First, the plywood-using industry needed more availability and consistent color in high-quality Alder veneer faces.  Plywood-using manufacturers were expressing dissatisfaction across North America to all the hardwood manufacturers. 

As a result, manufacturers have been scrambling, looking for lumber-sliced and log-sliced options, both domestically and overseas.  However, because Alder takes special handling to ensure color consistency, this widespread sourcing, especially of veneers produced straight from logs, contributed to dissatisfaction in the marketplace.   

Enter the team…Cascade Hardwood, the industry-leading Alder lumber manufacturer, has recently made significant investments in technology at both its sawmills that have sharply improved the ability to identify the logs containing the high-quality wood fiber needed for the better grade Alder faces.  Murphy Plywood sought a solution, and after just one initial meeting, it was apparent the two companies could craft a wide-ranging solution that the industry was crying out for.  As a result, the Emerald Color-Matched program is here…. 

Murphy Plywood, the leading supplier of Alder plywood in North America, and Cascade Hardwood, the leading multi-mill operator of Alder sawmills in the Pacific Northwest, have created a strategic alliance for the production and marketing of Western Red Alder plywood and lumber. The new “Emerald Color-Matched” program will provide manufacturers and distributors unprecedented, high-volume access to coordinated product grades and colors to benefit their customers and significantly increase sales.