APITONG

Harder than Mahogany, Apitong has many uses. Truck beds, walkways and boardwalks are some we could mention. Apitong can be ordered in all sizes from '1 x 3's through 12 x 12's. Call for information.

We inventory over six million board feet of most hardwood species including Boxwood, Indonesian Rosewood, Satine as well as domestic hardwoods.

Speakers the first day will be John Osgood, Tradewest Hardwood Co., Inc., Long Beach, Ca., "Asia Adapts Slowly to Western Hardwoods;" Ted Franklin, Pacific Rim Forest Industries, Inc., Sausalito, Ca., "Economic Reality of Western Hardwood. Production & Marketing;" Gary Hall, Cal Oak Products, Inc., Oroville, Ca., "California Hardwoods Past, Present & Future."

Round table discussions will occupy the second day's sessions with recommendations from each presented to the membership during a business meeting. Topics and leaders: "Consistency in Grade, Color and Moisture Content."

Jerry Haney; "Convention Schedule and Program Content," Warren Bailey; "Legislative Concerns Leading to More Logs," Bob Platz; "Economics Aflecting the Wood Products Industry," TBA; "Grade Rules and Products," Ken McCoun.

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AWPB To Become Industry Watchdog

Changes which will enable the American Wood Preservers Bureau to represent the treated wood industry as the American Lumber Standards Committee represents the entire lumber industry are underway.

Following a request from the special Organization Working Group of the National Forest Products Association Task Group on Quality Assurance Procedures. the American Wood Preservers Bureau board of governors has voted to redefine its activities to become the consensus body for quality assurance in the treating industry.

Recognition of the industry's quality assurance body as a consensus body is considered by the Task Group to be an essential part of the

Hickson's New Tech Center

The new $2.5 million Hickson Technology Center in Conley, Ga., is now under construction. Completion is expected by the end of the year.

The center will house a fully equipped pilot plant designed to industry's overall product acceptance program in both domestic (building codes) and foreign commerce. The group also recommended that the program for the wood preserving industry be structured along the lines of the American Lumber Standards Committee.

The need for the entire preservative treated wood industry to maintain a voluntary nationally recognized Wood Treating Assurance Program as a common basis for uniform industry wide inspection and quality marking procedures guided the NFPA committee, said John Hall, president of the American Wood Preservers Institute, who chaired the group. They also felt the program should be based on the facilitate pressure treating research and development. This will include a structural test laboratory, an exposure test laboratory and a fire test laboratory. Offices for the technical services staff are included in the center.

"When the test equipment goes standards established by the American Wood Preservers Association, he noted. on line in the new pilot plant," Roger Fox, who has been instrumental in coordinating equipment needs for it. said. "there will be few limits to what we can try in our ongoing gfforts to find better treatment methods and new preservative systems."

After considering the merits of either creating a new organization or asking AWPB to become a true consensus body representing the whole industry, the group asked AWPB to consider making the recommended organizational changes. The AWPB board of governors accepted the offer in February.

They have requested the NFPA Task Group to reconsider some aspects of the proposal and assure support of the resulting organization. An NFPA/AWPB work group was scheduled to meet early this month to refine the details.