Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau - PLIB

06/01/2026

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!!

06/01/2026

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

05/19/2026

🪵 New Product Alert!
We’ve just launched an exciting new training tool—and it’s available now on our website! Our new lumber Grade Sleeves are designed to make training easier, more interactive, and more effective for new graders.

✨ What makes them great?
✔ Easy-to-use sleeves that slide right over dry lumber
✔ Color-coded visuals for knot placement and grading
✔ Covers multiple grade types
✔ Works with dry-erase markers for hands-on learning
Whether you’re teaching, learning, or refining your skills, this is a must-have training aid!

👉 Check it out and grab yours today: https://plib.org/resources/publications/plib-store/

05/05/2026

Rules-writing agencies play an essential role in the structural lumber system—developing and maintaining the design values that engineers rely on for safe and efficient design.

In that context, the Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau (PLIB) is pleased to share a recent update. PLIB has developed design values for Norway spruce and Scots pine dimensional lumber sourced from Poland, and these values have now been approved by the Board of Review of the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC).

This milestone reflects the collaborative work required to bring new species and sources into the framework of recognized design standards, while maintaining consistency and reliability across the system. We appreciate the contributions of all involved in this process.

For those with questions about specific design values or how they compare, PLIB’s Design Values Comparison Calculator (https://lnkd.in/dtFenUcg) is available as a helpful resource. Pictured are examples for a quality mark on Scots pine indicating that the lumber production has been audited by PLIB for conformance to the National Grading Rules.

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04/28/2026

PLIB participated in a trade mission to Monterrey, Mexico with the Softwood Export Council and Members. The trade mission aligned perfectly with our PLIB Mission to Serve, Advance, and Support our Members, their customers and product end users. The group met with leading importers/ wholesalers in the state of Nuevo Leon, where they toured wholesaler yards and discussed major softwood species and grades used in the pallet, formwork, and furniture sectors. During a workshop at the Universidad de Monterrey in conjunction with the School of Packaging and Design, PLIB North American Regional Manager, John Hamilton, and Special Programs Manager, Ben Haynes, gave presentations on US softwood species, grades, and phytosanitary regulations for wood packaging materials (WPM). Attendees enjoyed the opportunity to work with a certified lumber grader while using samples provided by Forestal BGA, S.A. de C.V.. Members and participants included Max Heller, Sean Coughlin, Javier Tijerina, Rose Braden, Utah Lumber, Christy Hollenback, Hector Dimas, Elliazar Lopez, Jose Payes.

PLIB participated in a trade mission to Monterrey, Mexico with the Softwood Export Council and Members. The trade mission aligned perfectly with our PLIB Mission to Serve, Advance, and Support our Members, their customers and product end users. The group met with leading importers/ wholesalers in th...

04/20/2026

PLIB’s Kelly Clifford and Bruce Bajema conducted grading demonstrations in cooperation with Mobile Dimension Sawmill a manufacturer of portable sawmills, at the Skagit County Fairgrounds Wood Show this weekend. The event showcased some incredible wood art as well as woodworking and sawing equipment for the wood craftsperson and portable sawmill industry. PLIB demonstrations highlighted our Transient (on-demand, on-site) lumber grading service which is well known throughout the region. Through this service, portable sawmills can have lumber graded and stamped or certificated by a PLIB inspector for a nominal fee. More information on this service is available in our brochure: https://plib.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PLIB-Transient-Grading-10-2019.pdf.

To schedule service, contact Kelly Clifford at 253-835-3344 or [email protected].

04/20/2026

Before the welcome reception of the Mass Timber Conference, PLIB staff, in cooperation with the Softwood Export Council (SEC), took a group of visitors from Mexico and Dominican Republic to tour the glulam facilities at Rosboro and ZIP-O-LAMINATORS LLC. Interest is high in Mexico to build with glulam and find stable supplies and we were excited to introduce these influential designers and importers to our members.

Before the welcome reception of the Mass Timber Conference, PLIB staff, in cooperation with the Softwood Export Council (SEC), took a group of visitors from Mexico and Dominican Republic to tour the glulam facilities at Rosboro and ZIP-O-LAMINATORS LLC. Interest is high in Mexico to build with glula...

04/06/2026

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

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

12/27/2025

If you can help, or know someone who can, please share this information.

It is with great hesitation that I write this. Many people have reached out about ways to help. It is becoming quite clear that we are facing a difficult situation beyond anything we have ever experienced in previous flood events. This is historic. We lost about half of our stored hay for the cattle as well as 9 greenhouses used by the small farmers who rent space at Chinook Farms. We also lost our bridge coming into the farm and about 1500 pounds of meat in our walk-in freezer. I will add pictures in the comments.

If you think the work we do is important and would like to help us, please consider making a financial donation to Food Bank Farm, a 501-C-3 non-profit. Helping them will in turn help Chinook Farms!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E4BA5AF23A6F58-53335669-microsoft #/

We will also have some upcoming work “parties” on Sunday afternoons starting on December 28th from 2-5 pm for 5 weeks Just show up and wear your boots! These events will be orchestrated by our partners Food Bank Farm.

12/18/2025

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].