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A few years ago, pre-Katrina, a Wood Digest associate and I had meetings in New Orleans. During a break in the action, we took a stroll up Bourbon Street to a busy street featuring a long row of stores selling luggage and camera equipment.

The area had a carnival-like atmosphere, with the salespeople standing out on the sidewalk beckoning potential customers to come in and test their products. After passing a half dozen of these stores, which essentially were selling the exact same products and brands, my friend stopped in front of one vendor and said: “Say, do you know where I can get a good deal on some luggage and a camera?!”

Without waiting for the predictable reply, we walked on by without looking back at the no doubt gap-mouthed street hawker. This was probably a bit rude, but I’m sure the guy didn’t lose any sleep over my friend’s sarcasm. We just laughed and continued on our Big Easy constitutional.

This took place shortly after 9-11, so we needed a good pick-me-up. As I recall, it felt good to let loose with a good guffaw. Sometimes we don’t realize how much 9-11-like tragedies cause us to tighten up, even though our reverie isn’t preoccupied with such terrible events.

With the economy in such a state, along with natural catastrophes and wars on two fronts in the Middle East costing lives and billions of dollars, we need to seek out good things that are taking place. Let’s take the woodworking industry, for example:

* Uniboard, North American, manufacturer of engineered wood products, has announced the groundbreaking of a new medium density fiberboard and high density fiberboard plant in Moncure, N.C. Uniboard will invest $160 million through 2009 for the construction of this world-class facility, with an additional production capacity of 400,000 cu. m. The same goes for the new IKEA plant in southern Virginia. Now, if Uniboard and IKEA feel comfortable with siting such mammoth plants in a part of this country where the domestic residential furniture industry is at such a low ebb, then maybe they know something we don’t — that being there’s light at the end of the tunnel; albeit, a faint one.

* The Hardwood Forest Foundation is now accepting applications for its Educator Scholarship Program. The program assists future teachers with the costs of attending college. The HFF will award $15,500 in scholarships in 2009. According to Crystal Oldham, executive director of the HFF, “the foundation’s goal is to teach the public about hardwood trees, forests and the importance of sustainable forest management. By providing these scholarships, the foundation seeks to better equip young teachers with the knowledge and tools to teach children that harvesting trees is not always harmful to the environment.”

There are other associations offering scholarships to young people, including the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, Wood Machinery Industry Association and, of course, most, if not all of our post-secondary institutions offering wood-related curricula. If these groups didn’t feel there’s a bright future for the wood industry in the United States, then they’d be putting their money toward different causes.

* The federal government appears willing to address the depressed housing market issue, whether the assistance comes through the banks or directly to those individuals who are on the brink of foreclosure. (I would prefer a reverse auction of “toxic” mortgages.) As we go to press, the “bailout” of the U.S. auto industry is still up in the air. (Have you wondered recently why the feds didn’t even consider providing help to the struggling wood products industry in this country? I did.)

Finally, a new year is a few weeks away and there’s always hope it will bring good tidings, whether it’s personal or involves all of us.

Happy holidays and have a good 2009. God knows we can use it.