Representatives from the wood products community met on Capitol Hill recently with members of Congress to discuss federal issues affecting their industry and its more than 300,000 workers.

MDF made with a soy alternative to formaldehyde binders is an equal cost alternative healthier material says Columbia Forest Products, the US’s largest maker of hardwood plywood and hardwood veneer products.

The Quality Council of India (QCI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) have signed an agreement to promote responsible forest management in India and boost international trade in forest products.

Furniture Manufacturing & Supply China 2012 (FMC China 2012) will be staged at the Shanghai Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre from September 11-14, concurrently with FMC Premium 2012. www.fmcchina.com.cn

Canadian OSB manufacturer Ainsworth Lumber Co has reported improved first quarter results thanks to stronger prices and better operating results at its three mills.

Demographic change and a shortage of skilled labour pose a major challenge to companies in the global forestry, wood and panel industries. Accordingly, Ligna 2013 May 6-10, 2013 in Hanover, will feature a full programme of events covering all aspects of careers for “young talent and seasoned professionals” in the wood and forestry industries.

Accoya modified wood developer Accsys Technologies plc has entered into a licence option agreement with a leading MDF and particleboard manufacturer in Latin America for the production of Tricoya modified wood panels.

Premier Forest Products – one of the UK’s leading independent importers and distributors of timber and panel products – has bought Ireland’s largest timber distributor the Brooks Group out of insolvency for an undisclosed sum.

Thermopal GmbH – subsidiary of Pfleiderer AG – has come up with a response to market requirements for products with reduced pollutants with its new Chipboard type P2 F****.

Providing leading edge technology and equipment to optimise fibre utilisation for the production of wood based panels, Carmanah Design and Manufacturing Inc, located in Surrey, BC, Canada, has received an order to supply equipment to the OOO ORIS OSB Mill to be built in Russia.

GKD – Gebr Kufferath AG (GKD), a leading manufacturer of complex solutions based on special technical weaves, has opened a subsidiary in India.

The Xylexpo woodworking machinery exhibition took place in Milan from May 8-12 this year.

A new company, backed by an Anglo-German partnership, has been formed to continue the business of German laminated board and doorblank specialist Moralt Tischlerplatten GmbH, which filed for insolvency last summer.

The profitability of Norbord’s North American operations has overtaken that of the company’s European divisions, as the US housing industry picked up in the first quarter.

An increasingly polarised picture is emerging in the European parquet industry, industry executives have heard at a Brussels meeting.

Higher sales volumes and prices helped Weyerhaeuser’s wood products division reduce its losses in the first quarter. Pre-tax losses before special items totalled US$22m, compared to losses of US$61m in the preceding quarter.

Dieffenbacher has received an order for a complete OSB plant in China. This is the second continuous OSB plant that Dieffenbacher will build in China. The first OSB plant for Baoyuan began production in 2010. The new plant which will be located in Eastern China will have an annual capacity of 228,000m³.

Riga-based Latvian birch plywood manufacturer Latvijas Finieris is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The company has produced more than 4 million m³ of plywood products during its history – equivalent to about 100,000 trucks of plywood.

The sixth International Woodfibre Resources & Trade Conference (Woodchips & Biomass for Global & Regional Markets) takes place April 7-10, 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey. This meeting has two optional field trips, plus an optional pre-conference trip to Gallipoli. www.woodfibreconference.com; www.prcc.com.au

The UK Forest Products Association (UKFPA) has appointed Hazel Newman of Egger Forestry Products Ltd as chair of its Joint Raw Materials and Wood Supply Committee.

The Indian Plywood Industries Research & Training Institute (IPIRTI) is organising an international conference on the Future of the Panel Industry – Challenges and Key Issues to be held September 26-28, 2012 at IPIRTI campus, Bangalore, India to commemorate the Golden Jubilee Year of the institute. www.ipirti.gov.in/conference

Just as it looked as though German size-reduction machinery maker Pallmann Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co KG of Zweibrücken could go under financially, Siempelkamp of Germany came to its rescue in a dramatic last-minute share purchase.

South American panel maker Masisa has announced a new investment in the expansion of wood panel finishing capacity at its Chilean board production site of Cabrero.

Brazilian panel maker Berneck has finally started commercial board production on its second MDF plant at Curitibanos, Santa Catarina state.

Dieffenbacher has received an order from ffk environment GmbH to design a new pellet plant and supply the main pelletising (Dieffenbacher PelletPress) and size reduction (ClassiSizer) components for the different raw materials.

Latin American panel manufacturer Masisa is consolidating its position in Mexico through an US$8.8m deal to acquire resin production assets from the Canadian bonding and surfacing materials group Arclin Inc.

The demand for wood based panels originating from Asia Pacific accounted for more than half of the global demand in 2010, by far overtaking Europe, the historical leader, contends Pöyry Management Consulting, and 76% of the 2010 Asian Pacific demand came from China.

Demand for siding in the US is forecast to advance 8.4% per year through 2016 to 965 million m², valued at $11.4bn.  Growth will be spurred by a

The first official long term warranty for a coating applied to Medite Tricoya is being offered by Teknos, one of Europe’s leading suppliers of industrial wood coatings. The warranty is for up to 12 years.

Pellet exports from North America to Europe reached a new record high in Q4/11. Shipments have increased practically every quarter for four years, up from 130,000 tons in Q1/08 to almost 600,000 tons in Q4/12 according to the North American Wood Fiber Review (NAWFR).

Wood based panel manufacturer Norbord has launched a new UK website designed to bring the company and its products closer to end users in the UK whereas the old site was geared towards global investor relations. www.norbord.co.uk

Georgia-Pacific Wood Products and Sherwood Lumber Company have announced a new distribution agreement involving GP's full line of engineered wood products.

The latest technical versions of Schelling’s fh 4 and fh 6 cut-to-size saws offer the high productivity and precision the company is renowned for and retains this standard even when used as standalone machines.

Coillte Panel Products has appointed Joanna Smith as the new marketing manager for the UK and Continental Europe.

Weyerhaeuser is to recruit more than 100 new workers in its US engineered wood plants following an improvement in the construction market.

German manufacturer MeisterWerke has suspended production of its recently introduced wood fibre floor flooring and panels marketed under the Nadura brand.

Canada Wood, the international marketing and information organisation of the Canadian timber sector, has become one of the major backers of the Wood Awards.

South American forest products group Arauco plans to raise its low pressure panel laminating capacity in Brazil by 50% to produce up to 830,000m³/year of melamine coated board by the end of 2012.

Panel maker Masisa do Brasil has announced investment plans worth more than US$40m at the sites of its two board production complexes in the south east of Brazil.