FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Registration Opens for the CLMA 2017 Annual Meeting
WASHINGTON, DC (August 18, 2017) Registration is now open for the Composite Lumber Manufacturers Association (CLMA) 2017 Annual Meeting, which will take place October 25, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Open to CLMA members and non-members alike, the CLMA Annual Meeting will provide valuable educational programming and networking opportunities for manufacturers and suppliers in the composite lumber industry. Meeting topics will include updates on building codes and standards, regulatory developments, emerging research, and other industry technical information.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from a number of leading industry representatives on major issues impacting the composite decking and railing industry. Speakers include Robert Tichy, Researcher Engineer, Composite Materials and Engineering Center at Washington State University; Steve Quarles, Chief Scientist for Wildfire and Durability, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS); Ping Cheng, Senior Staff Engineer and Bill Gould, Vice President of External Relations and Client Services, International Code Council (ICC) Evaluation Services (ES).
The CLMA 2017 Annual Meeting will also include a tour of Vanderbilt University’s Laboratory for Systems Integrity & Reliability (LASIR). The 20,000-square-foot facility, launched in 2014, hosts a variety of interdisciplinary engineering research programs supported by the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, as well as contractors and equipment manufacturers. Meeting attendees will have the opportunity to meet with university researchers and view their experimental work in the field of composites.
For more information on the CLMA 2017 Annual Meeting including the schedule of events, registration information, and details on hotel accommodations, please contact CLMA General Manager Jared Rothstein at 202-207-1104 or [email protected].
About CLMA
Founded in 2005, CLMA represents the manufacturers and suppliers of composite lumber to residential and commercial building construction markets. The mission of the association is to advance the growth of the North American composite lumber industry through proactive technical, advocacy, and awareness efforts. For more information on CLMA activities, programs, and initiatives, please visit us at www.compositelumber.org.
Industry News.
Industry Group Profile: CLMA
RCI Interface
Jared Rothstein, CLMA Industry Affairs Coordinator
The Composite Lumber Manufacturers Association (CLMA) is the national trade association representing the manufacturers and suppliers of composite lumber to the residential and commercial building construction markets. CLMA’s members manufacture composite decking systems and components including deck boards, guard post attachments, gates, handrails, and fascia boards. Established in 2005 and headquartered in Washington, DC, CLMA serves as the leading voice of the composite lumber industry in contributing technical information to building code officials, regulatory agencies, consumers, and allied trade groups. CLMA has worked diligently to promote the benefits of composite lumber products and brings a unified voice on common issues and concerns important to its respective members.
CLMA Membership
CLMA offers two membership categories which include Regular Membership and Associate Membership. CLMA Regular membership includes any firm, partnership or corporation involved in the manufacture of composite lumber products made from a combination of plastics and filler materials sold as a substitute for wood in building applications. CLMA Associate membership includes any firm engaged in the business of supplying materials, services, equipment, machinery, or testing to composite lumber manufacturers.
Activities and Initiatives
CLMA’s standing committees include the Codes and Standards Committee and the Communications Committee. In addition, CLMA is an active stakeholder in the Deck Codes Coalition, International Codes Council (ICC), California Wildfire Protection Building Construction Task Force, and ASTM. CLMA members directly participate on the Association’s committees and contribute their expertise toward industry initiatives and CLMA issues management.
Recent News
CLMA’s involvement at ICC has proved beneficial to the industry and to its members. Code proposals CLMA submitted were approved for the 2018 International Building Code (IBC) to bring composite lumber decking and guard system requirements in alignment with revisions CLMA successfully incorporated into the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC). CLMA also submitted code changes to revise ICC’s Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) requirements for decking to be consistent with current California WUI requirements. CLMA has also helped other decking stakeholders formulate code change proposals on foundations, posts, beams, and guard attachments for the 2018 IRC.
CLMA recently launched a communications program that included the full redesign of the CLMA website with a streamlined user interface, updated content, and new sections for meetings, news, membership, technical resources, and more. Other programming has included the development of technical bulletins, press releases, and quarterly newsletters to ensure that the latest information on technical developments, regulatory changes, and installation best practices are available to CLMA members and the public alike.
Meetings
CLMA convenes at least twice annually, providing valuable educational and networking programming for attendees in the wood plastic composite industry. CLMA’s membership meets in conjunction with the International Builders Show (IBS) each year, as well during the CLMA Annual Meeting, which typically features a tour of a composite lumber research and testing facility.
In 2016, the CLMA Annual Meeting was held in Madison, Wisconsin and included a tour of the Forest Products Laboratory to learn more about their wood performance research. The tour featured a walk-through of their 87,000-square-foot Centennial Research Facility, a dynamic multiple-use laboratory capable of formulating wood preservative products, testing full-scale building structure strength, developing advanced composite materials, and testing durability of wood products within a weather simulation chamber.
Contact CLMA
For more information about CLMA, please contact Industry Affairs Coordinator Jared Rothstein at [email protected] or visit www.compositelumber.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CLMA Issues 2016 Annual Report of Accomplishments
WASHINGTON, DC (December 13, 2016) ‘ The Composite Lumber Manufacturers Association (CLMA) recently released its 2016 Annual Report. The report highlights the association’s strategic objectives, mission, and accomplishments in 2016. CLMA is the leading advocate for the composite lumber industry, and represents the industry’s manufacturers and suppliers to the residential and commercial building construction markets.
In the report, CLMA highlighted the successes of its codes and standards advocacy, communications initiatives, industry collaboration, membership recruitment, and meetings.
CLMA met its objective to enhance its communications by redesigning its website, creating a promotional Associate Member E-Blast program, and developing three technical bulletins, three newsletters, and two press releases.
As the industry’s technical and educational resource, CLMA participated heavily in building codes and standards development. CLMA worked diligently to advance code proposals and public comments at the International Code Council (ICC). CLMA also advocated at the state and local level, working with the California Office of the State Fire Marshall to develop recommended updates to the state’s wildland urban interface requirements.
The CLMA 2016 Annual Meeting was very well attended, and provided valuable educational and networking programming for attendees in the wood plastic composite industry. The meeting also featured a comprehensive tour of the facilities and research programs of the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin.
For more information on CLMA activities and programs, please contact CLMA Industry Affairs Coordinator Jared Rothstein at 202-207-1104 or , order online drugs with a mastercard, , , , , order online drugs with a mastercard, order online drugs with a mastercard. [email protected].
About CLMA
Founded in 2005, CLMA represents the manufacturers and suppliers of composite lumber to residential and commercial building construction markets. The mission of the association is to advance the growth of the North American composite lumber industry through proactive technical, advocacy, and awareness efforts. For more information on CLMA activities, programs, and initiatives, please visit us at www.compositelumber.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Registration Opens for the CLMA 2016 Annual Meeting
WASHINGTON, DC (August 15, 2016) Registration is now open for the Composite Lumber Manufacturers Association (CLMA) 2016 Annual Meeting, which will take place at the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), November 9-10, 2016, in Madison, Wisconsin.
Open to CLMA members and non-members alike, the meeting will provide valuable educational programming and networking opportunities for manufacturers and suppliers in the wood plastic composite lumber industry. Meeting topics will include updates on building codes and standards, end-user education, emerging research, and industry developments. Attendees will be able to hear from leaders in the industry, including Robert Tichy and Karl Englund, researcher engineers with the Composite Materials and Engineering Center at Washington State University.
The CLMA 2016 Annual Meeting will include a tour of the Forest Products Laboratory to learn more about the wood performance research conducted by FPL. The tour will feature a walk-through of the 87,000-square-foot Centennial Research Facility, a dynamic multiple-use laboratory capable of formulating wood preservative products, testing full-scale building structure strength, developing advanced composite materials, and testing durability of wood products within a weather simulation chamber. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet with FPL researchers to discuss their past, present, and future experimental work.
For over a century, the Forest Products Laboratory has worked with academia, industry, and other government agencies to identify and conduct innovative wood and fiber utilization research. With research focuses in advanced composites, advanced structures, forest biorefinery, nanotechnology, and woody biomass utilization, FPL’s work contributes to the conservation and productivity of forest resources, the economy, and quality of life.
For more information on the CLMA 2016 Annual Meeting including the schedule of events, registration information, and details on hotel accommodations, please contact CLMA Industry Affairs Coordinator Jared Rothstein at 202-207-1104 or [email protected].
About CLMA
Founded in 2005, CLMA represents the manufacturers and suppliers of composite lumber to residential and commercial building construction markets. The mission of the association is to advance the growth of the North American composite lumber industry through proactive technical, advocacy, and awareness efforts. For more information on CLMA activities, programs, and initiatives, please visit us at www.compositelumber.org.
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Industry News
Composite Decking: Common Sense Sustainability
Sustainable Building & Design Magazine
Mike Fischer, CLMA Industry Affairs Director
The trend towards sustainable building practices, including the use of composite lumber in our buildings, is an inevitable result of the growth of our civilization. For millennia, we have constructed our dwellings from the materials at hand; using timber, stone, adobe, animal skins, or whatever materials were readily available to build our homes made the most sense. The introduction of steel and concrete as building materials in the nineteenth century made bigger, taller and stronger buildings possible, and with the availability of electricity led to the development of our modern cities. High performance windows and advanced insulation products allowed us to reduce the energy consumption of our buildings, but with concerns about limited natural resources, something had to give. Whether resources were necessary to construct buildings, or to provide the energy to power buildings, it has become clearer that effective management of those resources is the best way to sustain the built environment.
The latest buzz on sustainability involves using common sense as a cornerstone of sustainability. It can’t be just about going green anymore because today’s consumers (and homebuyers) are more sophisticated about most buying decisions. In the case of green building practices, there are a lot of misconceptions about just what actually IS green. As with most things in life, the simplest solutions are often the most effective. In fact, the decisions about what materials to buy, and how to use them, are ingrained in our construction practices. Optimizing lumber lengths to avoid jobsite scrap or buying local to save on freight costs? Common sense. Recycling or reusing construction materials? Common sense. Waste not, want not? Common sense. Selecting composite lumber for an outdoor living deck because it is made from recycled materials, and is a low-maintenance alternative to wood? Makes sense.
Standards for sustainable building materials and products have often focused on basic attributes that are easily understood. Deck boards manufactured from waste derived from wood processing operations are a prime example of building products containing recycled content. Producing these same deck boards in commonly used lengths to reduce scrap as a means to optimize material use on the jobsite is another. These simple attributes have shaped our basic understanding of what it means to be sustainable. Using materials with recycled content can reduce impact on landfills today, and developing easily recycled products can reduce the impact on landfills tomorrow. Buying materials from local or regional sources (indigenous materials) reduces the transportation impact on the environment and can also reduce freight costs. At the end of the day, however, it is about more than just buying wood waste. Consumers also look at the way manufacturers operate their plants, and this can influence buying decisions. Considering a company’s commitment to environmental stewardship is another way to evaluate their sustainability.
Producers of wood-plastic composite deck materials operate in a marketplace that demands accountability on their products and their plants. At TAMKO Building Products environmental stewardship is at the core of their corporate philosophy. David Humphreys, President and CEO of TAMKO, states We are proud of our recycling efforts as we are focused on waste stream reduction and utilizing recycled materials including more than 243 million pounds of recycled materials in our products in 2012.
hire paper writing onlineAt Fiberon, a producer of composite lumber decking and railing systems, water conservation is also a key tenet of environmental stewardship. Using a closed-loop water system means a zero-discharge rate from manufacturing. Producers of wood-plastic composites, rely on recycled materials such as polyethylene and wood sawdust for the raw materials that go into their decking and railing products. Transportation impacts are another facet of a holistic approach to protecting the future of the environment;
While wood sawdust is a biodegradable waste material, its use in wood plastic composites has a huge impact on sustainable forestry. Every deck built with composite decking instead of natural wood reduces lumber harvest while integrating waste plastics. It is this recycling of plastics, including disposed items like plastic milk jugs, shampoo and detergent bottles, that is perhaps the most compelling story.
Other manufacturers employ a three-pronged approach to environmental stewardship that includes a focus on clean manufacturing, product development and community involvement. Take for example, CPG Building Products ‘ CPG boasts a 99% rate of waste recovery during manufacturing. Additional manufacturing operations process improvements have resulted in an annual reduction of more than two million kilowatt-hours of electricity over the past five years. Water use and reuse is another focus; using a closed-loop water system for manufacturing means that the company captures 140,000 gallons of water each day.
By using more than 100 million pounds of post-industrial wood flour and post-consumer plastic each year, CPG achieves an average recycled content rate of more than 50%.
Production of wood-plastic composites, transportation impacts, use of recycled content including plastic bottles sounds like enough evidence to make the case for the sustainability of incorporating composite decking and railing. Selecting the deck materials is just the beginning. In order to get a true picture of the environmental footprint of composite lumber, it is important to consider what happens after the project is completed.
John Ferraro, Executive Director of the Washington, DC based Composite Lumber Manufacturers Association (CLMA) reminds of the need to look at durability and maintenance. Production of composite lumber, like many man-made products, is an evolving science. The truth is that today’s wood-plastic composites are a low-maintenance and long-lasting solution for outdoor living, said Ferraro. Citing the integrating of the wood fibers in a plastic binder, Ferraro notes that other than routine cleaning of composite decks, they are low maintenance. According to Ferraro, composite materials also resist splitting and splintering, making them a durable and comfortable option for outdoor living. There is no need to apply stains every year or so, as with decks made from natural wood products, and common sense says I can use that time savings to enjoy the outdoor living experience.
Common sense also tells us that without the need to apply messy stains for maintenance even the post-installation environmental impact of composite wood decks makes sense. Perfect sense.