News
CPA 2026 Fall Meeting Highlights
The 2026 Fall Meeting wrapped up last week in Savannah, GA, with amazing weather and a great location that brought members together for networking, committee meetings, and timely presentations. General Session presentations are now available on the CPA website, including Scott Lincicome of the Cato Institute on North American trade policy and Edie Sonne Hall
Registration Open for PCWP Compliance Workshop
CPA members are eligible to attend the upcoming workshop, From Rule to Practice: PCWP MACT Compliance Workshop, hosted by the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI) and the American Wood Council (AWC) on December 9-10. The workshop will provide facility personnel with guidance on creating practical compliance plans for implementing the requirements
Forestry Analytics for Carbon Tracking (FACT) Platform Beta Launch
On October 5, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities announced the Beta launch of the FACT platform, a science-based tool using standardized methods that help forest landowners and wood products manufacturers calculate carbon impacts across value chains. The Beta tool is publicly accessible, allowing users to test and provide
U.S. Consumer Confidence Declines Significantly in September
U.S. consumer confidence measured 81.9 in September, decreasing 6.7 points from the adjusted August reading, according to The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index. The index gauging current business and labor market conditions fell 7.9 points in September to 109.3. The short-term outlook index for income, business, and labor markets slid 5.9 points to 63.6. See
August U.S. Construction Spending Improves from Prior Month
U.S. construction spending in August reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2.20 trillion, increasing 0.9% from July but 1.7% below year-over-year. Total public and private residential spending grew 1.1% month-over-month to $894.60 billion, but down 4.8% from August 2025. Non-residential spending totaled $1.31 trillion, 0.7% higher than in July and up 0.5% from the
U.S. Wood Product Shipments Down in August
Seasonally adjusted shipments for all U.S. manufacturing industries held steady in August at $658.6 billion. Wood products slipped 0.1% to $13.9 billion in August, while furniture and related product shipments dipped 0.2% from July to $7.7 billion. New manufacturing orders inched up 0.1% from July to $663.5 billion. Orders for furniture and related products shrunk
Genesis Products Welcomes New Leaders
Genesis Products, Elkhart, IN, named Wayne Gordon as Product Director of Surfaces and Chris Tutuska as Product Director, mainly of TFL panels and cabinet doors at the company’s Funder division in Mocksville, NC. Gordon has been in the industry for 30 years, including a decade in printing, while Tutuska has ten years of experience in
Consumer Confidence Improves in July
U.S. consumer confidence in July registered at 117, increasing 6.9 points from June and marking the highest index in two years, according to The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index. The index measuring current business and labor market conditions rose 4.7 points to 160 in July. The short-term outlook index for income, business and the labor markets grew
June U.S. Home Sales Dip
U.S. sales of new single-family homes in June were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 697,000, decreasing 2.5% from May but 23.8% higher than the comparable month in 2022. The seasonally adjusted estimate of new homes for sale at the end of June was 432,000, representing a 7.4-month supply at the current sales rate.
New Home Demand Up in Q2
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) second-quarter 2023 Housing Trends Report reported that new construction demand rose to 25%, up four percentage points from the first quarter. While all regions had growth, the West saw the largest boost in demand, with an increase of 11 percentage points to 32%. See NAHB
Q1 2023 U.S. Hotel Construction Pipeline Strengthens
The latest U.S. Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report by Lodging Econometrics reported second quarter 2023 hotel projects totaled 5,572, increasing 7% compared to the same period in 2022. Total hotel rooms under construction rose 6% from Q2 2022 to 660,061. Projects in the early planning stages decreased 6.4% from Q1 to 2,278 with 257,785 rooms.
June U.S. Kitchen and Bath Cabinet Sales Grow Month-over-Month
U.S. kitchen and bath cabinet sales in June were $246.8 million, 3% lower than the comparable month in 2022 but up 4.5% from May, according to the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association’s (KCMA) monthly “Trend of Business” member survey. The number of cabinets sold decreased 16.7% compared to June 2022 but increased 5.8% from May. Semi-custom