USDA Seeks Nominees for National Softwood Lumber Promotion Board

Date
Tuesday, February 28, 2017 - 1:30pm

Release No.: 029-17

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations to fill seven seats on the Softwood Lumber Board coming open in January 2018. The 19-member board will hold elections to fill the seats of directors whose terms expire on Dec. 31, 2017. The deadline for submitting nominations is March 13, 2017.

Domestic manufacturers are being sought to fill four seats -- two large companies representing the U.S. South region and two large companies representing the U.S. West region. Softwood lumber importers will fill three seats: one small company and one large company representing the Canada West region, and one small company representing the Canada East region. Each director will serve a three-year term, which may be renewed once.

The program defines large companies as those that account for the top two-thirds of the volume of assessable softwood lumber annually. Small companies account for the remaining assessable softwood lumber.

More details and a copy of the nomination form are available under Additional Information on the Softwood Lumber Board page on USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) website. You may also contact USDA Marketing Specialist Maureen Pello at 503-632-8848 or email maureen.pello@ams.usda.gov.

The board meets periodically to develop marketing and research activities that encourage market growth and benefit the industry. The national program is industry-funded and has supported the national marketing and promotion of softwood lumber since 2011. AMS oversees the board’s activities.

USDA encourages board membership that reflects the diversity of the individuals served by the programs and invites all persons to seek nomination for a seat on the Softwood Lumber Board.

Since 1966, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 research and promotion boards that are industry-funded and empower agricultural industries, including the forest products industry, with a framework to pool resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal responsibility, program efficiency and fair treatment of participating stakeholders.

More information about research and promotion programs is available at the Research & Promotions Programs page of the AMS website.

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