Weyerhaeuser Modernizing EWP Mill

Weyerhaeuser Co. will invest $6 million upgrading its engineered wood plant in Natchitoches, La.

The 250,000-sq. ft. facility produces TrusJoist I-joists and Microllam LVL, headers and beams.

Construction will start early next year and will be completed by the end of 2013, increasing the workforce from l'75 to205.

Arauco Folds North American Operations into Flakeboard

Anauco has completed its purchase of Flakeboard Co., making it the largest producer of MDF, particleboard, hardboard and thermally-fused melamine panels in the Americas, as well as the third largest composite panel producer in the world.

ARRuco's particleboard and MDF plant in Moncure, N.C., joins Flakeboard's two facilities in Canada and five in the U.S. (former Weyerhaeuser plants in Malvern, Ar.; Albany and Eugene, Or.; Bennettsville, S.C., and Simsboro, La.). They will operate under the Flakeboard name and its existing senior management, including Kelly Shotbolt as head of Flakeboard North America.

Annuco is based in Santiago, Chile, with its North American headquarters in Atlanta, Ga.

Remodeling Poised to Take Off

Home improvement activity is expected to reach doubledigit growth in the first half of 2013, according to a study by Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies.

"After a bump in home improvement activity during the mild winter, there was a bit of a pause this summer," noted managing director Eric S. Belsky. "However, we're now projecting an acceleration in market activity beginning this quarter, and strengthening as we move into the new year."

The study was designed to estimate national homeowner spending on improvements for the current quarter and subsequent three quarters. It provides a short-term outlook of homeowner remodeling activity and is intended to help identify future turning points in the business cycle of the home improvement industry.

"Strong growth in sales of existing homes and housing starts, coupled with historically low financing costs, have typically been associated with an upturn in home remodeling activity some months later," said director Kermit Baker. "While the housing market has faced some unique challenges in recent years, this combination is expected to produce a favorable outlook for home improvement spending over the coming months."

Summit Forest Products, Orchard Park, N.Y., has been formed by Matt Bubar, ex-Baillie Lumbel, specializing in imporVexport.

Klausner Lumber One, Myrtle Beach, S.C., applied for an air quality permit in advance of possibly building a sawmill in Live Oak, Fl.

Beadles Lumber Co., Moulkie, Ga., lost its oldest of three dry kilns in a Sept. 23 fire. A replacement will be built at a cost of roughly $1 million.

Ferche Millwork applied to add four dry kilns to the six it currently operates in Mount Pleasant, Tn.

The expansion will help meet growing demand at its manufacturing plants in Rice, Mn., and Elkhart, In.

TMO Logistics, Cnartottesville, Va., reportedly has ceased operations after 12 years.

Ply Gem Windows willexpand its manufacturing plant in Rocky Mount, Va., to add 200 jobs by the end of 2014.

Silvaris Corp., Seattle, Wa., is now exclusive sales aoent for all B qrade and Shoo qrade hardboard products from Diecorative-Panels I nieinationa I's manufacturin g facility in Alpena, Mi.

Guardian Building Products, Greer, S.c., is now distributing Fiberon decking and railing products.

Wolf, York, Pa., rs now distributing Tnuro's Evergrain Envision decking and Marquee railings and Universal Forest Products' Latitutdes composite decking in 19 eastern states.

National Industrial Lumber Co., North Jackson, Oh., now distributes Boral TruExterior Trim in Kentucky, Ohio, lndiana, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania.

Huttig Building Products, St. Lquis, Mo., has entered inlo a multi-fear agreement for ThermaTru, Maumee, Oh., to pre-hang and distribute its exterior steel and fiberglass doors across most of Huttig's trading areas.

Dixie Plywood & Lumbof, Sa-vannah, Ga., is now exclusive diitributor ot Aristech Acrylic's Avonite Surfaces in the Southeast and Caribbean.

The surfacing products will be stocked at DixiePly's DCs in Nashville, Tn.;Atlanta, Ga.; Charlotte, N.C.; Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach, and Miami, Fl.

Atlantic Plywood, woburn, Ma., will distribute Avonite Surfaces in New England, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and eastern Pennsylvania.

Epicor Software Corp. completed its acquisition of Sola-rsoft Business Systems for $155 billion.

New websites: radiant barrier producer Solar Energy Gorp., Ewing, N.J., www.solec.org ... TimberTown, Austin. Tx.. www.timbertown.com