National Hardwood Magazine - March 2012

AHEC UPDATE - Continued

AHEC UPDATE - Continued from page 13 Begley-Made BAND SAWN HARDWOODS This is an aerial view of Begley Lumber Companyʼs band mill operation located in London, Kentucky. At Begley, we... • have a large band mill operation in both London and Hyden, Kentucky • have 740,000 board feet per charge of dry kilns and an additional 30,000 board feet per charge Walnut steamer • produce 60 million board feet of lumber 4/4 through 16/4 thicknesses per year combined • have a Newman 382 planer • have several T-sheds that hold 4 to 5 million board feet of lumber • have an 80 bay sorter We’d like to hear from you when you need quality Appalachian Hardwoods! P.O. Box 2800 London, KY 40743-2800 Phone: (606) 877-1228 FAX: (606) 877-1230 E-mail: jpatterson@begleylumber.com Website: www.begleylumber.com SALES: John Patterson and Matt Begley sharp curve in many of the elements. Category 2 – Interior Design: The second category challenged students and graduates to design a functional interior structure, which provides spatial organization. The judges were looking for a creative approach to this open brief. The space must be comfortable and practical and should take advantage of the decorative quality of American Hardwoods. The design should be adaptable for use in different environments. Winner: ‘The Contemporary Ornament’ by Audrey Yaacouli & Mélanie Saillard (Lycee La Martiniere, Lyon) A reception desk designed for a school, this entry was a perfect fit with the brief to organize a space. Reminiscent of work by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the judges praised the repetitive use of squares and cut outs creating shadows that indicate to the school students whether the reception was open or closed. The contrast of wood species chosen creates interesting patterns with the light American Tulipwood against dark American Walnut. The judges were also very impressed by ‘Hearth’, a project designed by Belgian students Pieter Vanderhenst and Mathias De Ferm. One of the modules of Hearth was manufactured by the students and displayed at the exhibition. American White Oak was specified so the piece would be suitable for exterior use. The judges were attracted to the Moroccan inspired design and liked the piece as an individual module as well as the shapes that the modules can collectively create. Category 3 – Small extension or renovation: The third category tested the applicants’ architectural skills by asking them to design an extension or renovation to an existing building. Judges looked in particular for creativity, and for the relevance of the design to the existing building and its surroundings. Technically, the choice of species was crucial for the design’s practicality and entrants were asked to provide detailed drawings to demonstrate the longterm workability of the design. Winner: ‘The Transition Cube’ by Mathilde Lanoë (Institut d’art visuels, Orléans) The innovative wooden cube structure in this piece is moveable, creating an intimate and warm environment in the winter months, but can slide back to Judges also highly recommended “Claustra”, pictured, designed by Manon Malatray, who used Red Oak. “The Contemporary Ornament” by Audrey Yaacouli & Mélanie Saillard was a winner with light American Tulipwood and dark American Walnut. 48 Hardwoods Have Workability

AHEC UPDATE - Continued allow sunlight into the conservatory area in the summer months. The cladding in American Ash is contrasted by the darker foldable seats in American Gum. The judges were impressed by simplicity and workability of this very original design. AHEC’s affiliation with design and architectural schools across Europe is stronger than ever. Students are the key decision makers in future design and architecture and AHEC is working to ensure the Hardwood message is included in school curriculums. AHEC is currently investing in an extensive LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) Study for the U.S. Hardwood industry, which puts science at the heart of the green building debate. With a growing trend towards ‘green’ design, it is essential that architects and designers are provided with peer reviewed data to allow them to make fair comparisons when specifying materials. AHEC will continue to invest in educative projects and competitions with students across Europe in 2012. SOUTHEAST TRENDS - Continued from page 6 in their lower grade applications.” As for what the spring will bring, the supplier indicated he doesn’t expect much change until the summer months. “We may see some slight movement in activity, but I really don’t look for anything to happen before the summer.” In Arkansas a sawmill source said his international markets have picked up especially for kiln dried White Oak. “Our sales to China have picked up considerably since the inventory issues they had at the end of last year,” he explained. “European exports have stabilized to a degree, but are still down from a year ago. “Our European markets generally consume large volumes of mostly upper grade White Oak,” he continued. “The slowing demand has pushed order competition and lower pricing, especially in the 5/4 FAS.” He also mentioned lower production of White Oak has prevented further deterioration in prices. According to the Hardwood supplier, current activity for green No. 2 A and Better grades is supply-driven. “Markets haven’t improved substantially but production has been limited,” he said. As for what he expects in the months ahead, the contact believes 2012 will be much similar to 2011 in terms of sales. “I don’t look for much difference in 2012; we are seeing a pattern that will probably continue until 2015.” Also in Mississippi an industrial Hardwood supplier said demand has been steady throughout the first quarter. “Railroad ties continue to move consistently,” he mentioned. “Cross ties are moving well and production is improving.” However, the contact did note supplies are edging slightly above demand. End user contacts in the region accounted for improvements in new orders and order files. Expectations for improved manufacturing activity in 2012 is gaining according to a recent survey. In the transportation sector, sources overall report positive activity. As reported by the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, trucking firms continued to account for increased demand for their services but are struggling to meet customer needs due to a significant shortage of long-haul drivers. Port authorities accounted for volume increases with notable strength in exports. For 85 years, Beard Hardwoods has relied on the “4Pʼs” for success: Product - People - Progress - Pride. If youʼre already a customer of ours, youʼre probably already aware of this. If youʼre not, weʼd like to show you what a positive difference this combination can mean to your business. WE BUY AND SELL Hardwoods IMPORTS: Mahogany, etc. EXPORTS: Oak, Poplar, Ash, etc. Dry Kilns (400,000 ft. capacity) Greensboro, N.C. P.O. Box 16767 Greensboro, NC 27416-6767 (336) 378-1265 FAX: (336) 379-0863 web site: www.enbeard.com e-mail: jbeard@enbeard.com SALES: John Beard, Aaron Fouts, Pete Green, Derick Shular & David Leonard MARCH/2012 49