rr R. Engineered l-lOSePUfg Wood products

Bennett Lumber Products, Princeton, ld., has pegged this month to restart its Guy Benneft Lumber mill at the Port of Wilma near Clarkston, Wa.. which has been closed since 2009 (see Feb., p.22).

Weyerhaeuser Distribution has completed relocation of its 66,000sq. ft. Eugene, 0r., distribution center to a 300,000-sq. ft. facility in Albany, Or.

Intermountain Supply, Spokane, Wa., is now distributing AERT's MoistureShield composite decking.

Gapital Lumber Co., Satt Lake Citv. Ut.. is now diskibutino the full line ot Simpson Strong-fie products in Utah.

California Cascade lndustries' DCs in Sacramento, Woodland, and Fontana, Ca., will distribute all product lines from OZCO Building Products, Richardson, Tx., including post anchors and wood ties.

Universal Forest Products inked a distribution deal to co-market National Nail Gorp.'s cAMo hidden deck fastening system with its ProWood pressure treated decking.

USG Gorp., chicago, ll., has finalized its 50/50 joint venture with Boral Ltd., USG Boral Products, which combines Boral's gypsum plants in Australia and Asia with USG's Asian and Middle Eastern ooerations.

Seneca Sawmill Co., Eugene, Or., was recently profiled in IBM Systems Magazine, for its "visionary leadership and use of technology to build a thriving, sustainable business."

Gypsum Association, Hyattsville, Md., has revamped its website, www.gypsum.0rg.

Anniversaries: Welco Lumber Co., Snetton, Wa., 45th Trio Forest Products, Mesa, Az., 35th Los Altos True Value Hardware, Los Altos, Ca., 30th Sustainable Forestry Initiative, 20th...

ldaho Forest Bringing CLT to U.S.

Idaho Forcst Group. Coeur d'Alcnc. ld.. is plrtrtering with Austrian cross-laminatcd timber pioncer Jtthann Ol'fncr Group to bring CLT to the U.S.

As early as this vear. IFG will irtrport European-made CLT to distributc throughout the U.S.. with plans to bc-gin manuf'acturing the product itsclf in 2.+ to 36 ntonths. IFC operates fivc mills in Idaho.

The joint venture will bc supportecl by KLH Austria and its subsicliary in Lonclon until an Anrericitn-bascd sales otficc opcns in JLrne.

CLT consists of gluing togcthcr layers of boards orientccl at right angles to one another. to form massivc ri-sid pancls with high strength and stability. for usc in u'alls. I'loors and other bLrilding components. Jtthann Offner subsicliary KLH Austria dcveloped the proccss in 1996.

"We hai'e becn rcsearching this product for nrany ),ears." said IFG clrairrnan Marc Brinknreycr. "Manv leaclin-e Europcan architects and builclcrs are usirt-u this technology to make signif icant and appcalin-r structures. This loint Venturc provides an excellent opportunity to offcr thc proven CLT building technology for use here in Anrcrica."

Although CLT rnadc its fifst appearance in thc LI .S. morc than three 1'ears ago. it.t a 78-fi. bell towcr in North Carolina. donrestic installations in thc interirn havc been rarc. clcspite promotiorral cflirrts by pnrdr-rcers sltch as Canacla's Nordic Enginccrcd Wood.

OSH Unveils Urban Format in L.A.

Orchard Suppll' Haldwarc has opencd its f irst "urban retail fbrn-rat" location in the La Brea neighborhoocl ttf l-os Angclcs. Ca.. which is horre to a -grorvin-u Irunrber of trew ill)ilrt Irlcnt\ lrntl tondtlttt i n i tttn:.

The 30.0110-sq. li. store with 3.800-sq. fi. outdoor nurserv has a l(X)-spacc roottop parking lot.

The store is designed tirr custorncrs u'ho livc in snrallcr spaces, with an enrphasis on container and snrall-garden planting, paint. rcpair :ind homc mitintcnance, as wcll as patio and BBQ products that are ideal fbr sntallcr areas.

Floor-to-cciling windows along the entirc storefront muke it bright lncl ei.r\) l() rtl\ iSirte.

THINKING Ahead

By Rick Ekstein, Chairman, North American Wholesale Lumber Association