The American Wood Council

Mission

To increase the use of wood by assuring the broad regulatory acceptance of wood products, developing design tools and guidelines for wood construction, and influencing the development of public policies affecting the use and manufacture of wood products.

Issues

More Comprehensive Overview of AWC:
Testimony to the Canadian Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry

History of AWC

The American Wood Council (AWC) is both one of the youngest and one of the oldest major trade groups in the nation. AWC was re-chartered in June 2010, evolving from a number of predecessor groups. Immediately prior to the founding of the new AWC, the forest products industry was represented by the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA). AF&PA grew out of two organizations - the National Forest Products Association (NFPA) and the American Paper Institute (API) - each, independent institutions with some common membership. NFPA and API each represented the forest and building products industries, and pulp, paper, and paperboard manufacturers, respectively.

NFPA's lineage dates back to 1902, when regional associations, led by the Southern Lumber Manufacturers Association and the Mississippi Valley Lumbermen's Association, founded the National Lumber Manufacturers Association. It operated under this name until 1965 when, reflecting the increasingly integrated character of major forest industry firms, it took on the NFPA identification. However, NFPA remained a federation of associations until 1975, when a bylaw revision made it possible for individual companies to join directly.

The American Wood Council, a previously independent trade association established by the wood products industry to provide generic promotion activities, was merged with NFPA's building codes and engineering function in 1991. While today's AWC bears the name of that former organization, the new AWC serves the modern wood products industry with a far broader mission to address a wide-ranging set of challenges.

AWC has in its short existence emerged as the leading voice for the wood products industry. When any matter of major concern relating to the industry surfaces at the state, national, or international level, AWC is an active presence on behalf of industry interests and its advice and counsel are both sought and respected. Through its effective advocacy and superior membership services, AWC is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the nation's most powerful and effective trade associations.

About AWC

The American Wood Council (AWC) is the voice of North American wood products manufacturing, representing over 75 percent of an industry that provides approximately 400,000 men and women with family-wage jobs. AWC members make products that are essential to everyday life from a renewable resource that absorbs and sequesters carbon. Staff experts develop state-of-the-art engineering data, technology, and standards for wood products to assure their safe and efficient design, as well as provide information on wood design, green building, and environmental regulations. AWC also advocates for balanced government policies that affect wood products.

U.S. wood products companies are under pressure from the economy, environmental regulation, and competing materials. In the face of these challenges, no single company can achieve the changes necessary to ensure a level playing field and survival. Now, more than ever, strength is found in numbers.

The American Wood Council (AWC) provides an organizational structure for wood products companies and associations to work together on building codes and standards, green building policy issues, and a focused set of environmental regulations. Working together, the industry can have the resources, clout, and credibility to achieve policies that can secure a strong future for the wood products industry.

AWC is seeking to expand the force and effectiveness of its advocacy efforts by ensuring that they reflect the full range and diversity of America's wood products industry. Such a broad base of support not only enhances advocacy efforts before Congress and key policy making bodies, but also helps ensure that all those who benefit from these efforts are helping to support them.