Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/739842
36 PalletCentral • September-October 2016 palletcentral.com industry over the long rich history of hardwood lumber. People love wood and our society has a long history of using this natural, sustainable and readily available material. However, once markets find and accept substitutes, it is often a slow process bringing them back to hardwoods. For example, despite the economic recovery now in full swing, the consumption of hardwood lumber over the past 7 years is down 33% in furniture, with cabinet usage down 64%, and moldings off 39%. These numbers would be devastating to any other business, but the hardwood business continues primarily due to a growing international demand, and the steady demand of industrial products. One of the saving graces for the hardwood industry has been that the world has now discovered the beauty and versatility of North American hardwoods and export sales continue to shoot up. The other saving grace is the pallet industry. The hardwood lumber industry will continue to be a strong and reliable partner with the pallet industry for many years to come. An understanding of the changing markets may help to describe why there are such fluctuations in availability, but the knowledge that the lumber industry remains resilient through tough times and is able to adapt quickly assures pallet consumers of their reliability. With the timber resource stockpiled in our forests and expanding every year, the relationship between hardwood producers and the pallet industry will remain strong. NWPCA is committed to strengthening that partnership. I appreciate the opportunity to be part of the team at NWPCA, and I am excited to share my knowledge of the hardwood industry while humbled by how much I have to learn about the pallet business. PC MARKETS Mark Barford, CAE, is Senior Director of Business Partnerships at NWPCA. He may be reached at mbarford@palletcentral.com or phone: 703-519-0186. With the timber resource stockpiled in our forests and expanding ever y year, the relationship between hardwood producers and the pallet industr y will remain strong.