SPECIAL Report
By Southern Forest Products Association
All-access pass to southern pine SFPA notches successes in 2021 for southern pine, and more than 100 member companies that provide products and services to the industry. “We are the backbone of the southern pine lumber industry,” said Eric Gee, executive director of SFPA. “Our sole job is to build and create programs that serve our members, and that’s what we do. Even during the challenges of the past year and a half, we haven’t stopped growing, pushing, and educating.” Let’s take a deeper look at the extensive list of SFPA accomplishments and areas of growth from 2021.
SFPA Retailer Resources
n interesting thing happened in the lumber industry in 2021: The wood world stepped up and led the way back toward a more normal work world. It doesn’t matter if it was virtual, or if hybrid work became the everyday way of doing things. After staying home, not traveling, and becoming all-too-familiar with video calling apps in 2020, this past year saw people return to work with a vengeance, determined to grab that sense of familiarity they missed. Nowhere was this more true and more evident than in the southern pine industry. Following a strong year faced with multiple, many-layered challenges, the staff and members of the Southern Forest Products Association
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dug in its heels, pivoted when necessary, kept their focus, and took significant steps toward a more normal year, both for themselves, and for their members.
Who We Are
SFPA is America’s first and oldest southern pine trade association—we came to be in 1915 as the Southern Pine Association. Since then, SFPA remains dedicated to advancing the southern pine lumber industry, promoting the use of member products in domestic and international markets, and facilitating the exchange of information and ideas. SFPA boasts an impressive membership roster that represents 45% of industry capacity
n Building Products Digest n January 2022
SFPA.org serves as a pivotal point of information gathering for both SFPA members and retailers through the providing of multiple resources designed to make the purchase of southern pine even easier. Product Locator: Looking for a specific southern pine product? Hop on over to the Product Locator and peruse a selection of over 400 products. One click connects dealers and manufacturers to the appropriate sales contact. Concerned about grades, specific packing preferences, particular sizes, and lengths? No worries—all parameters are covered within the Product Locator. Span Cards: Need a handy way to carry and reference southern pine span data? Visit SouthernPine.com and order one! Each card contains 12 span tables for common visual and mechanical grades under different loading conditions. A separate card offers three tables for pressure-treated southBuilding-Products.com
