More than 50 leaders of the forest products industry from across the U.S. are in Washington, D.C., talking to federal legislators about the top priorities of paper and wood products manufacturers. The American Forest & Paper Association and the American Wood Council are co-hosting the 2013 Forest Products Industry Fly-In. With members of Congress, some of the issues they will be discussing include air regulations; corporate tax reform; truck weight increase on federal highways; recognition of multiple credible green building rating systems; and support for wood in building energy codes. For more, click here...

The ANSI/APA PRS 610.1 Standard for Performance-Rated Structural Insulated Panels in Wall Applications was approved by the American National Standards Institute and is now available for download. Working with APA members and the Structural Insulated Panel Association, APA is the ANSI-accredited standards developer and secretariat for this standard. Completion of ANSI/APA 610.1 represents a cornerstone for the SIP industry, which uses wood structural panels as the SIP facing. The standard provides requirements and test methods for qualification and quality assurance for performance-rated SIPs for use in wall applications, and specifies product performance requirements. It is available from the APA's Publication Library at click here...

Some industries have found business applications for social media including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, but most wood products businesses are not using those services -- The union representing about 11,000 millworkers in British Columbia's Interior region has opened negotiations with Canfor on a new labor contract -- All this and more, available only in your full weekly report.

An initiative sponsored by the Softwood Lumber Board is examining the structural viability of a 42-story mass timber-framed building. The project looks at a hybrid system that uses the most efficient structural combination of mass timber, concrete, and steel to reduce the carbon footprint of the resulting design by between 60 and 75% when compared to a concrete benchmark. For more, click here...

The new Canadian union being formed by the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) and the Canadian Autoworkers Union (CAW) will be named Unifor. The union will include 800 locals and 3,000 bargaining units in more than 20 different sectors of the Canadian economy, including many woodworkers. For more, click here...

The American Wood Council (AWC) has revised several of its standards and design tools in response to coming changes to Southern Pine design values. The American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC) Board of Review approved changes to design values for all grades and all sizes of visually graded Southern Pine and Mixed Southern Pine lumber, with a recommended effective date of June 1, 2013, to allow for their orderly implementation. The changes to AWC standards and design tools ensure they remain consistent with the new design values. Visit click here... or click here...

APA has introduced a new mobile format for its series of Builder Tips. The new format optimizes viewing from mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones. Each Builder Tip addresses a single common topic or challenge in today's building environment – such as panel buckling, squeaky floors, and nail pops – and is designed to help construction professionals save money and improve quality on the job through improved construction practices. The new mobile-friendly format allows Builder Tips to be browsed, opened, and viewed quickly from internet-connected devices in the office or field. Free mobile Builder Tips can be viewed at click here...

The U.S. Department of Commerce has set preliminary antidumping duties of up to 64% on hardwood and decorative plywood from China. Two Chinese exporting firms were given no duties; 100 others qualified for a separate rate of 22.14%. All other exporters were assigned the China-wide preliminary dumping margin of 63.96%. Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to require cash deposits based on these preliminary rates. In March, the department announced separate countervailing duties of up to 27%. Commerce is currently scheduled to announce final determinations on both types of duties in July. For more, click here...