This just in:
TIMBER INDUSTRY: MORE HOME BUILDERS USING STEEL, NOT WOOD
Uncertain wood supplies and volatile prices, caused in part
by "the politics of the Clinton administration's forest
management plan," are driving some firms to seek less timber-
dependent market strategies. Big timber companies like
Weyerhaeuser Corp., Georgia-Pacific Inc. and Boise Cascade Corp.
have begun selling steel as a wood substitute for residential
housing. Home builders are using more steel frames. Last year
just 1% of new homes had completely steel frames, said American
Forest & Paper Assn. economist Con Schallau, but a National Assn.
of Homebuilders survey finds steel frames becoming more common.
Schallau: "This does not bode well for our industry."
The American Iron and Steel Institute is "launching an
aggressive campaign" to capture 25% of the new home construction
market by 1998. AISI's James Primdahl said steel frames are
cost-effective, structurally superior to wood, and "better for
the environment." But timber officials doubt that the unfamiliar
building material will ever replace wood. They also argue that
steel is a poor insulator, resulting in higher heating and
cooling costs.
(Pamela Brogan, Gannett/SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 8/5).
A message of interest to those interested in the future of wood as primary
source of building materials...
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David G. Orr
R-4 Program Coordinator
Waste Prevention and Recycling
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Office of Environmental Services
University of California
Davis, CA 95616
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Internet: DGORR@UCDAVIS.EDU
Voice: (916) 752-6970 (o)
756-9540 (h)
FAX: 752-7456
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Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are my own, and do not necessarily
represent those of the University of California.
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