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Softwood Lumber Board releases 2021 report, welcomes new members

The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) recently released its 2021 Annual Report, which details its work to achieve year-over-year growth in demand and impact for the softwood lumber industry. Since 2012, the SLB and its partners have generated more than 9.8 billion board feet in demand, which equates to an estimated $4.9 billion of incremental revenue and an average return of $39.82 for every $1 invested. In carbon terms, the SLB’s efforts have resulted in more than 25 million metric tons of avoided carbon dioxide emissions since we started measuring in 2014.

As in past years, in 2021, the SLB and its programs met and exceeded targets with regard to codes, communications, conversions, education, and innovations and research. Key accomplishments include:

• The American Wood Council (AWC) facilitated three major wins for wood in the 2024 IBC, including a provision to allow for fully exposed mass timber ceilings in buildings up to 12 stories tall, which represents an incremental opportunity of 1 billion board feet per year.
• Think Wood grew its lead generation and nurturing efforts, increasing its marketing engagements by more than 129 per cent, adding more than 27,000 new contacts, and increasing its sales qualified leads by more than 600 per cent year-over-year.
• WoodWorks influenced 1,700 projects to build with wood, representing 789 million board feet of incremental softwood lumber consumption.
• The SLB operationalized new partnerships to expand installer and construction-management training and increase university-level wood education.
• The SLB entered into a new memorandum of understanding with the USDA focused on growing demand for softwood lumber products. As a first step, the SLB contributed match funding to five USDA Wood Innovations Grants – leveraging our investment by nearly 3-to-1 – to support research and implementation of mass timber solutions that will pave the way for more similar projects.

Read about these and the SLB’s other accomplishments in 2021 here.

The SLB is poised to build on this solid foundation, guided by its 14-member 2022 Board of Directors. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack reappointed past director Marc Brinkmeyer, owner of the Idaho Forest Group, representing the U.S. West region, and appointed Jerome Pelletier, vice-president of the sawmill division of J.D. Irving, representing the Canada East region.

Secretary Vilsack also reappointed George Emmerson, chair of Sierra Pacific Industries, U.S. West; J.D. Hankins II, co-owner and vice-president of Hankins Inc., U.S. South; Brian Luoma, president and CEO of The Westervelt Company, SLB second vice-chair; and Brad Thorlakson, president and CEO of Tolko Industries Ltd., Canada West, to their second terms. More information on the SLB’s board and committees can be found here.

The SLB extends its thanks to secretary Vilsack for appointing a strong slate of directors who reflect the industry’s diversity and extends gratitude to outgoing directors, Kevin Edgson and Todd Payne, for their leadership, service, and commitment.