Panel Producers Aim to Clear Up Confusion About Green Building

Timber Products and SierraPine announce seminars on sustainable materials

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – Although the sustainable building movement is gaining momentum, not everyone in the wood products business understands the ins and outs of what it means to be “green.”

To address what they see as a large knowledge gap, Timber Products Company and SierraPine, Ltd. announced a series of educational seminars across the country aimed at helping distributors, architects and end users learn the basics about green products, programs and new emissions regulations.

“Confusion reigns in all sectors of the marketplace when it comes to green building and products. The learning curve is still very great,” said Timber Products Vice President Roger Rutan. “We have found our customers are hungry for more information and these seminars are intended to help them understand the issues and implement a green strategy for their businesses.”

The next seminar will be held at the Marriott in Anaheim, Calif., on Sept. 6, and future sessions are being planned for other major cities across the United States. Specific information on dates and locations is available at www.GreenTproducts.com or by calling 800-547-9520.

Four areas of confusion
Timber Products and SierraPine held an initial seminar in Sacramento, Calif., that attracted 65 distributors, architects and manufacturers this past May.

“The first session confirmed our suspicion that certified wood programs, green building programs, industry programs and emissions regulations are the four most confusing categories when it comes to green building,” said SierraPine Ltd. Vice President Chris Leffel. “The feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, so we are taking the seminar to additional cities across America.”

In addition to addressing the four areas of confusion, the seminar will touch on the effects and opportunities associated with climate change, a review of life cycle analysis and future trends, and new sustainable building products.

Environmentally friendly products
Recently, Timber Products Company introduced its new GreenT™ line of hardwood plywood that is available with a special resin and several core options produced with 100 percent recycled wood fiber. To add to its green qualities, GreenT is produced from wood certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® program. This fall, Timber Products will begin to offer hardwood plywood that is chain-of-custody certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, or FSC.

“GreenT offers our customers a wide variety of innovative products that have been field tested for strength and durability and perform well in many applications,” said Rutan. “Our GreenT panels meet or exceed many of the requirements of America’s primary green building programs.”

SierraPine this year unveiled its new Encore™ sustainable design particleboard (SDP) panel that utilizes a urea-formaldehyde-free binding system and is manufactured with 100 percent recycled wood fiber. Encore is designed to surpass stringent emission standards and offers the highest physical properties available on the market in a urea-formaldehyde-free particleboard.

Upcoming Schedule
Upcoming green educational seminars are planned for:

Anaheim, Calif. (Sept. 6, Anaheim Marriott)
Seattle (Dec. 12, Red Lion Sea-Tac Airport)
Chicago (TBD)
Atlanta (TBD)
Miami (TBD)
Memphis (TBD)
Dallas (TBD)

For more information about future dates and locations call 800-547-9520.

About Timber Products Company
Founded in 1918, Timber Products Company offers a wide range of diversified wood products and specializes in hardwood plywood. The company is one of the largest material suppliers to the U.S. kitchen cabinet industry. Timber Products owns nine state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities across the United States, a major international division, and 118,000 acres of forestland in Northern California managed under the strict standards of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI®) program. Timber Products was the world’s first hardwood plywood manufacturer authorized to carry the SFI label. The company also operates TP Trucking, a nationwide transportation division.