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Kip Howlett, President, HPVA

The (HPVA) is updating its standards and launching a promotional campaign to highlight its products.

This year will be problematic. But HPVA members are “cautiously optimistic” that the economy will begin its upturn in early 2009, says association president Kip Howlett.

Environmental initiatives, regulatory issues, and marketing are central in association activities planned for the coming year. HPVA meetings will focus on these areas, along with its hardwood plywood grading seminars.

The housing downturn and increased log exports mean increased domestic competition and decreased demand for HPVA member products, Howlett says. Impact varies by product.

Because some 50 percent of veneer is exported, veneer producers have a cushion against the domestic downturn. “To the extent that Asia and the European Union remain relatively healthy, demand will be robust there. So veneer producers are probably the least impacted,” Howlett says.

But veneer producers are affected by the domestic market, and there have been drops in veneer exports to China/Hong Kong and Taiwan. Domestic producers are also feeling the impact of engineered hardwood plywood from China coming into the United States.

Also a clear concern, Howlett says, is that “we’re exporting raw log rather than value-added product to China. If the log is exported so the veneer is made off-shore, we’re losing that business.”

HPVA’s North American Beauty — Green from Start to Finish is a new promotional campaign. It’s a B-to-B message urging architects, specifiers and distributors to spec U.S. and Canadian quality products.

“The content is built around the message that beauty is more than skin deep,” Howlett says, noting that it references the layers below the face of a hardwood. “The product doesn’t delaminate, it complies with formaldehyde limits, and it’s sustainably logged.”

All these points factor into HPVA’s current standards updating its regulatory issues activities.

HPVA is in the process of updating its ANSI standards for hardwood plywood and engineered flooring to reflect the California Air Resources Board (CARB) formaldehyde control measure going into effect in the current time frame. There will be a CARB compliance seminar at the spring convention in May.

In sustainability, “we also want to begin incorporating forest certification,” Howlett says. “We want certification that material wasn’t illegally logged,” Howlett says.

HPVA’s legislative advocacy in sustainable forestry focuses on updating the Lacey Act, an older law, to cover illegal logging in overseas forests. The United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED certification guidelines don’t specifically address illegal logging, Howlett notes.

Economic outlook seminars slated for HPVA’s spring convention include speakers on international trade and on the housing situation. Other sessions will cover the North American forest accessibility and certification, as well as the North American Beauty promotional campaign.