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DHA continuously promotes decorative hardwoods and has collaborated with partners to develop compelling research to support powerful marketing claims. Our recent article in Surface & Panel Magazine outlines how decorative hardwoods are both sustainable and a deforestation-free choice. Our colleagues at the American Hardwood Export Council developed the American Hardwood Assured program that demonstrates that U.S. hardwoods are essentially deforestation-free, ironically inspired by the EU Deforestation Regulation.

DHA has also created a unique opportunity for members to demonstrate the significant environmental benefits of decorative hardwoods. As a result of a partnership with the National Hardwood Lumber Association and the U.S. Forest Service, DHA members can use USFS-funded assistance to develop climate and other life cycle inventory data for your products, just as we did for engineered wood flooring, showing that alternatives like vinyl have six times the global warming potential.

As new duties have been levied on imports of hardwood plywood from Vietnam, Indonesia, and China, it appears that direct imports from Russia are increasing to compensate for the indirect route through Vietnam. The story below highlights the links between Russian birch plywood and imports from Asia.

If you have questions or comments, contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Keith A. Christman, President