The first day of summer marked the opening of the European Panel Federation's (EPF) annual General Assembly in Paris this year - a fact which could hardly go unnoticed by the delegates.

Forest products scientists met on the shores of sky blue Lake Tahoe, its natural beauty in danger because of what can happen in the mountain basin surrounding it. Discussions proceeded far beyond the Tahoe Basin's need for hazard removal, however, to that of bringing federal timber harvests back up to scientific levels.

Among the panel manufacturers exhibiting at Sasmil in Milan, the Mauro Saviola Group of Italy once again created a spectacular stand which dwarfed all others in Hall 11. Covering 1,600m², it was walled round with white back-illuminated panels decorated with enormous leaves and flowers and the legend 'Naturale Historia' in bold lettering.

There is always much debate about the relative merits of the two major international exhibitions in Europe for the woodworking and allied industries: Xylexpo in Milan, Italy and Ligna in Hannover, Germany.

This edition carries part one of our annual survey of the world MDF industry, covering Europe and North America.

Our new compiler, John Wadsworth, started his research with a 'clean sheet' and revisited the figures published for 1998 and '99 to provide as accurate a picture as possible of the current state of the industry. He also questioned mills about their non-standard products and invited them to do a bit of forecasting.

If you are involved in the MDF business, I think you will find the results very interesting, thought-provoking and even cheering!