Two Year Outlook for the North American Panel and Softwood Lumber Markets

Prices for wood products exploded in the first quarter of 2010 against a backdrop of very low final demand leaving many to wonder what the rest of the year has in store for wholesalers and manufacturers of softwood lumber and panels. Will prices settle in at recent levels or will volatility continue to rock the market against a backdrop of low demand? Where are consumption, capacity, and costs headed in 2010 and 2011 and, given these fundamentals, what are the ramifications for lumber and panel prices. Join Bob Berg and Bernard Fuller of RISI for this short-term forecast of our industry.

The presenters will examine the following:

• U.S. Construction Markets: Slow Crawl Out of a Deep Hole
• Demand, Production, Capacity and Costs: Short term market dislocations give way to market fundamentals.
• Prices: No New Paradigm, Weak Demand Will Rule

For further information on RISI, please visit www.risiinfo.com

About the Presenters

Bob Berg is an Economic Advisor for Wood Products with RISI. He has spent over 25 years following the North American solid wood markets, specializing in price forecasting. Bob is a founding member of RISI and built many of its solid wood and engineered lumber models along with segments of the timber and panel models. During his tenure from 1985 to 2007, Bob mentored many of the economists following the North American lumber markets. In 2007, he left RISI to pursue other opportunities in the forest products sector working for both a private equity company and the Penn State Center for Wood Innovation and Sustainability. Bob rejoined the wood products team at RISI in 2009.

Bernard Fuller is Principal Economist, Wood Panels Forecasting Service, and a founding member of RISI, specializing in the end-use markets for wood products (wood-based panels and lumber). Over the past quarter century, Bernard has led analysis on the panelboard (softwood plywood, oriented strandboard, medium density fibreboard and particleboard) and treated wood products markets. Bernard has been with RISI from 1985 to present, most recently contributing to RISI's monthly and quarterly forecasts for panel, engineered wood products and lumber markets and has recently returned to the role full time. He holds a BA in Economic and Social History with the University of Nottingham, England, and an MA in U.S. Economic History with the University of Wisconsin. He also ompleted requirements for a Ph.D., except the dissertation, in U.S. Economic History, with the State University of New York at Binghamton.

Green Building Products: Projected Supply and Future Portfolio

With low demand for products and a slow recovery for lumber sales, it can be difficult to justify including green building products in your company’s portfolio. What is the projected supply of green products / certified lumber and wood-related products during the next year? Should wholesalers and manufacturers really care, especially with the inventory for all wood products being at an all-time low for the past two years? If your company does not carry green products, will it miss out on an important market niche? John D. Wagner will explore why your company should expand its portfolio to include green.

During this Webinar, John will examine the following:

• What is new in green product portfolios for wood and wood-fiber products
• Which new green products wholesalers should focus on during the next 12 months
• How to take advantage of the dramatic rise in green regulation
• The changing landscape of wood certification (FSC, SFI, and benchmarking by LEED)
• LEED certification and wood fiber: overcoming common misunderstandings
• How the National Green Building Standard and the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) may affect wholesalers
• How to respond to the rise of PVC- and composite-alternatives to cedar and other wood products.

For further information on John D. Wagner, please visit www.johndwagner.com.

John D. Wagner is an Economic Advisor for Wood Products with RISI. He has spent over 25 years following the North American solid wood markets, specializing in price forecasting. Bob is a founding member of RISI and built many of its solid wood and engineered lumber models along with segments of the timber and panel models. During his tenure from 1985 to 2007, Bob mentored many of the economists following the North American lumber markets. In 2007, he left RISI to pursue other opportunities in the forest products sector working for both a private equity company and the Penn State Center for Wood Innovation and Sustainability. Bob rejoined the wood products team at RISI in 2009.

John is the green editor for LBM Journal, the leading voice of the lumber and building material dealer community, and the green content contributor to the national Certified Green Dealer? Program. John is also the green building columnist for Qualified Remodeler magazine and the green building columnist for Residential Design & Build and Granite State Builder magazine. He also teaches green architecture to graduate students at Norwich University.

NAWLA
North American Wholesale Lumber Association
3601 Algonquin Road, Suite 400, Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008
Telephone: 847-870-7470 Toll Free: 800-527-8258 Fax: 847-870-0201
E-mail: info@nawla.org