Gwen Sparks, (202) 260-8210gwen.sparks@ams.usda.gov
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2014 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for the Softwood Lumber Board.
The 19-member board will hold elections to fill seven seats for members whose terms expire on Dec. 31, 2014. Domestic manufacturers will fill four seats representing large companies– two in the South region and two in the West region. Three seats will be filled by softwood lumber importers – two representing the Canada West region (one large and one small company*) and one small company representing the Canada East region. Each member will serve a three-year term.
To be eligible, nominees operating within the regions must manufacture and ship within the United States, or import, at least 15 million board feet of softwood lumber annually. Ballots will be mailed to eligible companies and votes will be tabulated for each region. The top two candidates for each position will be submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture. The secretary will then appoint members from the pool of candidates receiving the most votes.
The Softwood Lumber Board meets periodically to review marketing and research activities that encourage market growth and benefit the industry. The national program, which became effective in 2011, is industry-funded and supports the national marketing and promotion of softwood lumber. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) oversees board activities.
USDA encourages board membership that reflects the diversity of the individuals served by the programs. All eligible women, minorities and persons with disabilities are invited to seek nomination for a seat on the Softwood Lumber Board by the March 14, 2014, deadline.
Visit www.softwoodlumberboard.org for a copy of the application, or contact the board’s CEO, Steve Lovett, at (312) 321-5131 or e-mail lovett@softwoodlumberboard.org. You may also contact Maureen Pello, USDA Marketing Specialist, by phone (503) 632-8848 or e-mail maureen.pello@ams.usda.gov, for more information.
*Under the program, large companies are defined as those that account for the top two-thirds of the volume of assessable softwood lumber annually and small companies account for the remaining assessable softwood lumber.
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