OKLAHOMA NOTES JOHN

BRANSCTru

Execudve

vlce preeldent

T Hg OLA board of directors recent- I ly named its ofllcers and governing board for 1988.

President will be Cal Browning, Elk Supply Co., Clinton; with vice president Harold Merrill, Owasso Lumber Company, Owasso. K. Peter Currie was endorsed for a second term as treasurer and current president Ken Rothschopf will become immediate past president and honorary board member as of

December l.

The board also named the following district directors: District l, Larry Schmidt, F-lintco Lumber Co., Tulsa; District 2, Ed Smith, Smith Grand Lake Lumber, Ketchum; District 3, Jeff Branscum, Branscum Lumber Co., Ada; District 4, Douglas Bowden, Gangwer Lumber Co., Guthrie; District 5, Michael Nix, Nix Lumber Co., Oklahoma City; and District 6, David Heien, Marlow Lumber Co., Marlow. These directors will serve three-year terms.

Two OLA associate members were named to three-year terms. Larry Chumley, Plywood Supply, Oklahoma City, and Bill Smith, Mid-States Lumber Co., Oklahoma City.

With just a few weeks remaining for 1987 exhibitors to stake a claim for their same booth space, the OLA staff reports that exhibit spa@ commitments are ahead of last year at this time. The deadline for those firms wishing to reclaim the same booth spaces for the 1988 OLA Convention that they held for the 1987 Convention is November 30. After that all uncommitted spaces will be released for contract on a first come ltrst served basis. Incoming contracts are datestamped and given priority according to when the contract was actually received.

The 1988 convention goal of 1987 sales volume plus 100/o is already more than 250/o full with more contracts being received daily. A large share of the contracts already received are from companies which have never before exhibited at Spring Mart.

Close Grain Hardwoods Up

Close grain woods including Northwest alder. maple and birch gained slightly at the summer furniture markets in Dallas, Tx., San Francisco. Ca.. and .A'tlanta. Ga. Their 3.8%, for alder and 2.6"1' for maple/birch confirmed the trend to a more refined grain pattern. Oak and pine dropped slightly with pine at 8{l' of the total showroom Drescntations.

Record Western Lumber Production

Record L .S. Iunrber denrand and improred international nrarkets pushed soliuood lunrber production in l2 \\estern states to 21 .91 billion board leet in 1986. the highest annual rolunre since l9:9

The estinrated rrholesale ralue of the lumber produced *as S-..1-l billion. according lo the \\'estern Wood Products .{ssociation. In 198-i. \\estcrn mills produced l9.l billion feet of lunrber i alued at S-1.86 billion.

The L.S. used a record -1- 5 billion leet of sofl*ood lumber in 1986. up'..1 fronr 198-i. the prerious record 1ear. Sonre I 88 billion fect ol'..\merican solnrood lumber uas exporled last r ear. an increase ol lJ or er 198-i. \lore than -1-l of the luntber used in the L.S. uas supplied bv *estern nrills in 1986. ('anada supplied .10 *hile the nrills in the South supplied 2-l 9 according to the trade associalion.

Growing Fused Panel Use

The use of therntoset decoratire panels. labcled Pc-rnralanr panels bi the .-\nterican Lantinators \ssoct.rlton. is rapidlr erpanding in the marketplace lor both rertic.rl ;rnd horizontal surfaces.

The thermallr fused panels are flat pressed frt'nl .t lhermoset pollester or melamine resin-inrpregnalc-d ueb. then bonded under heat and pressure to p16,-'; substrates such as particleboard or ntediunl dL'nsit\ llbcrboard. The pre-bonding eliminates later bondine ol-thc' lanrinates and backer sheets to a substr.tte.