US Commerce Secretary Donald Evans has appointed Bruce Scholnick, president of the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA), to the American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC). Mac Grimes, general manager of Pallet Resources of North Carolina (and also an NWPCA member), has been named an alternate to the committee. Both terms run until 2005.

The committee's primary role is to set the standards and inspection procedures used in grading lumber. It is a standing committee of the National Institute of Standards and Technology for the Commerce Department. Other representatives on the 22-member committee include lumber producers, resellers, inspectors and associations, such as Weyerhauser, Wood Materials & Engineering Laboratory, The Home Depot, and The Southern Pine Inspection Bureau. Scholnick says he will be looking after the interests of pallet manufacturers and end users during his term on the committee.

"I will work to assure that there will be a quality supply of lumber for the pallet marketplace," he says.

The ALSC also directs compliance issues for heat treating and marking wooden pallets for international shipping. NWPCA has been a leader in promoting pallet treatment efforts and has long endorsed fumigation as an alternate to heat treatment. NWPCA will soon be taking on the task of serving as the program manager for fumigation on behalf of the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.