National Hardwood Magazine - June 2014

AHEC REPORT American

AHEC REPORT American Hardwood Environmental Profiles Raise The Bar On Sustainability Data has been referred to as the new raw material of the 21st century. Even for a relatively “simple” material like timber, data requirements have been expanding rapidly. Initially focused on technical performance, the demand for information now extends into a bewildering array of other issues such as legality and sustainability of supply, energy efficiency, impacts on air and water, toxicity, social welfare, recycling attributes and disposal at end of life. The rise of data has gone hand-in-hand with a powerful drive in both industry and government to increase transparency to enhance public trust and the credibility of claims. In fact the ability of suppliers to provide data credibly and efficiently is now almost as important to competitiveness as their ability to deliver the product itself. Like other material suppliers, AHEC has been wrestling with this issue now for many years. According AHEC’s David Venables, “ever since AHEC was established over 20 years ago, we have been building up a portfolio of scientific data on American Hardwoods. The technical performance data is now readily available in on-line species guides and demonstrated by U.S. Hardwood conformance to a variety of CEN and ISO standards. Now we want to make the environmental data equally as accessible.” This has been a challenge in the past, partly because of the unique structure of the U.S. Hardwood industry. Certification to standards like FSC and PEFC has been limited in a sector dependent on wood harvested from forests owned by more than four million American families each harvesting only once in a generation. While such low intensity management is environmentally and socially benign, it is simply not cost-effective for individual owners to certify. At the same time, many of the strong environmental attributes linked to U.S. Hardwood are not covered within the scope of forest certification. Certification says nothing about carbon footprint, a particularly strong environmental attribute of U.S. Hardwoods. UN data shows that while the stock of carbon held in the world’s forest soils and trees has declined by around 17 billion tons since 1990, in the U.S. it has increased by 2.23 bil- lion tons. Much of this gain is concentrated in Hardwood forest, which has doubled in standing volume in the last 50 years. Rather than building an environmental communication strategy around FSC and PEFC certification, as many other wood suppliers have done, AHEC has forged an innovative approach adapted to the particular demands of the sector. The sector has been able to draw on comprehensive forest inventory data compiled regularly by the U.S. Forest Service through their Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. At the core of the program is a dense network of permanent sample plots across the entire U.S. forest resource. Data on forest condition collected on the ground from these plots at least once a decade for nearly a century is now supplemented with more regular information from satellites and other remote sensing. Responding to demand for specific data on the legality and sustainability of harvesting, AHEC commissioned the Seneca Creek study in 2008. This was the first independent analysis anywhere to show negligible risk of illegal or unsustainable harvest across a major wood supplying sector. The study, due to be reviewed in 2014, foreshadowed the regional risk-based approach to due diligence now so central both to the EU Timber Regulation and FSC through their National Controlled Wood Assessments. Most recently, AHEC has been working with sustainability consultants PE International to acquire and compile data on the life-cycle environmental impact of American Hardwood in line BY MICHAEL S. SNOW, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN HARDWOOD EXPORT COUNCIL RESTON, VA 703-435-2900 www.ahec.org Please turn to page 61 14 JUNE 2014 ■ NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE

NWFA FLOORING REVIEW Increase Product Exposure Through NWFA As a mill operator or manufacturer of wood, the lumber you produce can end up in a variety of different finished products: furniture, moludings, building materials, cabinets, and flooring, to name just a few. One of the areas where demand for lumber has increased significantly during the past few years has been in wood flooring, which presents an opportunity for readers of this magazine. Wood flooring has increased its market sales value and its market sales volume each year since 2009, when the recession ended. For 2012, Hardwood flooring sales grew by more than 7 percent to .96 billion, representing 10.4 percent of the total floor covering market (Floor Covering News, June 22, 2013). What’s even more encouraging is that the 2012 US FLOOReport, published by Market Insights Torcivia, states that market research has shown that each year, a body of consumers equal to onefourth of the current market is interested in purchasing wood flooring. And this growth is not just in the United States market. Other countries have shown an increasing interest in U.S. wood species as well, which is reinforced by current lumber export figures. The April 25, 2014, issue of the Hardwood Review Express reports that U.S. Hardwood lumber exports reached a record 1.463 billion board feet in volume and .857 billion in value in 2013, and that year-to-date exports through February 2014 were 15 percent ahead of last year. Relative to the same period in 2013, total shipment values were up 28 percent in January/February 2014 to 8 million, and average per-unit shipment values were up 12 percent to ,379 per thousand board feet. All these statistics represent a significant opportunity for you as mill operators and wood manufacturers, and one of the easiest ways for you to increase your product exposure is through your membership in associations that can help you build relationships to build your business. The National Wood Flooring Association is one such organization. Wood flooring companies from around the world turn to the NWFA for all their industry needs. The NWFA has nearly 3,000 member companies worldwide, representing every segment of the wood flooring supply chain, all dedicated to advancing and promoting the industry. Currently, the NWFA has member companies in 57 countries, and all 50 of the United States, and can help introduce your products to these companies in a variety of ways. In partnership with the American Hardwood Export Council, the NWFA participates in several international flooring shows. NWFA brings its members together in an international pavilion at the Domotex Hannover tradeshow each January, and the Domotex Shanghai tradeshow each March to provide a cost-effective way for manufacturers to gain worldwide exposure. NWFA members also have a unique opportunity to participate in the largest flooring trade show in the United States each January. Each year, the NWFA hosts a pavilion at Surfaces in Las Vegas that provides NWFA members with the opportunity to exhibit at a reduced rate. The pavilion hosts 10 identical kiosks that include a stand and literature rack that NWFA members can use to display their products and/or product literature to an international audience within the United States. The NWFA’s annual Wood Flooring Expo also is the largest trade show anywhere dedicated exclusively to wood flooring, which means we bring together the largest audience of potential wood flooring customers and suppliers anywhere. The 2014 Expo in Nashville this past April boasted 30 percent growth, after 20 percent growth in 2013, and 30 percent growth in 2012. The 2015 Wood Flooring Expo will be held April 28 – May 1 in St. Louis, Missouri, and booths currently are being booked. For more information about exhibiting at the 2015 Wood Flooring Expo, visit www.nwfa.org. If your company produces flooring, the NWFA/NOFMA International Standards for Factory Finished Solid Wood Flooring may be of value to you. These standards compliment the long standing tradition of the NOFMA Unfinished Wood Flooring Standard, historically referenced by architects and designers. In addition to licensing for the logo, both standards include annual mill inspections as part of the certification process, and provide manufacturers with ongoing third-party quality control. If your company sells wood flooring products abroad, the NWFA Services Accepted Product Seal Program may help to identify your products as meeting accepted industry standards for quality. The program currently is available for manufacturers of abrasives, engineered wood flooring, finishes/stains/sealers, moisture inhibitors for wood subfloors, and solid wood flooring. Since each of these product categories has different organizations responsible for approving their products for meeting industry standards, the NWFA is the one common place where the products used to install and maintain wood flooring come together. It’s convenient, it’s easy, and it’s affordable. And it gives you the credibility you need to differentiate your products in the global marketplace. As you can see, the NWFA is the wood flooring industry’s one-stop resource. Whether you are looking for technical resources, professional contacts, or international trade show opportunities, make the NWFA your first call. You can reach the NWFA toll-free at 636.519.9663, or you can learn more online at www.nwfa.org. ■ BRETT MILLER, DIRECTOR OF CERTIFICATION & EDUCATION NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION, CHESTERFIELD, MO 800-422-4556 (USA AND CANADA) 636-519-9663 (INTERNATIONAL) www.nwfa.org JUNE 2014 ■ NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 15