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 ASSOCIATION NEWS
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HPVA® Elects Board Of Directors
HPVA® welcomes the 2016-2017 HPVA® Board of Directors, elected at the 95th Annual Meeting in New Orleans. The new Chairman is Don Finkell of American OEM. Pat Lynch, Roseburg Forest Products, is Vice Chairman, and Rocky Boucher, Columbia Forest Products, is the Immediate Past Chairman. See the HPVA® website for a complete list of board members.
Source: HPVA®. Photo: Don Finkell and Rocky Boucher at the 95th Annual Meeting.
Have photos of the HPVA® Spring Conference to share? Upload them here, or click to see a few candid shots from New Orleans.
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ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
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Invaders Ravage American Forests
39 species of imported forest pests are damaging the forests of North Carolina as well as forests throughout North America. Forest ecologist Dr. Gary Lovett states that "imported forest pests are the most pressing and unappreciated forest health issue in the U.S. today. We need to act now … to protect billions of valuable trees in communities and forests all across the U.S." The emerald ash borer, gypsy moth, and woolly adelgid are just a few of the foreign pests that feast on American hardwoods.
Source: Citizen-Times, May 12, 2016. Photo © U.S. Forest Service.
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REGULATORY NEWS
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Regulations Kill Affordable Housing
County, state and federal regulations and fees can add $50,000 - $100,000 to the cost of a new home. Fees disproportionately affect the prices of entry-level houses and hurt first-time buyers. Rules mandating green spaces, walking trails, erosion control, energy codes, and detailed mortgage documentation all add costs. Regulations that require lenders to look past creditworthiness to make risky home loans could create another housing bubble - and strike a devastating blow to the housing market.
Source: Construction Dive, Builder, May 20, 2016.
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HPVA® Criticizes Wood Dust Proposal
HPVA® joined 10 wood product associations to push Cal/OSHA to reconsider lowering occupational wood dust limits. Comments filed show why the proposed lower limit of 1 mg per cubic meter is not necessary and may not be possible. The lower limit isn't necessary to protect workers' health. The proposed limit also isn't technologically or economically feasible for most firms and isn't supported by the record.
Source: HPVA®.
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New OSHA Rule Released
OSHA released a new rule designed to help cut preventable workplace injuries and illnesses: mandatory electronic submission of data. Employers are already required to collect information on workplace mishaps. Before, sending the information to OSHA was voluntary. Now, all businesses must send workplace injury and illness data to OSHA electronically so that the data can be made public.
Source: HPVA®; Builder, May 11, 2016.
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
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HPVA Laboratories® Certifies Nydree Flooring
HPVA Laboratories® has awarded its first ANSI/HPVA EF Engineered Wood Flooring certification to the Nydree Flooring plant in Karthaus, PA. Nydree demonstrated its commitment to quality control by showing that its flooring products comply with the rigorous requirements of the ANSI/HPVA EF 2012 standard.
Source: HPVA®. Photo: Brady Beckwith, Director of Quality, Nydree Flooring, and Josh Hosen, Senior Manager of Certification Programs, HPVA Laboratories®.
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HPVA® MEMBER news
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Danzer Begins Mill Conversions
Construction work has begun at the Souvans, France, plant, the first of 3 facilities to receive new equipment for more efficient production of sliced flooring deck layers. Plants in Melnik, Czech Republic, and Darlington, SC, will be converted next.
Source: Danzer, May 11, 2016; Lesprom Network, December 3, 2015. Photo © Danzer.
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NEWS BRIEFS
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Buy American-Made Kitchen Cabinets
Direct Depot Kitchen Wholesalers urges the use of higher-quality, American-made custom cabinets over cookie-cutter Chinese imports.
Source: SBwire, May 13, 2016.
India Invests $6 Billion In Forests
India’s Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill will spend $6.2 billion to grow the country's forest cover from 21% to 33%.
Source: Quartz India, May 5, 2016.
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Certification = Sustainable Forestry
Common-sense initiatives and more certification options result in a win for consumers, the environment, and the economy.
Source: PEFC, May 12, 2016.
Sleepy Time: Trees Rest At Night
Researchers demonstrate that trees physically change: branches drooped 10 centimeters.
Source: New Scientist, May 18, 2016.
Advances In Transparent Wood
UMD researchers find another way to make wood transparent - and stronger than glass.
Source: Engadget, May 16, 2016.
Illegal Logging Update June 16-17
The next Illegal Logging Update & Stakeholder Consultation Meeting will be held in London.
Register at Chatham House.
New Home Sales Rise 16.6%
Sales of new single-family homes soared in April.
Source: Construction Dive, May 24, 2016.
First 3-D-Printed Office Building
Dubai unveils the world's first 100% 3-D-printed office building - including furniture.
Source: Construction Dive, May 25, 2016.
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Send Us Your Company News, Ideas For Articles, And More
We are always looking for great stories, news about your company, and interesting multimedia. We also welcome feedback on this week's content and suggestions for topics you would like to see in upcoming HPVA® eNews. Email us at innovate@hpva.org.
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