Big response to redwood garden grades promotion

Reader response to the current California Redwood Association advertising and promotion of garden grades has been heavier than expected, indicating that garden and home improvement are as gung-ho as projected, and that consumers are interested in the lower-priced knot and sapwood grades.

The CRA has been pushing .garden grades in consumer shelter magazines and in the so-called "do-it-yourself' publications with both advertising and publicity. The program will continue through June.

Decks and the new CRA deck booklet have been the focal point of the promotion, with a four-color deck ad and two national magazine covers (Popular Mechanics and l,lorkbench) among the highlights.

Individual inquiries are coming in at the rate of 500 per day, most of them including 50d each for the deck booklet and many enclosing $l for a booklet package.

Promotion-minded wholesalers and dealers are ordering literature and dealer aids through CRA member mills to take advantage of the Spring selling season.

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Dier Lumber, a wholesale distributor, has moved to new Hq. on Florin Rd., Sacramento, Ca... Roger Baer, formerly of llest Range Corp., has opened his own wholesale firm, Califomia Pacific I'lholesale, Glendora, Ca....

Optimism has begun to return to the industry as more and more signals appear favorable...problems still abound, but the gut feeling is one of tentative confidence...

J. S. Norman, president, Nt'I. Assn. of Home Builders: o'Forthe lst time in more than 2 years we see encouraging signs for our industry"...American Plywood Assn.'s industry demand forecast says market improvemenl is most likely to be well underway in the 2nd half of '75, linked to a general housing recovery...

National Building Material Distributors Assn. survey found almost 213s reporting expected remodelingfmodernization to be up...Masonite says because of its optimism for building and building materials it plans to introduce a no. of new products in '75...

Consumers are beginning to spend more, inflation is abating... Business lleek says: "a clear majority of economists expects a revival of economic activity to begin sometime in the third quarter, if not before...net savings inflow at s&ls in Mar. set an alltime record...

Housing starts in the West in Mar. were up 46.2% to 228,000 units, permitsup 2.4% from Feb.; nationally starts were virtually unchanged at 980,000 on a seasonally adjusted annual basis... the Northeast continues to be the big drag in the nt'l. housing picture with starts down 53.9% from Feb. (most recent figs.)...

New HUD Secretary Carla Hills infuriated the home bldrs. by OKing a r/z point boost in the

FHA/VA home loan rate; builders feel this will stifle the longawaited housing recovery...lack of demand for wood chips continues to cloud the question of increased mill production with its resulting effect on prices as business picks up...

The U.S. Senate has passed a bill to provide substantial mortgage aid, but at presstime reports indicate President Ford will veto the measure...Cal Colvin, NFPA, has testified before Congress against a land use bill by Sen. Henry M. Jackson (D.-Wa.) saying it would create a timber and paper shortage paralleling the energy crisis...

Robert E. Flowerree has been named president and chief operating officer of Georgia-Pacific, Ro b er t Pamplin rcmains chairman and chief exec. officer...G-P also announced plans to merge Exchange Oil & Gas Co. in a $58 million stock swap...

Lumberjack Home Improvement Center has opened a 25,000 sq. ft. store in Orangevale (Sacramento, Ca.); it's the company's 3rd outlet...construction is proceedingonanew 8 acre operation for Sutherland Lumber and Home Improvement, City of Industry.

Boise Cascade plans a $6 million combination small/large log mill and chipping facility neat Aberdeen, Wa.; it will eventually employ 50 people..G-P has moved its wholesale bldg. mtls. distribution center from Portland to nearby Beaverton: facility has 103,800 sq. ft....

North American Wholesale Lumber -Assr. has moved its N.Y. offices to Clifton, N.J. 07013 (P.O. Box 713) and has begun publication of "Market Observa' tion and Expectation, a marketing newsletter to "provide a feel for near term prospects in wood products markets"...

Kresge has dropped its revolving charge account program as it had invested $ 100 million in the program and only 3.4% of its business was involved with the Kresge card, most of its customers preferred bank cards or cash bux...

Legislation to morq than double the size of the- Redwood National Park,'intro'd bY two California Democrats Reps. Phillip and John Burton, has been roundly denounced bY industry spokesmen for its potential of costing 1000 timber-related jobs in already depressed areas adjacent to the park...

Ernst Home Centers expects to open its new Salt Lake CitY store in a matter of weeks, units in nearby Orem and Granger open later this summet...PaY'n Save Home Centers are opening new 52,000 sq. ft. units in Redding and Sacramento, Ca. this mo.; they plan to open their I st Hawaii center next year...

Rocklin Forest Producfs, Roseville, Ca. has acquired a millwork plant in Cottonwood, Ca., renamed it Rocklin Moulding and is selling its output from the parent firm's Hq....Owens Corning says insulation sales for existing housing is up in '75, with a potential over the next 12-15 years of 18 million homes, a market worth, roughly, $3.2 billion...

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