Wood Products

Wood is the building material of choice for strength, aesthetic appeal and environmental responsibility. Wood is renewable, recyclable and reusable, and stores carbon. Moreover, it is less energy- and carbon-intensive to produce than competing materials like concrete and steel.

Wood is a globally-traded commodity that supports U.S. economic growth. The U.S. is one of the world's most diverse exporters of sustainable forest products, and in 2007 these exports reached $27.4 billion—10 percent of the industry's sales. Wood products manufacturing employed some 460,000 people in 2008, earning an estimated $22 billion annually in the United States. With approximately 1,000 wood products manufacturing facilities, and $70 billion in product shipments, wood products manufacturing is essential to the success of many communities nationwide.

AF&PA members have adopted a sustainable approach to harvesting wood and each year the forest products industry plants more than 600 million trees -- about 1.56 million trees per day. As a result, there are more forests in the U.S. today than there were 50 years ago.

Tabs on the left side of this page provide links to the American Wood Council, highlighting their technical efforts to support the broadest possible use of traditional and engineered wood products, and support the use of wood to achieve green building thresholds.

American Wood Council

The American Wood Council (AWC) is the voice of North American traditional and engineered wood products, representing over 60% of the industry. From a renewable resource that absorbs and sequesters carbon, the wood products industry makes products that are essential to everyday life and employs over one-third of a million men and women in well-paying jobs. AWC's engineers, technologists, scientists, and building code experts develop state-of-the-art engineering data, technology, and standards on structural wood products for use by design professionals, building officials, and wood products manufacturers to assure the safe and efficient design and use of wood structural components. AWC also provides technical, legal, and economic information on wood design, green building, and manufacturing environmental regulations advocating for balanced government policies that sustain the wood products industry.

U.S. wood products companies are under pressure from the economy, environmental regulation, and competing materials. In the face of these challenges, no single company can achieve the changes necessary to ensure a level playing field and survival. Now, more than ever, strength is found in numbers.

The American Wood Council (AWC) provides an organizational structure for wood products companies and associations to work together on building codes and standards, green building policy issues, and a focused set of environmental regulations. Working together, the industry can have the resources, clout, and credibility to achieve policies that can secure a strong future for the wood products industry.

AWC is seeking to expand the force and effectiveness of its advocacy efforts by ensuring that they reflect the full range and diversity of America’s wood products industry. Such a broad base of support not only enhances advocacy efforts before Congress and key policy making bodies, but also helps ensure that all those who benefit from these efforts are helping to support them.

Click here to visit the AWC website.