1600 • www.westernhardwood.org • wha@westernhardwood.org

AGENDA:8-22 Tuesday – Buoy 10 salmon derby on the Columbia River.8-23 Wednesday – World Forestry Center: Speakers on topical subjects, member

showcase, reception, dinner, raffle, & auction.8-24 Thursday – WHA Classic Golf tournament.

• NOW ACCEPTING SPONSORS! • AUCTION DONORS! •

CONTACT US AND SIGN UP TODAY!

Featuring Keynote Speaker Tommy Mac

News

Recent “state of the UK hardwood market” speeches, presentations and panel discussions have led to calls for significant change in hardwood marketing within the UK, as well as the larger European market. The problem in need of a solution, as well as a forthcoming market development action plan by the TTF, is years of steady decline in UK hardwood consumption. UK sawn hardwood consumption was generally level in 2015 and 2016, but down 11% from 2014, and 30% from pre-financial crisis levels.

The downward trend in UK hardwood consumption is part of a wider trend across the European Union (EU), where sawn hardwood consumption has fallen from roughly 3.4 BBF (8 million m3) in 2001 to approximately 2.3 BBF (5.5 million m3) in 2016. Unfortunately, trade data show U.S. hardwood lumber exports to the EU have followed a similar pattern, trending downward since the financial crisis of 2008. In 2016, U.S. hardwood lumber exports to the EU were down 63% from record volumes in 1988, and haven’t topped 168 MMBF (396,000 m3) in the last six years—the longest stretch at those levels since the early 1980s.

Reversing the decline in UK hardwood consumption will require improved two-way communication between the hardwood trade and key end-users and specifier groups, including product designers, architects, manufacturers, building contractors and retailers. In addition, it will require a significant effort to get UK and EU end-users to accept a wider range of hardwoods than White Oak, which, for generations, has been the hard wood equivalent of European royalty. - excerpted from Burbeck, Tony. “Revitalizing UK Hardwood Consumption” Hardwood Review Express 16 (14 April 2017): n. pag.

It was only a dozen years ago that we fully understoodhow dependent the U.S. hardwood lumber industry was on U.S. housing markets. Today, there is no question that the U.S. hardwood lumber industry is also heavily dependent upon Chinese housing demand. China has become the largest customer of U.S. graded hardwood lumber. In 2016, for example, China accounted for 52% of total U.S. hardwood lumber exports, worth $1.2 billion, up from a

46% share and $977 million value in 2015. - excerpted from Barrett, George. “China’s Housing Mrket” Hardwood Review Express 16 (7 April 2017): n. pag.

Logging bans in China are fueling demand for imports. Nearly 90% of the timber in the central highlands of Vietnam has been sold to China. U.S. log exports to China grew 32% to over $404 million in 2016. The Chinese demand for lumber has resulted in Russian exports increasing nearly tenfold in 10 years, from less than 1 million cu.m. in 2005 to almost 10 million cu.m. in 2015. - www.fordaq.com - Fordaq the timber network. “Chinese buyers rush to Vietnam due to logging bans.” Fordaq. N.p., 29 Mar. 2017.

The House of Representatives passed the Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment Act by a vote of 228-194. The act restricts the EPA to using only scientific studies that are publicly available. “The days of ‘trust-me’ science are over,” said House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas. “This legislation ensures that sound science is the basis for EPA decisions and regulatory actions.” - Brady, Marianna. “House Votes to Restrict EPA’s Use of Scientific Studies.” U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report, 29 Mar. 2017. Web.

Over many years throughout the West, we’ve spoken with feet-on-the-forest-floor people whose credentials are outstanding. Yes, some of them are professional loggers and other members of that industry, but most have been Forest Service employees and managers. These are people we consider experts; men and women whose job is to keep our forests healthy while preserving access for humans to enjoy them and a balance to be struck between industry interests and nature lovers (who often are one and the same). In more recent years, their jobs have increasingly included managing the many areas where humans and trees come together — where they interface. Creating buffers between people and the trees beside or around them can literally mean the difference between human life and death, as well as the loss of valuable property. - “Managed forests best for man - and tree.” The Coeur d’Alene Press. N.p., 18 Apr. 2017. Web.

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) brought up Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding — the federal funding program which provides a “safety net” of money for counties and schools to offset dwindling timber harvests on federal lands. Wyden helped write the law that created SRS in 2000. “The law has now expired so we’ve got to find a way to get it up and running again,” he said. “The debate is going to involve forestry policy and education.” Wyden said he supports increasing logging on public land “in a sustainable way and we need the safety net. They’re not mutually exclusive.” That’s his strategy as the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources committee in the Senate. He said that he is working with Idaho Republican Sen. Mike Crapo in

cont. on page 10

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14 M’ 8/4 1 Com2 LDS 8/4 FAS1F 50% Long12 M’ 8/4 FAS1F 11&W

PA SOFT MAPLE2 LDS 4/4 FAS1F White HVY 10-121 LD 4/4 1&Btr WHND

WV SOFT MAPLE1 LD 4/4 FAS1F Sap&Btr

3 LDS 4/4 2 Com Unselected

APPALACHIAN WV WHITE OAK1 LD 5/4 FAS1F 7.5” Avg wid1 LD 4/4 FAS1F Stick Shadow’d

WESTERN HARDWOOD ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONVENTION CHERRY SPONSORS

bipartisan effort to get SRS funding renewed. - Dillon, Joshua. “Wyden talks trade, forests, Electoral College.” The Baker City Herald. Western Communications, Inc., 19 Apr. 2017. Web.

Motivate

Pick up the Pick-Upby Larry Dennis

Be a Thermostat, Not a Thermometer. A Leadership Development Lab student’s story:

“In the Winter of 2010, I got a call from the owner of our company telling me to go pick up Crummy, our company truck. Dave, one of the guys on my crew, had parked the company truck at his house when he left for his two-week elk hunting trip. I drove my personal truck with a buddy over to Dave’s house to get the company truck and had my buddy follow me back home. Well,

two weeks later, when I got to work on Monday, Dave called the office. He was back home and wanted his truck brought back over to his house. He wanted me to shuttle the

company truck back over for him. This caused a huge confrontation, HIS truck, me being his personal shuttle driver, etc., etc. This argument resulted in a seven year grudge! After learning about the “grudge bag” in Session 5 of the LDL, I did some sober soul searching. This week, seven years later, I decided it was time to end the feud. Who knows what the tension had cost us both in heartburn and headaches. I wasn’t quite sure how to approach Dave. I thought about it for a while and decided to just go say I was sorry for the misunderstanding about the truck and shake his hand (even though I wasn’t sure I was in the wrong). Once I said I was sorry, I saw a light in his eyes and a bright smile that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Dave has been a lot more pleasant to work around ever since. I feel like a load has been lifted off my back.

“The lesson I learned from this experience is in a heated situation, to walk away and think about it before I react. If and when things get blown out of proportion, be the first to apologize, even if it is not all my fault.

“The action I call you to take is to be a thermostat rather than a thermometer. Don’t let other people push your buttons. In the press of business, when things do go wrong between you and others, bet he first to say ‘I blew it, I’m sorry.’ Stop holding grudges, put the past behind you.

“The benefit you will gain is more self-respect and you will earn the respect of others. You will create a positive work space and you will experience improved performance by all your crew members.”

If you want to create an engaged, even turbocharged, team find ways to be crystal clear in all your communication, be sure expectations are clearly understood and agreed to.

When people misunderstand, clarify, when people violate your standard, remember to be respectful as you ask that they commit to living up to the standards of excellence we all want to enjoy. - Dennis, Larry. “Pick Up the Pick-Up” The Turbo Charger 635 (18 April. 2017): n. pag. Turbo Leadership Systems. Web.

For Sale: Kansas City Hardwood Corp - 250 MBF Concentration Yard w/10 acres of land. Includes 5 new kilns-55,000 bf each, boiler/dust collection system, lumber handling equipment, drying sheds, warehouse, office. Located in heart of walnut and red oak lumber. Contact Bob Owens at (218)349-8334, rmowens@aol.com.

WHA Classifieds - Just $25/mo. Submit your classified ad by May 20th for the June 2017 issue of Hardwood Stand to wha@westernhardwood.org.

C l a s s i f i e d s

Upcoming Events

May 15, 2017Using Your Mobile Device for High-Precision GPS Forestry Data CollectionOlympia, WAEmail: richard@westernforestry.org

May 18, 2017Using Your Mobile Device for High-Precision GPS Forestry Data CollectionSpringfield, OREmail: richard@westernforestry.org

June 15, 2017Where Are We Growing?Washington Hardwoods Commission Annual SymposiumOlympia, WAEmaill: whc@wahardwoodscomm.com

June 19-22, 2017Advanced Insect and Disease Field SessionHood River, OREmail: richard@westernforestry.org

August 22-24, 2017Western Hardwood Association Annual ConventionPortland, OREmail: wha@westernhardwood.org

cont. from page 8