WWPA FALL MEETING

(Continued from page 12 ) ventional starts. Of these, an exceptionally large number, 1.3 - 1.4 million, will be single-family units."

Roberts also forecast a 5% increase in 1977 Western softwood lumber shipments over 1976 to total some 18.9 billion board feet atyear end. He attributed the increase to the large number of single-famtly starts (75% of all 1977 starts).

Total softwood lumber consumption in the U. S., which reached 36.4 billion board feet in '1976, is expected to increase 9% to 39.7 billion board feet in 1977 and drop off slightly to 37.6 billion board feet in 1978. WWPA expects the 15.3 billion board feet in total will be used for residential construction in 1978 and that single-family units will be 7O% of the total residential mix in the U.S.

The Wood Moulding & Millwork Producers Association, working with WWPA during the meeting, obtained some new grading rules for moulding stock.

This new change will now mean that some lumber previously graded as moulding will be put primarily into shop grades. Based on a grade recovery study presented at the meeting, there should be approximately a 12 to 14% increase in shop available on the market depending on the region from which it is purchased. The greatest increase will be seen in 2 shoo and the least in 3 clear.

Another grade rule change of less significance was also made. Under No. 3 shop there is a paragraph dealing with "ordinary yard common" lumber. It was felt that this reference is meaningless in today's market and has been deleted from the rules. Thus, if any piece of lumber contains the required number of cuttings for the grade of No. 3 shop, it will be permitted regardless of its overall appearance.

Congressman James P. Johnson (R{olo). spoke on the continuing wood supply problems created by the continuing withdrawl of public and even private land that produces timber.

Discussing RARE II (the Roadless Area Review and Evaluation) a federal effort to quantify, classify, and desig- nate lands as to wilderness, multiple use, etc., he said that he believed "that all areas that have wilderness potential should be examined. This should be done efficiently, individually, and speedily as possible - but not rushed without adequate study and hearing. Those who say no more wilderness, as well as those who say put every acre we can into wilderness, have got to recognize there is a reasonable middle ground, and there is legiti mate objection to closed minds.

"Secondly, the wishes of the local people should be heard and given priority. It is true that the public lands belong to all the people, but determination of its use should not be left to those who live hundreds and even thousands of miles away just because they are greater in number.

"I have a third reflection about RARE II. I am opposed to the locking up - to the stopping of development - in these 67 million acres of land for the length of time this study may take.

"I prefer to judge individual areas on their merits. If RARE II is to continue over an extended period of time, I would favor lifting the lid so that the Forest Service could continue multiple use management in those areas where reasonable minds can agree such use is the best use. I wonder how many timber sales or ski area developments have been suspended, not because of serious conflicts in use, but simply because they got caught in the new, expanded roadless area."

The marketing committee meeting heard an illustrated talk by a North Carolina builder who believes more than half of American home energy is wasted. R. B. Fitch, Jr., who heads Fitch Creations, Inc., Carboro, N.C., said his firm designs and builds thermally efficient structures to keep the inside temperature unaffected by the cold or heat outside.

Fitch said. ''Studies have shown the majority of all energy used in the home typically goes for heating and cooling. The primary loss of home heat is through leakage. For this reason, we are very careful to seal any area where heat could escape." Fitch advocates careful caulking around windows, doors and wall panels. "Heat loss through the walls," he said, "accounts for 25% of heating requirements and we wrap each unit completly in two layers of insulation."

He said the hot water heater is the second largest consumer of home energy and he recommends resetting

WHY PLYWOOD IS UP (Continued

from page 11 ) the factory water heater level of 160 degrees to 120 degrees. Lighting is the third largest consumer of energy. Interiors of Fitch homes are painted antique white and ample use is made of skylights and clerestory windows to maximize benefits of natural lighting.

234%, glue costs are up 143% and labor costs have nearly doubled.

But the major reason for rising plywood and lumber prices is the federal government's policy of needlessly withholding timber from harvest. At the same time, the national boom in home building has created the strongest demand for wood products in history, according to the cost study.

Federal policies that downgrade the utilization of publically-owned timber have shot the price up from $91 per thousand board feet just five years ago to an average of $232 per thousand during the first half of 1971. America's national forests, not national parks or wilderness areas where timber harvesting is prohibited, contain 52% of the country's sawtimber inventory, yet they furnish less than one-fourth of the timber harvested.

Earlier this year, Congress approved a supplemental sales program that would have allowed the U.S. Forest Service to sell an additional 720 mtllion board feet of timber during 1977 and help ease the timber shortage. However, APA reports current progess indicates this program will fall short by 500 million feet.

Since the beginning of the year, three plywood mills have been forced to close because of the artificial shortage of timber, even though demand for the product has never been greater. Combined. these three mills could have produced enough plywood this year to construct 45,000 homespossibly enough to overcome the production shortage, according to the plywood association.

Perhaps the most important part of Fitch's success is that he practices what he preaches and spreads the gospel to the people who buy his homes.