An aggressive overseas marketing strategy is “more important than ever” to boost demand for British Columbia’s (BC) wood products, according to forests minister Pat Bell.
The volume of BC wood products sold in China more than doubled during 2007 and has already surpassed that figure during the period January to September, according to the ministry of forests and range, with other Asian markets also strong.
Forestry Innovation Investment, the government agency supporting the BC forest sector, has earmarked C$11.5m for market and product development, with industry and federal contributions set to push this figure closer to C$27m.
“More than 80% of BC wood products are sold outside Canada,” said Mr Bell.
“With the downturn in the US, it is more important than ever to promote BC wood products aggressively in overseas markets.”
Mr Bell added a recent trade mission to China showed the growing commercial use of BC wood in roof truss systems to renovate older housing stock, with BC “now ready to build on these initial successes and further refine our strategies and sell more BC lumber in China”.
