Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau - PLIB

PLIB staff attended the Portland Wholesale Lumber Association sawmill tour last Thursday and had a great time touring Superior Wood Treating (Manke Lumber Co Inc - Sumner) and Manke Lumber Company Inc to learn all about how the manufacturing side of our industry works. It was a fantastic opportunity to see behind the scenes and get a picture of where it all begins with lumber. We are very grateful to PWLA and Manke Lumber for the opportunity!!

The recent meeting of the PLIB Grade and Technical Committee highlighted the important role that member engagement plays in the continuous development of lumber grading standards.
The Committee provides a forum for PLIB members to actively contribute to the rules and standards that underpin the North American lumber industry. Many of the recent changes to the National Grading Rules originated as proposals from PLIB members and were developed through the collaborative work of this committee.

At the May meeting, discussions focused on several grading clarifications, including knot size definitions for knots occurring in finger-jointed lumber. These types of technical reviews help ensure that grading requirements remain clear, consistent, and practical for producers, customers, and inspectors alike.

Standards and grading rules are living documents that must evolve alongside industry practices, manufacturing technologies, and market needs. PLIB is grateful for the dedication and expertise of the committee members who generously contribute their time and knowledge to this process.

Thank you to all participants for helping strengthen the standards that support confidence, consistency, and quality throughout the lumber industry.

binderholz group Freres Wood Fritch Mill Ilim Timber Germany Mercer Mass Timber Roseburg Forest Products RSG Forest Products Southport Lumber Tolko Industries Ltd. Weyerhaeuser @ Zip-O-Log Mills, Inc

PLIB has launched the Fundamentals of Lumber Grading, a comprehensive introductory online training course providing detailed foundational knowledge of lumber grading. This is the first of several training programs PLIB plans to offer on the agency's new Education and Training website. Learn more here: https://plib.org/fundamentals-of-lumber-grading-now-live/

If you are interested in learning how to grade, or would like to sign your staff up for a group training, please check out the program on the education site: https://education.plib.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkEjYGru0iE

Online Grader Training Program Our on-demand courses will prepare graders to identify lumber characteristics, accurately apply grading rules, and transition confidently to hands-on trainin...

PLIB proposes changes to NGR

One of the advantages of PLIB membership is the opportunity to participate on one or more of PLIB’s nine committees. An active committee is PLIB’s Grade and Technical Committee, where members can have a voice in developing PLIB’s grading rules and technical standards. Committee members discuss grading and technical issues that members or staff are facing and sometimes the open discussion leads to suggestions for changing the grading rules or technical standards that members use regularly. This summer, the National Grading Rule (NGR) Committee met in Chicago to review a wide range of proposed changes to the rules or interpretations of the NGR, and quite a few of these originated from the PLIB Grade and Technical Committee. Some of the items brought to the table by PLIB included language to clarify how to measure and interpret through shake, interpretation on the frequency of allowable holes in a piece, and interpretation for measuring surface shake in the grade of STUD. Any recommended changes from the NGR Committee must be approved by the full ALS Committee, which meets in November.

Most of PLIB’s committees are open to all PLIB Members, so if you are a PLIB Member and would like to be a part of the conversation, we welcome your participation. To join our Grade and Technical Committee or any of our other committees, contact Jeff Fantozzi at [email protected].