The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominations for the Softwood Lumber Board to fill four member seats with terms expiring on Dec. 31, 2023. Nomination applications are due by April 14, 2023. Appointed members will serve three-year terms.
The Softwood Lumber Board is seeking nominees of two large size domestic manufacturers representing the U.S. South Region, one domestic manufacturer of any size representing the U.S. West Region, and one small softwood lumber importer representing any region.
The U.S. South Region consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. The U.S. West Region consists of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Applications are available on the Softwood Lumber Board website or by contacting Maureen Pello, Vice President of Operations, Softwood Lumber Board, at (503) 632-9933 or by email at mpello@softwoodlumberboard.org. You may also contact USDA Marketing Specialist Kelly Robertson at (202) 657-3474 or by email at kellym.robertson@usda.gov.
The current 14-member board includes ten domestic manufacturers and four importers. More information about the board is available on AMS’s Softwood Lumber Board webpage.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the development of industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight of 22 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
AMS policy is that diversity of the board should reflect the diversity of its industries in terms of the experience of members, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies, and other distinguishing factors that will bring different perspectives and ideas to the table. Throughout the full nomination process, the industry must consider the diversity of the population served and the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the members to serve a diverse population.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender