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Seruing building products retoilers 8L uholesale di.strtbutors in I6 Southern states

SEPTEMBER 2OO2

8 I

VOLUME 21. NO.7

Mossive louisiono consl]udion proieds go with borotes

New 0relons developments ore reportedly the lorgest ever constlmers of borote-ireoted wood.

Wholesole helper: U.S. lumber finds time'ond money'sover l0 on your morks

Document monogemenf system lends support.

Reoding 0SB stomps.

Iops in 0SB

Annuol production survey shows big goins. |2 tditoriolisl orruses Sierro Club of fcbricoting ils "focls" l4 (onstruclion ond e.onomi. outlook: Housing riding high l5 Cedor ond redwood push on omid Conodion softwood tariff

Tempered yei positive forecost by Notionol Asociofion of Home Builden' chief economi$.

Duty helps redwood, hinden otherwise-in-demond cedor. 33 Buyers potk oisles of busiling llqtionolHordwore Show Condensed showgrounds ond exponded produd offerings result

Serving 16 Southern states

PUBLISHER Alan Oakes (ajoakes@aol.com)

PUBLISHER EMERITUS David Cutler EDITOR David Koenig (dkoenig @ ioc.net)

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Robed Fay (rfay@ioc.net)

AD SALES MANAGER ChuckCasey (chuck@ioc.net)

ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOFU SECRETARY Marie Oakes (mfpoakes@aol.com)

CIRCULATION Heather Kelly (heather@ioc.net)

Holv to Advertise

Contact our advertising offices for rates: U,S.A.: Chuck Casey, 4500 Campus Drive, Suite 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660'1872. Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231

E-mail chuck@ioc.net

INTERNET ADS: Alan Oakes, www.building' producls.com. Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 E-mail aioakes@aol.com.

Horv to Subscribe

Call Heather at (949) 852-1990 or send a check lor the tollowing amount to Building Products Digest, 4500 Campus Drive, Suite 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660-1872:

U.S.A.: One year (12 issues), $18

Two years, $29

Three years, $39

FOREIGN (Per year paid in advance in US tunds): Surface-Canada or Mexico, $39

Other countries, $50

Air rates also available.

Single copies, $3 + shipping

Back issues lwhen available), $4.50 + shipping Vrsr Us Onune lr

WWW.BUILDING.PRODUCTS.COM

About the Cover

The front cover is a paid advertisement, this month sponsored by Weyerhaeuser's ChoiceDek composite decking materials.

Another reason to stock rechshield' sheathing. We're helping builders and their homes breathl a little easier.

Sure, radiant barriers help save energy and keep homes cooler. But many brands act as vapor barriers that hold moisture in the roof. Over time, that can lead to wood rot, callbacks, and unsatisfied customers. Maybe worst of all, a suffocating reputation.

But TechShield' radiant barrier sheathing is different. Thanks to LP's innovative incising process, TechShield sheathing lets homes breathe easier. The incisions in the alumrnum allow moisture to escape, yetthe panels still keep upto97% of the sun's radiant heat from entering the home, lower attic temperatures by as much as 30", and significantly reduce energy usage.

So, when you stock TechShield, your builder customers, their homes and homeowners will breathe easier. And you will, too. Breathable TechShield sheathing. Now, that's really cool.

ALAN OAKES publisher

An anniversary to forget - ot not

As you receive our SePtember issue, you will be reliving but bY no means celebrating the anniversary of September 11. A year will have passed since that fateful day. and there remain so many questions still to be answered. Numerous documentaries have allowed us to witness the horror of that day, and of the many heroes who helPed save many other lives, sometimes even at the expense of their own. I cannot imagine being in the position that any of those people found themselves in that day.

With our troops off to Afghanistan, and while we were certainly warned it would be a long haul, it appears that the planners of that day are still at large despite everything that we have thrown at them. Our lives do not feel quite the same, believing that something else so catastrophic is not only possible but in all probability in a planning stage in some cave in the middle of nowhere. We trudge through lines at airports and public events, we all but striP down when pulled from the line, we take our shoes off, we look furtively around at every passenger, and we question if life will ever be the same. Unfortunately, we all know the answer is no. Recent events in Israel and Palestine show the fragility of life and the utter hatred and contempt that fellow human beings can hold for their neighbors.

Back home, we had hoPed that we could retum to some normalcy, and for a time it appeared like the economy was heading in a positive direction' With federal action, the reduction of interest rates and tax rebates all kicking in' the consumer carried the economy, and as luck would have it fbr us in this industry, the housing market in most areas continued to react. However. it appears recently all is not well with our economy, and it appears to be in a holding pattern for now. The stock market gyrations are giving no comfort to invest.

Some in the media are beginning to question whether we as a nation are not in a crash and burn scenario, and that our time as world leader has peaked. Some would argue that empires crash and burn. As a Brit, I know that onlY too well, as do the Romans, French and Spanish. The continued decline back to ore-1997 levels of the stock market, and ihe unprecedented accounting scandals have led to tremendous uncertainty and questions about where we are heading. Many of us look forward to working until we drop as manY of our 401-k's have been bled.

However, let us not all wallow in this doom and gloom scenario. While perhaps it will not be easy for a while, and we may not have reached bottom Yet, I cannot imagine any other nation that could have worn the cloak of catastrophe as this nation has. Our military might is clearly more advanced than any other nation, particularly in remote-controlled weaponry. While we have not solved why some nations hate us as they do, we are still the country others look to for diplomatic leadership. Who else is there that has the financial might and resolve to solve the problems of the world even if it truly is a role we might not wish to have? Who has an economy that could withstand all that has happened in the past two years including a recession, a dot-com collapse, a major tenorist attack, accounting scandals and the like? Once-great super powers such as the Soviet Union and Great Britain are no more. Each has a part to play, but they cannot be the leader.

The biggest foreign policy issues we face are finding our allies and picking the right battles. Diplomacy, rather than acting in a vacuum, will be the keY to getting Saddam Hussein out of power, if that is the direction we next choose to go in. The key domestically will be resurrecting the feeling of togetherness after September I l. Recently signs of cracking in the coalition seem to be appearing. Doublespeak and finger pointing are on the rise again. This is not what the public wants, or expects of our politicians.

This is a time for leadership and not about the next round of elections' September 1l's 15 minutes of fame are not up.