Representatives held a pair of technical seminars in St. Maarten and Aruba during the first week of November. Aimed at wood traders and specifiers, the purpose of these seminars was to educate attendees on the uses and specifications of U.S. softwood lumber.
Overall, attendees responded very favorably to both seminars, showing a desire for more educational opportunities on the topic of U.S. softwoods. In general, the most prominent difficulties individuals in these locations encounter when specifying U.S. softwood products are lack of knowledge of different species, and lack of knowledge of different grades; obstacles that the educational seminars strived to remedy. There was good agreement by most attendees across the board that U.S. softwoods are versatile and well suited for both structural and interior design uses. Looking to the future, there was a slight difference between the two locations in what information was desired from American Softwoods that would encourage attendees to use U.S. Softwood more often. Participants in St. Maarten showed the most interest in more technical support, while those in Aruba desired contact information for U.S. companies.
SFPA Members can view the complete report, contacts, and survey answers within the Members Only section of SFPA.org.