Housing for the 21st Century -- Building Smart is Theme for June 27 Housing Focus Session at the...

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- Green building standards, renewable and non-renewable resources, durable building products, and a holistic approach to construction are among the topics slated to challenge and engage professionals in building and related industries at the Forest Products Society's

The 60th anniversary of the Forest Products Society conference will be held June 25-28, 2006 in Newport Beach, Calif.

The keynote address for the Housing Focus session on June 27 will be presented by building science consultant Dr. Joe Lstiburek, principal of the Boston-based Building Science Corporation. A noted building science expert, Lstiburek will address durability and energy efficient construction techniques and challenges facing the industry. Dr. Lstiburek has authored numerous books and technical papers and has appeared on PBS' NOVA series.

The convention's "Housing Focus Day" on Tuesday, June 27 will consist of four speakers in addition to Dr. Lstiburek, including:

--Ruben Grijalva, California State Fire Marshal and Acting Director, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and Assistant California State Fire Marshal Kate Dargan, will describe new building codes for homes built in wildland urban interface areas and new performance-based building standards.

--Ann Edminster, Architect and Co-chair of U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) committee, to discuss sustainability, green and LEED construction issues.

--Dr. Jim Bowyer, University of Minnesota College of Natural Resources, will address Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) measurements and worldwide raw material trends.

To register, contact Julie Lang, Conferences & Meetings Director, Forest Products Society, 2801 Marshall Court, Madison, WI 53705-2295, Phone: 608-231-1361, ext. 208, Fax: 608-231-2152, e-mail: conferences@forestprod.org

The Forest Products Society is an international not-for-profit technical association founded in 1947 to provide an information network for all segments of the forest products industry -- from standing tree to finished product. It has more than 3,000 members worldwide.