Promotion Of BC Wood Products In Japan Highly Successful

Twenty representatives of British Columbia's forest industry are in Japan this week promoting the benefits of the province's wood products as a part of B.C.'s largest trade mission in Asia to date.

During meetings with Japanese architects, lumber buyers, and real estate developers today, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister, Steve Thomson announced that Canada will be donating $2 million towards Japan’s re-construction efforts.

The $2 million donation is in addition to the $1 million that was already donated to the Red Cross earlier this year. Of the just announced donation, $500,000 will be in the form of forestry products from B.C., which will be used to help re-build a community facility in Japan that will serve humanitarian needs.

For decades, Japan has been one of B.C. forestry's more valuable customers, and this latest contribution is a demonstration of Canada’s continued commitment to strengthening the relationship.

Currently there are three major real estate developments in Asia, including one in Shanghai featuring 98 single-family homes, being used to showcase BC forestry technologies, techniques, and high-quality wood products.

Each is gaining a lot of interest, said Thomson.

“Japan is focused on reducing its carbon footprint so there is a significant uptake in interest to build wood-framed buildings, particularly for use in commercial projects,” he added.

“We expect we will see this continued growth in demand as both China and Japan are undergoing the tremendous process of green urbanization."

The continued success of B.C. lumber products in Asia markets should translate into more jobs and increased activity for the province’s forestry sector, concluded Thomson.

Promoting BC’s lumber both in China (earlier this week) and Japan is a joint effort between the Forestry Innovation Investment (FII)—a provincial market development agency for forest products, and the Canada Wood Group.

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