Redwood 33Buy America n" campaigns

/--loNsulteR pRIDE rN American-made products has \-zreturned, with a lesson for manufacturers: quality, quality, quality. In an age where brand loyalty can shift with the perceived best price for the product, we have our work cut out for us to not only help consumers give themselves permission to invest in American-made products, but to applaud their faith in the quality of the products that cannot be grown anywhere else in the world.

Today's consumer is used to abundant selection when purchasing just about anything-even building products for their home improvement projects. Thanks to eye-opening reports, like the ABC News "Made in America" series from 2011, the trend is shifting to more awareness of the product's origins and a preference for items original to America. For example, Walmart has a $50 billion "Buy American" campaign for things made and grown in the

U.S. that boost our economy and quality of life.

One example of quality that's uniquely American: redwood. This entire species, Sequoia sempervirens, is grown, harvested and manufactured along a strip of Northern California coast. Redwoods have grown here since before the first settlers set foot on this land. Thanks to the strictest forest management standards, our member companies proudly nurture and grow the most protected commercial timber species in the world. Moreover, they plant more trees than they harvest, ensuring there will be redwood trees both to enjoy and harvest for future generations.

Indeed, the names of the member mills of the California Redwood Association read like a map of our beautiful state: Big Creek Lumber Co., Humboldt Redwood Co., The California Redwood Co., Mad River Lumber, Mendocino Forest Products, Schmidbauer Lumber Co. Each business, like their products, is proudly Californiagrown and connects its corporate identity with the state, county,local watercourse, or well-known local family.

The people who grow redwood are not only proud of where it's grown, but its quality and eco-friendliness. The hardiness and natural benefits of redwood make it an ideal material for outdoor living. Other manmade products market themselves as equal to the task, but is it really true, or just marketing?

That's the question we found ourselves asking as some composite/plastic decking alternatives came to market promoting their supposed environmental qualities. So we commissioned a Life Cycle Analysis study comparing redwood decking to composite decking. To read an executive summary of the LCA study, visit www.rootedintruth.org. The results clearly show that the energy needed to manufacture and transport composite decking has a huge environmental cost in terms of carbon footprint or global warming potential when compared to naturally grown and American-made redwood decking.

When a customer asks what the differences are, what sort of return they will see on their investment of a new deck when choosing a naturally grown product over something manmade, I'd humbly argue that redwood has a huge edge on new, relativelyuntested products. Grown in one of the world's healthiest forest systems, redwood is decay-resistant and easy to work with. A renewable resource, recyclable (unlike composite decking), redwood absorbs and traps carbon dioxide even after harvesting and milling. It's also naturally resistant to warping and shrinking, meets strict California fire codes, and is easy to maintain and restore. Redwood enhances the natural beauty so many people love about their own surroundings. And the cherry on top: originally American.

American-made redwood is also superior to natural wood that is shipped in from long distances. Though some consumers might feel the pull of exotic or imported hardwoods, redwood is the natural choice. Species such as ipd or other tropical hardwoods travel thousands of miles to be installed in an American backyard. Even species of cedar from fhis homeis 6,000 square{eef so lused lJoisf ondLVL lrom several different unils ond the monu{octuring consistency was exoctly fhe some. If you wont to maximize your profit, I would recommend using Roseburg's Engineered Wood Producls".

Lyle Lee hos been building custom homes for over 20 yeors. Here is whot he hos to soy oboul Roseburg's Engineered Wood Producis.

"When building o quolity home, it's importont for all the froming moferiols fo molch. ln olher words come fogelher os specified in the design plons. lf the framing is of{ by even o I/t of on inch. it con cosf rne thousonds of dollors in time ond moferiols.

I find Roseburg's RFPI@-Joist ond Rigidlorn@ [Vl to be very consisfenl in width ond depth. When I use Roseburg's RFPI@-Joist, my floors ore more level, sfiffer ond truer, making my iob much eosier.

Canada or China, or radiata pine from New Zealand, take a backseat to redwood in quality and eco-friendliness.

There is simply no excuse for someone not to buy redwood. The economic and environmental benefits make a beautiful product all the more attractive to anyone who embraces a "Buy American" mentality.

- Charlie Jourdain is president of the Calfornia Redwood Association. Reach him at charlie@calredwood.org or (888) CAL.REDWOOD.

Lyle Lee L. Lee Building Compony