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FibreForm Australian Venture

FibreFonn Wood Products, Inc., Los Angeles, Ca, and CSR Softwoods Ltd., Australi4 are launching a moulding and millwork joint venture project in Australia to produce radiata pine products.

CSR Softwoods will construct and operate a fingerjoint mouldings plant in Mt. Gambier, South Australia. Production will be marketed primarily to North American and European markets as CSR FibreFonn with FibreForm providing technical and product fabrication knowledge and marketing expertise.

This is FibreForm's third joint venture in value-added production, fabrication and marketing of cultivated radiata pine. They also are partners with Andinos SA of Chile in FibreForm Andinos and Forestry Corporation of New Zealand in FibreForm Red Stag.

The Real Deal On Steel

A new environmental backgrounder disproving steel's supposed advantages over wood in residential construction is now available from the Western Wood Products Association.

Aimed at correcting errant claims being made in the media about using steel to replace wood in home building, Write the Wrong exposes such misstatements as "steel is more energy efficient that wood" and outlines how wood industry supporters can respond with the facts.

Included are common misstatements made concerning steel vs. wood, the facts needed to dispute such claims and instructions on how to respond, including a sample letter to the editor and advice on getting your response into print.

Copies ue75(, each from WWPA, (503) 224-3930.

NBC Tells A New Version Of Owl Story

Foresters from California wood products companies reported thousands of owls are being found in both second growth and old growth timber in California on NBC's Sept. 17 "Insider Report."

Focusing on privately owned forests in northern California, this was one of the first media reports to look closely at forest policy issues and expose the untold story behind preservationist rhetoric. "Owls may be at less risk than anyone thought," anchorman

Wholesaler Conf idence Slips

Confidence in the economy's likely perfomrance during the third quarter continues to deteriorate, with nearly 86Vo of wholesale distributors surveyed indicating that the Clinton Administf,ation economic program would adversely affect their businesses.

The survey of wholesale distribution industry business executives by the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors revealed respondents' confidence index decreasing from 105 for sepond quarter 1993 to 103 third

Tom Brokaw said, adding that mounting evidence shows "federal government biologists and environmentalists are wrong."

An official from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told interviewer Roger O'Neill that the number of owls is significantly higher than previously thought when the bird was listed as a threatened species.

O'Neill pointed out the fallacy of the idea that owls can suryive only in old growth. Owls appear to be "happy quarter. The index operates on a startup base of 100.0 (recorded fourth quarter 1989). and contented" because their tavorite food, the dusky footed wood rat, is thriving in reforested areas.

Although wholesale distributors anticipated increases in sales, gross margins and net income for the current quarter, "these increases were lower than predicted for the first and second quarters of the year," said Arthur Andersen's Pat Dolan. "This accounts for most of the more than two point decline in the overall index. The executives are telling us that the economy is going to slow, not accelerate."

A National Audubon Society official admitted during an on camera interview that the owl is only a sumogate to advance their strategy of halting timber harvests. The issue is "how we relate to the forest," not protecting the owl, the preservationist said.

Some biologists now believe "the politics of environmentalism got in the way of careful science," the report concluded. Given the growing number of owls, Fedeml forest officials may be reconsidering their listed status, O'Neill reported.

WBMA's 90th Meeting Plan

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Continued fron page 37 ) lunch. Dan Miller, Malaga, Wa., will explain "Having Fun Is Serious Business" during the 7 p.m. presidents banquet.

An 8:30 a.m. brunch workshop on Thursday will feature Evelyn Clark, marketing and communications management consultant, Kirkland, Wa., explaining "Corporate StorytellingDiscover Fire for the Second Time."