hm - May13 - cover.indd - National Hardwood Lumber Association

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’SMESSAgEA SPECIAL TIME FoR NHLA –REVIEW oF THE RULESWhen NHLA began 115 years ago, the Founders, in their wisdom, decided that theRules for the Measurement and Inspection of Hardwood Lumber should be reviewed ona regular basis – meaning every four years. In this day and time four years seems like aneternity between changes. Modern leadership did consider a shorter time span for Rulesreviews, but ultimately agreed that the time span adds to both the integrity and stability ofthe Rules and does not need to be changed.Also adding to the integrity is the process; a detailed process laid out in the NHLA bylaws.All suggested Rules changes for 2015 were due and received by March 31 of this year andwill be reviewed by the Rules Committee at a meeting on May 7. This time around, thereare sixteen areas of the Rules Book where changes are suggested. Two additional ideas weresubmitted but won’t be considered since one was submitted by a non-member of NHLAand the second involved changes to the Sales Code. While the Sales Code is printed in theRules Book, the wording is developed by action of the Board of Managers.During the Rules Committee meeting on May 7, any member of the Association is invitedto attend and address the Rules Committee directly. The meeting will be held at NHLAheadquarters in Memphis, Tenn. and the staff can assist you with making arrangements toattend. The meeting will begin promptly at 8:00a.m on that Tuesday, and will continueuntil all arguments are heard and then considered by the committee.When open discussions are completed, the Rules Committee moves to a closed sessionto determine which issues should be brought to the membership. These proposed Ruleschanges are sent to the members in advance of the NHLA Annual Convention and areopenly discussed at a forum scheduled during the convention. The end of the processresults in a ballot sent to every active member company which each has one vote.Two-thirds of the voters must be in favor of a change before it is added to the Rules Book.The change does not become effective until January of the following year (2015) to allowthe industry to be properly informed and adapted to the change.Quite a detailed process to say the least, but one which insures each member can beinvolved in the development of the most common set of Hardwood Lumber Rules usedthroughout the world. The Rules remain voluntary and unregulated, and your involvementassures their continued acceptance.During the RulesCommittee meeting onMay 7, any member of theAssociation is invited toattend and address theRules Committee directly.Thank you to those who have and will participate in this process.Sincerely,Mark Barford, CAE, Executive DirectorNational Hardwood Lumber Associationwww.nhla.com6 MAY 2013 HARDWOOD MATTERS WWW.NHLA.COM