SFPA History

For more than a century, the Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA) has left lasting footprints in the sands of time. From its early roots in forest management to its modern leadership in global lumber promotion, SFPA’s story is one of resilience, innovation, and unwavering service to the Southern Pine lumber industry.

Founding and Early Years

Founded in 1915 as the Southern Pine Association, this nonprofit trade association united manufacturers across the Southern United States around a common goal: to promote the quality and sustainability of Southern Pine lumber. 

While the organization officially changed its name to the Southern Forest Products Association in 1970, its founding principle — Service — has remained unchanged and continues to define SFPA’s mission today.

In the early 1900s, fears of a timber famine loomed large. SFPA’s founders — visionary leaders and pioneers of forestry in the South — championed the then-radical idea of forest management. 

Though initially met with skepticism, their commitment helped spark a transformation in Southern forestry practices, restoring vigor and sustainability to the region’s timberlands.

Quality, Innovation, and Leadership

SFPA’s legacy of “firsts” began early. 

In 1924, it became the first lumber manufacturers’ association to officially adopt grade-marking, setting a new standard for quality assurance. 

Just five years later, in 1929, the organization incorporated maximum moisture content limits for framing lumber — another industry milestone that helped ensure product performance and reliability.

The association’s commitment to quality brought government scrutiny. In 1940, a federal consent decree required the creation of the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau (SPIB) to oversee grading and quality control separately from promotional activities. SPIB was established as an independent entity and relocated to Pensacola, Florida, in 1969. 

More than five decades later, in 1996, the decree was dissolved after a successful legal challenge by SFPA, affirming that the original order had outlived its purpose.

Growth Through Conservation and Innovation

During World War II, SFPA was recognized nationally for its service to the war effort, receiving the American Trade Association Executives’ top award for outstanding industry contribution. 

In 1942, the association also introduced the Tree Farm program to the South, promoting sustainable forestry by encouraging landowners to grow, harvest, and replant trees as renewable crops.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, SFPA continued to advocate for reforestation and the development of America’s “Third Forest,” ensuring a sustainable timber supply for generations to come.

Advancing Technology and Efficiency

In 1950, SFPA launched the first Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Exposition (EXPO) to promote technological advancement and mechanical efficiency in the industry.

EXPO is a tradition that continues to this day, bringing together the full spectrum of wood products professionals under one roof and connecting manufacturers, suppliers, and sawmills around the world. 

For more than 70 years, Forest Products EXPO has been the heartbeat of the wood products manufacturing community — where face-to-face connections spark new partnerships, strengthen relationships, and turn opportunities into success stories.

Modernization and Market Expansion

As the Southern Pine industry evolved, SFPA adapted. The economic challenges of the early 1980s inspired the Marketing Marathons of the mid-1980s — two five-year campaigns designed to expand demand through trade advertising, consumer outreach, and partnerships with allied wood organizations. 

These efforts paid off: Southern Pine production rose nearly 50%, from 10.49 billion board feet in 1985 to 15.01 billion in 1994.

Facing growing competition from steel, concrete, and plastic in the 1990s, SFPA pivoted again, launching the VISION 2000 program to sustain market share and develop new opportunities for Southern Pine in structural and specialty applications.

Entering the 21st Century

By 2005, Southern Pine production reached a modern-era record of 19 billion board feet — a testament to the resilience of the industry and the continued strength of SFPA’s promotional and educational initiatives.

Today, SFPA stands as the trusted voice of the Southern Pine lumber community. Through technical publications, market research, international trade missions, and the Forest Products EXPO, SFPA continues to connect, inform, and promote a thriving, sustainable industry that remains a cornerstone of American construction.

Legacy of Service

From its founding principle of Service to its present-day mission of global promotion and education, the Southern Forest Products Association continues to embody a century-long commitment: to support its members, strengthen the Southern Pine industry, and advance the use of one of the world’s most versatile and renewable building materials.