New design values approved for Southern pine lumber

The American Lumber Standard Committee's board of review approved the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau's design value changes for all sizes and grades of visually graded Southern Pine dimension lumber, and recommended an effective date of June 1.

The bureau will publish the new design values in its Supplement 13 to the 2002 edition of “Standard Grading Rules for Southern Pine Lumber.”

“Southern Pine producers and their customers are pleased with the ALSC board of review’s decision on new design values,” Southern Forest Products Association vice president of technical marketing Cathy Kaake said in a statement. “A June 1 effective date provides time for an orderly transition to the new design values.”

The intent of a transition period is to minimize project delays and supply chain disruptions by providing time to manage design value changes. Producers and key customer groups should use this period to evaluate and prepare for the potential impact on their businesses. Establishing implementation plans will aid in a successful transition to this second set of new design values, according to the bureau.

The bureau says it will continue to facilitate dialog among key industry segments to provide a unified approach to implementation of these new design values. “Throughout this transition period, [the bureau] will provide both the current design values as well as the ALSC-approved new design values,” added Kaake.

For information, visit www.southernpine.com.