WWPA Spring meeting

The Western Wood Products Association at their Spring meeting in San Francisco approved a major effort to encourage its members to oppose pending legislation which would withdraw nearly 2 million more acres of federal and private lands from forest management. Several federal bills are being prepared to create instant wilderness areas without following established statutory procedures for evaluating costs and benefits. ln other business at the three-day meeting, WWPA president Robert J. DeArmond told members of the nation's largest lumber trade association that increased shipments and addition of new members had placed WWPA in excellent financial condition.

A. M. Whiting, 48, chairman of the board and president of Kaibab Industries, Phoenix, was named new WWPA president.

He served as a director and member of the executive committee for a number of years. He also is a director of the National Forest Products Association and a past president of the Federal Timber Purchasers Association. He is a chapter officer in Phoenix for the Young Presidents Organization.

Since 1961, "Mickey" Whiting has served as chief executive officer of Kaibab which emerged from various family operations in the Southwest. Kaibab owns timberlands, wood products processing plants, gas stations and is engaged in land development. Its operations are in several western states.

In a significant move, WWPA approved a technical committee recornmendation to begin a two year comprehensive research program to verify lumber strength values and develoo recommendations for revision of ASTM procedures.

What brought about this rather surprising development was that the result of recent testing at Colorado State University, Oregon State Uni versity (and apparently verified by similar testing in Canada) is that for some sizes, grades and species of lumber, the published recommended design value data for the tension values of lumber was not correct. Or in other words, in some of the wider widths and lower grades, lumber was not as strong (tension values) as previously supposed.

It should be stressed. however. that virtually the only significant wood market affected by these disclosures is in truss manufacturing. For example, 2x4s are not affected. New grading rules reflecting these changes are expected to be printed shortly.

The average retailer or wholesaler is not expected to be affected, according to industry observers. Anyone having questions is urged to contact a WWPA field services representative.

Immediately following the annual meeting, WWPA went to work preparing a technical paper for the industry as well as a PR brochure for the public giving the whys and hows of the discoveries and the implications involved. It is expected to be available for distribution this month.

Story at a Glance

U. S.'s biggest lumber trade group battles back against proposed land grabs for additional wilderness areas major study ok'd to verify lumber strength values ..1.62 million housing starts forecast tor '77

A. M. Whiting elected pres.

DeArmond, president of The Pack River Co., Spokane, Wa., said Western lumbermen can look forward confidently to meeting new challenges in the coming year.

DeArmond reported progress with WWPA promotion of lumber acceptance in Japan where he recently met with industry officials. A two-pronged effort by Western lumber and plywood manufacturers is aimed at removins standards and tariff barriers and re] educating Japanese craftsmen to use U. S. home construction methods. DeArmond said steady growth in shipments of Western lumber to Japan is anticipated over the next l0 years.

H. A. Roberts, exec. v.p., forecast 1,625,O00 housing starts in 1977, up from 1,546,000 reported in 1976. He predicted that single-family unit starts, which use the most lumber, will account for 7O% of total starts in 1977 He said this should keeo lumber demand for single-family units equal to that of 1976. Roberts said reoair and remodeling should continue to improve. New residential construction accounts for 40% of U. S. lumber consumption while repair and remodeling markets account for 20%.

"In total," said Roberts, "we think U. S. shipments will be 791 million feet higher in 1971 than in l976.That represents a 2.6% increase over what can only be described as a good year."

He said Western sawmills will shio nearly one-half billion leet more in 1977 than in 19'16 and that coast and inland mills should share about equally in the hcreased demand. Overseas demand should be up about l07o in 1977 and it may well be the biggest lumber export year on recent record.

"In essence we expect a healthy year for our industry. Early Spring logging made possible by mild weather assures early log supplies and provides some insurance against possible summer woods closures attributable to drought and fire hazards," he said.

In final action, WWPA members installed A. M. Whiting, chairman of the board and president of Kaibab Industries, Phoenix, Az., as WWPA nresident to succeed DeArmond in the -oming l2 months. Robert H. O'Neill was elected lst v.p.; Richard P. Neils, 2nd v.p.; and Alan C. Goudy, secretary.

More than 1,500 people attended various functions. Members will meet in San Diego, September 17-20, for the annual Fall meetine.

TSK-TSK was the only reprintable comment we heard about that sport coat worn in (1) by L-P's John Schick, with T. J. Hedrick at party honoring the Wickes senior v.p. (21 Art McArdle, Gil Sissons, Doug Gremmel. (3) Gary Thomson, Oave Ford. (4) Mike Edgar, Fred Pueringer and Dwight Curran, a Merchant Magazine contributing editor. (5) Jack McKinnon. (61 Mike Singleton, Bob Plunkett, Warren Jimmerson. (7) Shel Sussman, Betty Foster, Boss Ingraham, Ben Cassinerio. (8) Chuck Suder, Bob Williams. (9) Hugh Pessner, Sterling Wolfe, Jr., John Mazanet, Sterling Wolfe. (10) Cliff Smoot, Lloyd Gabbert. (11) Roy Ashbrook, "Choc" Shelton. (12) Dean Sherman, Bert Dennis. (13) Denny Denman, Bill Lorea, Bob Anderson. (14) Ken Thompson, Ed Auirk. (15) Ross Hunicutt, Bill Niesen, Jim Jones, Madelyn Mason, Betty Jones, Dave and Cheryl Jones.

TURN-KEY prolect-Robert Gaylord, left, pres., Fir & Pine Lumber Co., checks working blueprints of new plant with Leon Durham, Treated Pole Builders, Inc., nation's largest firm specializing exclusively in treated pole design. "Work-flow efficiency has been upgraded so impressively," reports Gaylord, "it now makes any other operations system appear virtually obsolescent."