MLB Membership Application
In order to become a member of the Maritime Lumber Bureau, please complete a membership application.
Your Association – Its Purpose
The Maritime Lumber Bureau was organized on September 7, 1938. Its initial purpose was to coordinate both large and small units dispersed throughout the industry into a more orderly plan of marketing, to collect and compile information on lumber prices and stocks and to distribute this information to the industry at regular intervals.
Almost 60 years later, the Maritime Lumber Bureau is still facilitating the cooperation among “Lumber People” to ensure effective plans of action.
The basic aims of the MLB have been maintained and we are now developing new horizons in keeping with our challenging times.
Organization
The Bureau is made up of a voluntary membership of:
- Sawmill Operators
- Dressing Mills
- Wholesalers
- Exporters
- Equipment Suppliers
- Brokers
- Banks
throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario, the New England States, and the United Kingdom. Primary producers are located in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and the state of Maine.
There are 18 directors elected from the members for a three year term plus one each from the forestry departments of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island governments.
A central headquarters for the Maritimes is maintained in the Training and Administration Building at Fort Lawrence, near Amherst, on the New Brunswick – Nova Scotia Border. The office is manned by a President, a Chief Inspector, and a small office and field staff.
The Bureau’s grading authority extends through the whole of North America, but exists primarily in the Maritimes and Eastern United States.
Goals of the Maritime Lumber Bureau
The MLB has several goals and objectives for the forest industry. Some of these are as follows:
- To maintain grading standards to protect members’ positions in the marketplace and with the consumer.
- To provide information to its members and the general public, in order to maintain a competitive position for members’ product
- To provide a forum for members to express their ideas and exchange knowledge. onsultation between members strengthens the association.
- To promote:
- The cause of better forest management, protection, and use
- The manufacturer and distribution of forest products
- To serve as liaison between producers and governments and general regulatory bodies in order to influence and/or ameliorate the effects of laws and regulations
- To provide a link with other industry organizations in order to represent the Bureau’s membership and expand the Bureau’s sphere of influence
- To act as a clearing house for information on the industry and maintain or increase the market share
Who are Members?
In general, the membership of the MLB is comprised of people with an interest in lumber, people who realize and respect one of the Eastern Canada’s crucial natural and renewable resources.
MLB Services You, The Member
- Bi-monthly meetings are held by the Maritime Lumber Bureau. These meetings serve to keep the industry up to date with an exchange of relative information and ideas and ensure a more coordinated effort.
- MLB trains and supervises graders to maintain an orderly, standardized system of grading.
- The MLB is dedicated to trade promotion wherever it is needed.
- Significant information concerning the industry is collected and is available to you, the member
- Seminars are arranged and sponsored by the MLB to ensure that the members are continually aware of updated information and knowledge.
- The MLB maintains close contact with Government departments both at the Provincial level and various departments at the Federal level.
- Each spring the MLB hosts an Annual Convention attended by representatives from all aspects of the lumber industry. This is your convention, providing delegates with an ideal forum for interaction among members and affiliates.
There is Strength in Unity
“To tackle our problems alone is a lost cause – for best results we must work with and through the Association”
This concept is credible and one that can be applied to many situations. A single voice is often unheard, a group usually provokes response. The Maritime Lumber Bureau is a unified body dedicated to effective action to promote the lumber Industry.
There is strength and unity in numbers and the MLB has the potential to become stronger.
Active membership and support ensure a successfull plan of action for the on-going process of continued development and success for the lumber industry in the Maritimes.
Maritime Lumber Bureau Affiliations
Effective action must be maintained so as to attain optimum benefits for the lumber industry. The MLB provides individual service in this capacity with additional benefits deriving from MLB membership in various related organizations. These associations provide an important information flow necessary for continued growth in the lumber industry.
The Canadian Lumber Standards is an organization responsible for policy and quality control standards for all softwood lumber throughout Canada.
Canadian Wood Council, the lumber industry’s technical work is performed by the CWC. The CWC acts for the Canadian Industry inbuilding codes, fire regulations, and product standards assuring maximum potential of forest products. Coordination of engineering research, fire behavior and performance, student education, and communications are examples of some of the activities of the CWC. The U.S. Activities Committee is an affiliate of the CWC serving to maintain American acceptance of our Canadian products.
National Lumber Grades Authority is the Canadian rules writing authority. All canadian producers are represented by the NLGA. The NLGA writes, publishers, and distributes the national grade rules for softwood lumber.
The MLB is One of 17 Grading Agencies in Canada
The quality of grade Stamped products is controlled to ensure that the end products meet minimum specified standards. Overall control is the responsibility of the Canadian Lumber Standards Accreditation Board, which reports to the Canadian Standards Association.
The Maritime Lumber Bureau is one of seventeen grading agencies licensed by the Canadian Lumber Standards to train and supervise graders for the application of the National Lumber Grades Authority standards.
Since 1970, the American Lumber Standards monitor any MLB member shipping to the United States in the same manner as the CLS.
Add Value to Your Product
Mills using certified grade marks applied by qualified lumber graders have an edge on the market. Grade stamped lumber provides a protection for buyer and seller in case of complaints.
Producing Mills have an edge on adding value to their product with qualfied personnel sorting their product into the proper end uses. “One foot saved is one foot gained”. One thousand fbm per week will more than pay membership dues to the Maritime Lumber Bureau.
Member interest in the fields of building codes, product standards, and engineering design in wood are fully protected. The MLB facilitates this protection by its membership and involvement in the applicable associations.