NEWS tsRfiEFS

Testimony before the U.S. Congress by industry leaders and forest products assns. continues in a hard driving attempt to get passage of some legislation that would eliminate the potentially disastrous effects -of the Monongahela decision(see pp. 6 & l0of this issue, p. l9 of the March issue). .

One of the bills is 53091 intro'd. by Sen. Humbert Humphrey (D-Mn) which seeks to eliminate the language upon which Monongahela was based, i.e., that only dead, mature and large growth trees can be removed from the National Forests.

Industry leaders say wood output fram National Forests could be reduced by 60% and that the American consumer "will suffer shortages and higher prices for wood and paper products unless legislation is passed that encourages modern forestry on federal lands".

An explosion and flre that killed six employees and injured eight others ripped thru U.S. Ply,wood's Novoply plant in Redding, Ca. Mar. 23; loss at the particleboard plant, one of the oldest in the U.S., was put at $9 million; sawdust in the air was apparently ignited by a drier and sent a "wall of flame" thru the plant.

Louisiana-Paciftc plans to buy Evans Products' Missoula, Mt., particleboard plant for about $12 million; the 6-year old plant has an annual capacity of 108 million sq. ft. on a 3f 4" basis. . American Forest Products Export Corp. is a new whollyowned subsidiary of American Forest Products Corp.; gen. mgr. is James McGee. .

The long-awaited change in the plywood futures specs. is at hand, May delivery will be the final contract under the old rules; all contracts from July forward will call for 75,O32 sq. ft. as the deliverable unit: most observers say the change will cause only temporary market adjustments.

Reversing 3 consecutive monthly declines, housing start figs. in Feb. (latest released) surged to the highest rate in almost 2 years: 1,555,000, up 27% from Jan. and a walloping 63% ahead of a year-earlier; economists warn that the housing comeback isn't as strong as these numbers indicate. .

Northwest Timber Assn.. Western Forest Industries Assn. and the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. memberships are now members of a new group: the National Association oT Independent Lumbermen (NAIL) which will rep. individually owned small businesses.

Shamrock Farm & Ranch Lumber is a new Burley, Id., retailer. .new wholesalers include Spokane Wholesale Lumber Co., Spokane, Wa.; Granat {umber Corp., Portland; High Sieta Wood Products, Rocklin, Ca., operating out of the old Mountain Milling, Inc. plant. .

The terchsnt t.gazlne

Louisiana-Pacific has opened a new nt'I. plywood & panel sales office in Santa Rosa, Ca.,, after they outgrew their Cloverdale facilities; the office markets all West Coast production of plywood, particleboard and hardboard. JI&M Wholesale. Etiwanda, Ca., has added a new 6,000 sq. ft. San Antonio pole shed, according to H&M's Wayne Solesbee. .

The All-Weather Wood Foundation (AWWF) system is being used for the I st time in Nev. on a pilot project near Reno. Building Material Distributors, /nc. holds its lst annual Dealer Market Day April 25, at its Galt, Ca., warehouse. .Stat Lumber Ca. has moved to new yard facilities, City of Industry, Ca.

Forecasts for business activities during next month's fuIay ls Home Improvement Time promotion are for a record setting sales pace. . J.C. Penney began earlier this spring to prominently feature Home Improvement Time flags and banners in its Western stores.

Alaska continues as a strong plywood market: enough plywood to build 2,800 average size homes was shipped last Fall by a single pipeline contractor. Pacific Northwest pipeline suppliers have already started producing vast amounts of mtls. for a second massive sealift operation set for Fall '76.

J.W. Copeland Lumber expects to open its new Klamath Falls, Or., store this mo., replacing the operation that burned in an arson caused fire Aug. 15, -Pecos Valley-Houston Home Center plans a May grand opening for its new 16,350 sq. ft. d-i-y store, Roswell,N.M.,...

' Lance Finnegan's Tree, the largest Doug fir in the U.,S., fe[ and "shattered into a million pieces" during a recent storm; it was 4l' around, 302' high and more than 800 years old.

Indep endent Veneer Producers Assn. has a new color coding for bundles of veneer shipped by its members.

Truck drivers know all the best spots and that's where Kimberly-Clark ranks. Our loading crews are on hand from 7:00 a.m. to midnight five days a week, with a big supply of strapped and wrapped lumber, and a deft way with a lift truck. You pull into KimberlyClark, and in no time you're on your way with a warm heart and a glow of satisfaction.

We're big on mixed loads and overnight service. In fact, if your destination's within a radius of 500 miles and you can get vour truck here before 5:00 p.m., we can practically promise you its unloading will be the first order of the day.

Next time you have a yen to get into fast company, remember Kimberly-Clark.

Kimherlq,Clark

(Forest Products Division)

ANDERSON, CALIFORNIA 96007

PHONE: (LUMBER SALES MANAGER) (916) 365-7661

P.O. BOX 697

RHINOHIDE SALES . PHONE: (916) 246.4888

MOULDING & MILLWORK PHONE: (916) 36s-2910

PONDEROSA PINE. SUGAB PINE. WHITE FIR. DOUGLAS

FIR.INCENSE CEDAR. MOULDINGS. JAMBS. DOOR FRAMES . CUT STOCK PROVIDED SOLID AND FINGER JOINTED. NATURAL, T/ILL-PRII,4ED. VINYL OVERLAY

MARENISCO, MICHIGAN

PHONE: (906) 787-2233 HARD MAPLE. SOFT NIAPLE. BIRCH. SOFT GRAY ELI','| BASSWOOD. ASH. BEECH. NORTHERN HEMLOCK

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PHONE: (205) 839-6368

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