Softwood Lumber Producers Approve First-Ever National Check-off

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced that domestic manufacturers and importers of softwood lumber have voted to approve the formation of a softwood lumber research and promotion program.  AMS held a referendum from May 23 to June 10, 2011, to determine whether to implement the Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order.  In the final tally, 67% of voters, representing 80% of the volume, supported implementing the program.

“We applaud the forest products industry for taking a bold step to help grow markets for sustainably-produced softwood products,” said U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) President Carlton Owen.  “Study of widely successful check-off models used by many sectors of the agricultural community was among the first Endowment-sponsored initiatives to help advance our vision for America’s working forests.”

The Endowment funded work in early 2008 that led to the report, “Commodity ‘Check-Off’:  The Potential for North American Softwood Lumber.”  That report then was used as the basis to impanel the Blue Ribbon Commission on Softwood Lumber Check-off, comprised of 21 forest industry leaders from across the continent.  The Commission drafted the check-off order, worked with USDA to develop the referendum, and advocated its adoption.