NEWS tsRIEFS

A major industry wide action has been kicked off by forest products assns. and companies for a fast, fair resolution of the Forest Service's RARE II, the second Roadless Area Review & Evaluation that seeks a balance on federal forest use between industry, wilderness and recreation demands . .

Wood industry sources point out that unless a timely completion of RARE II is made, it could have a severe impact on general recreation and the Production of commodities which could result in sharply higher wood product and paper prices . recognizing the importance to its members, several labor gFoups have joined the action program

Bills to more than double the size of the Redwood National Park have passed both the Senate and House by large margins House and Senate confsrees are expected to work out differences in the two bills quickly signature of the final measure into law by President Jimmy Carter ls widely considered a foregone conelusion...

F. W. Dodge Div.'s new 5year forecast sees total construction at about the same level as present for the next 2 years, with 1980 equal to the record volume of '73 the housing cycle will be in gentle decline thru '79, followed by a recovery during '80-'82

Harsh winter weather knocked the housing start figures back a record 29% in Jan. to 1.549.000; remarkably, the rate was still ll% above the Jan. '77 pace bldg. permits declined "only" l5%,' to a 1.533,000 rate; Jan. starts in the West dropped 16.6%, 26.5Vo in the South ,

Final ligs for '77 housing: total new units 1,848,730 v. 1,421,106 in '76, '77 was the 3rd consecutive year of advance; the 4th quarter of '77 was lO% ahead of the yearearlier period . . . top 10 housing markets.' Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles/Long Beach, San Diego, Riverside/San Bernardino, Phoenix, Detroit, Anaheim/Santa Ana and Washing- ton...

Oregon housing starts in '77 were up 25%, sharpest rise was Eugene, up 367o, with Salem at 20% and Portland 17% . final California stdrts were 251)64, up 27.7% from '76; single family starts were 165,529 units, up 29.6Vo from the year before.

Lack of housing could burst Reno's building boom; the Nv. city needs 18,000 more homes in the next 2 years to realize itS anticipated growth, according to a Federal Home Loan Bink repor! . Eastern RRs are seeking a 6% freight rate increase in May.

Nothing definite at presstime on rumors of the sale of Fibreboard Cotp.; Louisiana-Pacific withdrew its earlier offer of $l5/share . Fibreboard has closed its Green Valley lum. ber operation at Myrtle Creek, Or., the planning mill continues operations . .

Robert B. Pamplin, former longtime chairman and c.e.o. of Georgia-Pacific, abruptly quit the board of directors after a fight over the pension fund; he has headed his own Portland investment firm since retiring . . approx. 1200 salaried jobs were cut by l|eyerhaeuser in a major shakeup designed to improve earnings. which have been hurt by slowdowns in Europe and Japan . .

Boise Cascade, Champion International, Georgia-Pacific, Weyerhaeuser and Willamette Indus' tries have been accused by the Federal Trade Commission of vtolating anti-trust laws in their pricing of Southern plywood: Big W and B{ plan to fight the decision Weyerhaeuser is suing OSHA for harassment re' garding excessive tpachinery,i: noise.. . ': l"t

All-Coast Forest Products, Whittier, Ca., has broken eround for its big, new full-line distribution center in Chino, Ca.. . . . Flintkote is bldg. a new 8acre wholesale yard in Oceanside, Ca.; is adding approx. 9,000 sq. ft. toits Riverside yard; and plans a new yard for the Palm Spring, Ca., area lilood I Systems, Inc. has sold a long term license and its Oregon production facilitY to a group headed by Wallace H. Bonesteele, an Oregon wholesaler Andersonin Forest Products, Arcata, Ca., has a new pine mill on line in Ashland, Mt....

California Redwtad.Assn. has moved into new offices at I Lombard St., S.F. 94l l l the 29th annual Western States Hardware, Housewares, Paint & Garden Supply Show runs Mar. 17-19, Brooks Hall in 5.F.; special prices and buys plus prizes abound at the big show

Trinity Forest Products has moved to Sebastopol, Ca., (from Novato), according to principals Jim Peterson and Karl Drexel Vacaville Lumber Co., Vacaville, Ca., has broken ground for a $400,000 new home . . . Knollwood Corp. is a new wholesale wood products firm in Healdsburg, Ca.. begun by Art Bond, formerly with West Range Corp.. Cloverdale,Ca....

Scarborough Lumber, Scotts Valley, Ca., has opened a new store in Morgan Hill; they have a line operation as well in Ben Lomand Dill Lumber, Hemet, Ca., plans remodeling of its retail store -.