History of PFPA
Pennsylvania Forest Products Association
A Brief History
Prior to 1980
Pennsylvania sawmill owners, being fiercely independent, saw their fellow mill owners only as competitors and not as allies. A mill owner would not dream of going onto the property of another mill owner or working together on issues of common interest.
HLMA Founded
This perspective changed in 1980, when a group of sawmill owners founded the Hardwood Lumber Manufacturers Association of Pennsylvania. A number of Pennsylvania mill owners recognized that if they wanted beneficial changes to laws and regulations burdening the industry, they would have to stand up and work together for these changes. They realized that they could work together for the common interests of the industry while still competing economically as independent businesses. The first organizational meeting took place at a hotel in South Williamsport. The group named their organization the Hardwood Lumber Manufacturers Association of Pennsylvania (HLMA). Startup funds were committed by sawmills and a Board of Directors was formed. Originally, only sawmills operating in Pennsylvania were eligible to join HLMA, as the Board did not want to dilute the focus of the organization. In its infancy, the membership of the Association was modest. Membership grew over the years, as sawmills saw the effectiveness of the Association. One of HLMA’s first legislative accomplishments was the repeal of the state sales tax on firewood sales. HLMA representatives were invited by Governor Thornburgh to the formal signing of this law. As the years progressed, the Association gained recognition as the voice of the industry before the Pennsylvania General Assembly and regulatory agencies and its list of legislative and regulatory successes grew steadily. The Association currently represents the forest products industry on nearly two dozen key state government policy and advisory committees.
First Trade Show
In 1983, the Board decided to hold a timber industry trade show to bring sawmill operators and loggers together to see the latest equipment. In these early years, it was a major source of revenue for the Association and provided an opportunity to recruit new members. The Timber Show was initially an annual event, held at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds. Later the show became a biennial event. The Timber Show has been held in York, Clearfield, and Harrisburg. Since 2005, this biennial exposition has been held at the Ag Progress Days site in Rock Springs. Our most recent Timber Show took place in 2021, drawing over 70 exhibitors and approximately 2,000 participants, which was notable in its success as one of the first major events in Pennsylvania since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evolution of PFPA
In 2003, HLMA formally changed its name to the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association to better reflect the group's diverse membership. Previously an exclusive sawmill group, the organization now represents diverse sectors of the industry. From loggers, foresters, forest landowners, and concentration and distribution yards. It includes secondary manufacturing such as cabinet, furniture, and flooring manufacturers, paper mills, fiberboard mills, and pallet mills. Members also include companies providing equipment and services to the forest products industry.
Changes of Headquarters
At the end of 2007, PFPA moved its offices from Hershey to downtown Harrisburg. In late-2020 the PFPA relocated once again to a location on Third Street immediately across the street from the Pennsylvania Capitol Complex. The new office strategically positions PFPA staff footsteps from many of the leaders, policymakers and agencies most important to the interests of PFPA’s membership.
Real American Hardwood Coalition Founded
In 2019, PFPA joined several other associations from across the country to become a founding member of the Real American Hardwood Coalition, an industry-led effort to promote to consumers the superior beauty, durability and sustainability of authentic hardwood products over our competitors. This initiative is positioned to start reaching consumers in 2022.
PA SFI 25th Anniversary
In 2020, the Pennsylvania Sustainable Forestry Initiative (PA SFI) Implementation Committee marked its 25th Anniversary. PA SFI is the primary provider of logger training in Pennsylvania and supports landowner outreach programming. Over 7,000 individuals have participated in PA SFI logger training since 1996. PFPA serves as the sponsoring organization of PA SFI and the PA SFI Implementation Committee is a non-board committee of the PFPA.