WASHINGTON — Single-family home construction declined across all geographic regions in the first quarter of 2026 due to economic uncertainty, high material costs and elevated interest rates, while multifamily construction showed growth in most areas, according to the latest findings from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Home Building Geography Index (HBGI).

The Education Foundation of the Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWIEF) recently awarded scholarships totaling $80,000 in support of students whose academic curricula are preparing them for careers in the architectural woodwork industry. The funds benefited students who hail from 12 schools.

Builders FirstSource announced the acquisition of Precision Design and Trim, an installation business serving the Boise, Idaho, market. Founded in 2006 by Eric Brant and Frank Knight, Precision Design and Trim provides high-quality finish work for new home construction.

The Ontario government is investing more than $14 million to build a modern, digital system to inventory the province’s forest resources, giving industry access to better information to invest, grow and create jobs.

A forestry firm and a stair and railings company got hit in the pocketbook for allegedly violating foreign workers' rights.

British Columbia's secondary wood manufacturing firms showed low efficiency for most of the business types, and performance consistently lagged sawmill and panel sectors, with a “significant downward divergence” observed since the financial crisis, according to a study by Lili Sun, Rico Chan and Bryan Bogdanski of Natural Resources Canada’s Pacific Forestry Centre. 

Ellis-Reid, a premier architectural millwork and interior detailing company serving luxury residential projects throughout the Carolinas, has appointed Ernest Benton as its chief operating officer.

Since 2022, national charity Forests Canada and the Greenbelt Foundation have partnered to plant 750,000 trees and now have their sights set on hitting the one-million-tree milestone in the fall after announcing the planting of another 250,000 trees in the Greenbelt this year.

Decks & Docks Company, a distributor of composite decking and outdoor living building products, has acquired J&W Lumber, a provider of outdoor building materials throughout Southern California. This transaction represents a significant milestone in Decks & Docks’ ongoing geographic expansion as it embarks on its West Coast expansion through J&W’s six retail locations.