October is a busy time for the wood products industry. There are not one but three weeks dedicated to national observances important to the safe built environment.
Sunday, Oct. 7 – Saturday, Oct. 13: National Fire Prevention Week
The National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Prevention Week works to educate children, adults, and teachers how to stay safe in the event of a fire. This year’s theme is, “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere,” highlights the importance of best practices in preventing fires. Participate in the week through some of the following activities:
- Review the Construction Fire Safety Coalition Best Practices: The Coalition provides background information and identifies best management practices regarding how to reduce the frequency and severity of fires during construction. Review the materials at constructionfiresafety.org/fire-safety-manuals.
- Social Media: Join AWC this week in using the #FirePreventionWeek and #FireSafety hashtags on social media.
Monday, Oct. 15 – Friday, Oct. 19: World Standards Week
World Standards Week highlights the critical role of both technical standards and those involved in their development. This year’s theme, “Innovation Nation,” is timely, as the wood products industry has seen an increased focus on innovation, most recently resulting in interest in using mass timber in tall and mid-rise buildings.
AWC is also an accredited standards producer on behalf of the industry, and our latest standards are all available at awc.org, including:
- 2018 National Design Specification® (NDS®) for Wood Construction: Provisions for design with wood products including graded lumber, structural glued laminated timber, timber piles and poles, prefabricated I-joists, structural composite lumber, wood structural panels, and cross-laminated timber.
- 2018 Wood Frame Construction Manual (WFCM): Design and construction provisions for connections, wall systems, floor systems, and roof systems in one- and two-family dwellings. A range of structural elements are covered, including sawn lumber, structural glued laminated timber, wood structural sheathing, I-joists, and trusses.
- 2015 Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic (SDPWS): Provides criteria for proportioning, designing, and detailing engineered wood systems, members, and connections in lateral force resisting systems. Nominal shear capacities of diaphragms and shear walls are provided for reference assemblies.
- 2015 Permanent Wood Foundation Design Specification (PWF): Addresses structural design requirements of wood foundations for light-frame construction, including residential buildings.
Sunday, Oct. 21 – Saturday, Oct. 27: National Forest Products Week
National Forest Products Week is a time for us to celebrate our industry and discuss the function of sustainable forestry and carbon sequestration in our products in mitigating atmospheric carbon that contribute to greenhouse gases. These concepts are helping tall mass timber buildings gain significant traction in the United States and Canada – with more and more architects opting for a sustainable solution for attaining safe, cost-effective, high-performing tall buildings in urban-dense settings.
Activities in recognition of National Forest Products Week in which you might want to participate include:
- International Code Council (ICC) Annual Conference: AWC will have a booth at the ICC’s Annual Conference held Oct. 21-29 in Richmond, VA. Come find us to learn more about wood products and the tall mass timber code change proposals.
- Economic Impact: You can find the economic impact the wood products industry has on your state on AWC’s website: http://awc.org/publicpolicy/statefactsheets.
- Social Media: Join AWC in using the #ForestProductsWeek hashtag on social media.
AWC appreciates the opportunity presented by these national observance weeks to promote fire safety and celebrate the innovation currently happening in the wood products industry, and around the world.