Letter from the Chairman & CEO

This past year marked significant wins for our industry. Together, we focused our efforts on AWC’s core competencies and advanced policy, education, codes, and standards that strengthened markets, safeguarded material choice, and positioned wood products as key solutions to housing affordability and sustainability.

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Understanding the Impact

AWC’s advocacy spans the federal and state levels, and throughout 2025, engaging in a wide variety of issues important to our industry. At the federal level, AWC helped LIHTC get through a chaotic Congress and was included in the One Big Beautiful Bill, significantly increasing demand for structural wood products. At the state level, AWC continues to fight proactively against legislation that could be harmful to wood products while seeking legislative opportunities to support new markets.

Understanding the Impact

Over the last year, AWC engaged on a number of regulations important to our industry, from securing a key win on the formaldehyde risk assessment to testifying before the House Subcommittee on the Environment on the realities of permitting gridlock under the Clean Air Act and PM NAAQS. Our work is protecting mills’ ability to continue to run, showcasing our industry’s commitment to safety and demonstrating the crucial impact our mills have on our local and national economies.

Understanding the Impact

AWC’s Markets and Sustainability team spent the year updating valuable industry EPDs and engaging in the development process for important sustainability standards. Most notably, the team secured a key win in the finalization of the ISO 13391 process, which offers an alternative to organizational greenhouse gas reporting. Our work in sustainability helps demonstrate the sustainable practices of our industry and the inherent sustainability of our products through transparent, robust data that enables the industry to dispel misconceptions and pursue new opportunities for market access.

Understanding the Impact

AWC continued to mark wins in the 2027 I-code process, ensuring wood products are treated fairly in code updates and preventing attempts by other industries to discredit their performance. While managing a busy schedule of I-code hearings and comments, AWC led education efforts on Wildland-Urban Interface issues including direct engagement on the ground after the January wildfires in California and as experts on multiple presentations at conferences and webinars.

Understanding the Impact

AWC’s leadership in developing and updating ANSI-approved consensus-based wood design standards – and in shaping seismic, wind, and wildfire criteria across other organizations – directly strengthens the future of wood construction. Our research and testing are driving national conversations on resiliency, influencing how other standards bodies treat wood products, and ensuring designers have clear, science-based pathways to use wood safely and efficiently. This work is vital to protect market access and expand opportunities for wood in the building codes.

Understanding the Impact

The Fire Service Engagement team continues to solidify its place as a leading expert in fire safety, code compliance, and education. That trust helps prevent misinformation after incidents, strengthens code literacy among decision-makers, and supports fair acceptance of wood in fire and building codes.