The 44th edition of the Where to Buy Hardwood Plywood, Veneer, and Engineered Hardwood Flooring Buyers’ Guide and Membership Directory is now available from the Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Association, an international trade association that promotes and supports the use of high-quality, environmentally sound, decorative wood products manufactured in North America.  One of the hardwood plywood and veneer industry’s most professional marketing publications, this 108-page directory is the best single source of information for these products available today.

The Where to Buy is organized to allow you to find products quickly and easily.  The directory includes:  made/cut-to-size and stock panel manufacturers; finishers of hardwood plywood; flooring manufacturers; sliced, spliced, and rotary veneer manufacturers and sales agents; wholesale distributors; and suppliers to these industries.  Each company’s sales contact is listed with the complete address, telephone, e-mail, web site, and fax numbers. 

This comprehensive guide also includes a description of HPVA’s member services and laboratory testing services including formaldehyde, glue bond integrity, flame spread, smoke, and FAA testing.
 
Copies of the award-winning Where to Buy can be ordered free of charge ($7.50 shipping and handling) from HPVA’s secure publications page at www.hpva.org or through the mail.  HPVA, 1825 Michael Faraday Dr., Reston, VA 20190-5350, (703) 435-2900.

Natural resource professionals from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Indiana submitted a total of six applications for grant funding by the recent February 17, 2010 grant application deadline. The foresters seek financial help and partners for establishing and improving hardwood forests on public land. Many of the applications have strong demonstration and educational elements. The grant applications describe critical need for tree planting and direct seeding. The HFF Board will decide which projects to fund at its spring Board of Directors meeting scheduled for early March 2010. Financial support from the forest products industry, families, individuals, and other funding sources enable the HFF to move forward with these sustainable forestry efforts. To find out more about these projects or to donate to a specific project, please contact HFF staff at info@hardwoodforestryfund.org or call 703-503-1155.

 Newport, NC:  Veneer Technologies of Newport, NC, is now accepting entries for the company’s sixth annual design competition, Veneer Tech’s Craftsman’s Challenge TM.  The national competition highlights achievement in the use of natural veneer through cash awards and other recognition for wood veneer craftsmen, designers, distributors and distributor sales representatives.  Any amount of natural veneer used in the end product from any source will qualify entries.  Entrants each may submit up to a total of three entries.

Many of the best-known industry professionals as well as hobbyists and student woodworkers have entered over the past five years. The competition has garnered much interest in the industry, and recognizes the entire supply chain.

The 2009 Grand Prize went to Andrew Prioli, a graduating high school senior in a WoodLINKS program at Cedar Ridge High School, Hillsborough, NC.  Prioli earned the top honor for “Inverurie,” a walnut dining room table with inlays of curly maple, cocobolo, maple burl and walnut burl veneers depicting three stallions and Celtic knots.

Certainly Wood, the distributor for the project, received a cash award of $2,000, and salesman Jim Carroll received $1,000, in recognition of their participation in the supply chain.  Past winners have run the gamut from large architectural woodworking projects to cabinetry to highly artistic one-of-a-kind specialty items.

A cash award of $3000 will be made to the creator of the 2010 grand prize winning entry. The distributor of the veneer for the grand prize winning entry will receive $2000, and the corresponding distributor salesman will receive $1000. Winners of each of six categories receive $1000 each. There is also an additional $1000 award to the grand prize winner for early entry by March 31, 2010. These prizes as well as other awards will be presented at IWF 2010, August 25-28 in Atlanta GA.  Entries will be accepted through June 11, 2010.

All entries and the winners in particular receive valuable publicity throughout the year.

Competition categories include Cabinetry, Architectural Woodworking, Furniture, Specialty Products, Store Fixtures, and Student Design. Entry materials are available from Veneer Technology sales representatives, distributors, and through www.veneertech.com. Online entry is encouraged via www.veneertech.com.
Veneer Technologies, a longtime supporter of the Hardwood Forestry Fund,  is located in Newport, NC, and specializes in natural face veneers, sheet veneer and edgebanding. The company is known for high technology veneer processing.  Inquiries can be made by telephoning Veneer Technologies at 800-593-5601.