In May, a group of 13 US softwood lumber suppliers and trade association representatives participated in a week-long trade mission to Monterrey and Tijuana organized by the Softwood Export Council (SEC). The group met with wooden pallet and packaging producers and importer-distributors during visits to manufacturing facilities and distribution yards. Preliminary sales reported within one month of the mission totaled $670,000 and companies project $4.16 million in sales by the end of 2023. 

Demand for US softwood lumber to Mexico is increasing at an unprecedented rate. A number of factors are contributing to this trend including Chinese manufacturer nearshoring, low labor rates, limited domestic lumber supply as a result of cartel related violence, positive impacts of the US-Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), and the logistical advantages of a shared border with the US. Years of education about US species have also paid off with Mexican producers reporting that they prefer the characteristics of US species to domestic or South American species. From 2017 to 2022, US softwood lumber exports to Mexico increased 66%, far surpassing growth in any other market. Mexico is now the number one international market for US softwood lumber, totaling $282 million in 2022.
 
To create opportunities for US suppliers, SEC led its first Mexico trade mission in May. Twelve US softwood suppliers and association representatives visited some of the largest distributors and pallet manufacturers in Monterrey and Tijuana, two leading Mexico markets for US softwood lumber. Over 65 importers and manufacturers also attended seminars and receptions where speakers presented information about US softwood lumber grades and trends affecting US softwood lumber availability and competitiveness in Mexico. Mission participants rated the mission highly. 

SEC will hold a follow up mission to Mexico in May 2024.  See SEC's international events calendar for more information. 
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In October, SEC led a group of eleven US lumber industry suppliers and association staff to on a business development and education mission to Bangkok, Thailand.  Goals for the group were to learn about the Thai market for softwood lumber in remanufacturing and construction use, to develop long term supplier relationships with Thai builders, furniture and millwork manufacturers, and importers and distributors. The group also sought to understand competition from other international suppliers, issues facing Thai manufacturers and builders, and key issues facing Thailand’s wood processing and construction industries. 
 
The seminar was attended by local developers, importers, and manufacturers who have experience importing wood products from North America.  Presentations included an introduction to US species and their applications, and a presentation about the installation of preservative treated modular wood housing in Hawaii. The latter presentation specifically addressed the steps needed and feasibility of building with US softwood species in humid, insect-prone environments.

A representative from the University of Washington presented preliminary results of ground contact tests of US preservative treated wood installed in Thailand, and a member of the US delegation spoke about a large-scale pre-cut housing facility in the Philippines to illustrate the possibility of producing pre-cut housing with US species in Thailand.

During the rest of the week, the group toured manufacturing facilities for pallets, windows and doors, and mouldings, and they met with a builder/developer who participated in a past SEC inbound mission. Within one month of the mission, a US supplier reported selling product valued at over $100,000 and other mission members reported making contacts that they expect to lead to sales. 

In July, the Softwood Export Council hosted a group of eight softwood lumber buyers from Pakistan as part of a U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service sponsored mission to introduce U.S. softwood products, grades, quality control, and sustainability. The group also participated in networking sessions and mill tours meet U.S. suppliers.    

Pakistan is the region’s leading log and lumber buyer, yet prior to 2015 most buyers were unfamiliar with U.S. softwood species. To develop the market, SEC used Emerging Markets Program funds to identify market opportunities and educate importers and end users about U.S. species.  During the project SEC identified opportunities for Eastern White Pine from the Northeastern and Midwestern U.S.  FAS-Islamabad used Cochran funds to host inbound buyer missions from Pakistan in 2016 and 2018 where participants learned about U.S. manufacturing processes, quality control, how to specify softwood lumber. The group also met with U.S. suppliers during receptions. When SEC and lumber importers were unable to travel due to COVID restrictions, SEC and FAS-Islamabad held virtual exchanges for U.S. and Pakistan traders. 

Pakistan is particularly important to U.S. producers since many buyers prefer low grade lumber that is considered a by-product by U.S. mills. Buyers in Pakistan like the light color, easy machining, and durability of Eastern White Pine – attributes they learned about through SEC-led educational seminars, grading workshops, and visits to producers.

The group participated in meetings with the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association, the central grading agency for Eastern White Pine. The group also participated in lumber mill tours, grading training, and visits to retailers and showrooms to see examples of Eastern White Pine in interior and structural applications. During the meetings, the group met with sales staff from Hancock Lumber, a leading producer and exporter of Eastern White Pine lumber.

After meeting with NELMA, the group traveled to Green Bay, Wisconsin where SEC led the group on a day-long tour and introduction to sustainable forest management and lumber processing at the Menominee Tribal-owned land and mill.  The Menominee Tribe is well known for their sustainable timber management. While in Wisconsin the also group participated in a dinner and networking event with Menominee staff and other softwood and hardwood lumber suppliers. The event included a very open exchange between the U.S. and Pakistan participants and the group from Pakistan noted their great appreciation for the event.  

Inbound missions such as the June 2022 Pakistan trip are invaluable for introducing international buyers to U.S. products, sustainability practices, and suppliers. They are a cost effective method for introducing groups of buyers to these concepts and to a sizable group of U.S. suppliers in a short period of time. SEC will continue to focus on inbound missions as a part of its slate of other programs to educate buyers and facilitate buyer-supplier relationships such as webinars, trade shows, and collaboration with international associations. 

In June, the SEC, SFPA and APA - the Engineered Wood Association, traveled to Bangalore, India for the 2022 Indiawood tradeshow. Working from a custom built booth that featured US species, the American Softwoods (AMSO) group met with specifiers and generated over 200 inquiries during the show.

Although U.S. softwood lumber sales to India have declined significantly during the pandemic ($25.1M in 2019, $11.3M in 2020 and $4.8M in 2021), AMSO was pleased with the interest shown in U.S. species, including Douglas fir glulam and cross-laminated timber. Attendees also noticed that the level of knowledge about U.S.  softwoods in India has increased greatly, indicating that U.S. led seminars and trade show participation in the region have been extremely effective.  This was evident by the inquiries for specific species and grades from specifiers. 

Specifiers requested specific species and grades, further solidifying American softwoods’ position in Indian markets. Indiawood 2024 is a must-attend show for SFPA members who sell in India. There’s no replacing face-to-face interaction for driving intent to specify American softwood and closing international deals.

In June 2022, SEC and U.S. suppliers of  U.S  softwood lumber attended Carrefour International du Bois, the largest wood and wood products trade show in Europe to field inquiries and answer questions about U.S. softwood species. 

The bi-annual show held in Nantes, France, is a key event for international buyers of softwood lumber and related wood products, and it attracts buyers from across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. U.S. softwood lumber is in high demand throughout Europe, with sales totaling $35.4 million in 2021 (up from $23.3 million in 2020).

At the show, the American Softwoods delegation fielded inquiries from the introduced over14,000 trade show attendees and discussed with them the benefits of U.S. species. The group collected 55 new contacts interested in finding suppliers or receiving more information about U.S. products. Many book visitors were seeking a replacement for Russian larch and in these cases SEC representatives recommended Douglas fir or Hemlock.  Immediately following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, many forest certification programs such as FSC and PEFC labeled timber from Russia and Belarus as conflict timber, which stripped the supplier of certification. Other leading first world countries have also banned the import of logs and lumber from these suppliers. SEC will continue to monitor the impact of the war on demand for U.S. softwood lumber.  

Those of us whose livelihoods depend on international markets have experienced a couple of challenging years as most U.S. suppliers focused on supplying the domestic market and record high U.S. softwood lumber prices placed U.S. softwood lumber out of reach for many international buyers. However, as prices continue to soften in response to lower domestic demand, exports of U.S. softwood lumber have rebounded. From 2020 to 2021, U.S. softwood lumber export volume increased 31% and export revenue increased 56%. Total 2021 softwood lumber exports exceeded $1 billion.  While lower prices have clearly been central reason to this rebound, the U.S. is poised to continue to increase its global market share over the long term for a variety of reasons.  Many of these reasons come down to a rising global shortage of legally harvested and sustainably managed timber – factors where the U.S. excels.

For years mills have debated what to do the excess supply of lumber in U.S. South, where timber growth is twice the rate of removals. As companies established mills in the south to take advantage of the ample supply, they knew they needed to develop new international markets to consume the production.  COVID-19 and the related housing and repair and remodeling boom provided a solution, albeit temporary.  Contrary to the gloom-and-doom predictions, the market surged beyond anyone’s wildest predictions. However, rising interest rates and inflation have pushed affordability out of reach for many homebuyers and remodelers and U.S. suppliers now find themselves both competitive in and finding international markets necessary. 

International buyers who have discovered the benefits of U.S. species are pleased that U.S. product is more readily available and affordable. For example, exports to Mexico, where manufacturers prefer U.S. heat treated species and American suppliers enjoy more favorable rail prices compared to ocean freight rates from South America, U.S. exports increased from $127 million to $272 million over the past year. January-June 2021 vs 2022 export revenue is up 43% despite lower 2022 prices, and export volume is up 154%.  Buyers in Pakistan, which was a non-existent market for U.S. softwoods prior to 2017, is now the leading international market for Eastern White Pine, thanks to market development efforts by SEC. During COVID, buyers in the country were largely unable to source supply due to competition from buyers in the U.S., but with travel restrictions lifted, SEC hosted a group of eight buyers from Pakistan on an inbound mission in June where they met with suppliers.

As standing timber in much of the U.S. continues to increase, the supply of legally harvested international timber is declining.
A November 2022 ban on timber sales of old growth forests in B.C. restricted harvests on 1.4 million acres (2.6 million hectares) and analysts project that this could result in the closure of 14-20 mills. Old growth logging, which constitutes one-quarter of B.C.’s annual timber harvest is declining as availability of these forests is declining and becoming more inaccessible. Prior to the Ukraine invasion, Russia exported 28 million cubic meters of lumber annually, much of which is now subject to international conflict timber bans. While half of Russia’s lumber exports are sold to China, China’s flagging real estate market is likely to hamper those sales.

The U.S. also benefits from the global drive toward legally harvested and sustainably managed timber. Global furniture retailers are increasingly demanding chain of custody certification to ensure that the products they carry are produced from legally harvested timber – a move that is negatively affecting tropical timber in favor of SFI certified U.S. timber.  Finally, South American producers such as Brazil are facing massive annual losses which is pushing log costs to a point where they are now higher than in the U.S.  Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research estimated that between August 2020 and July 2021 3.3 million acres of forestland was lost - a 22% increase from the previous year. It marks the greatest area lost to deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon since 2006 when a total area of 3.5 million acres was cleared. These issues place the U.S. in a key position to improve its competitiveness in international markets.

The last two years have been both a challenging time for U.S. producers and a boon. While logistics will likely remain with us for a while, recent changes in the domestic economy underscore the importance of remaining diversified in our domestic and international markets. Thanks to sound forest management laws and practices, while timber supply in other areas of the world is declining, the U.S. has a long-term supply of timber – and our sustainable forest management practices only bolster our marketability. The trade groups that promote U.S. softwoods internationally remained committed to promoting U.S, softwood lumber throughout the COVID travel bans and domestic market boom, and we are now seeing customers return to international trade shows in greater numbers than prior to COVID. These customers visit our booths looking for certified products, suppliers who can provide a long-term supply, and alternatives to Russian Larch. Others specifically seek out the U.S. booth looking for specific U.S. species such as Eastern White Pine. 

With COVID in the background, export is ready to flourish. It’s a lot of work, but with so many factors working in our favor, it surely will be worth it. At a minimum, tapping into this ocean of outside demand will allow U.S. lumber companies to diversify their risk - and rewards, between domestic and international business while finding new markets for our ample domestic timber supply.

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With the world’s attention now focused on making choices to reduce greenhouse emissions the forest products industry is positioned to become internationally recognized as the environmentally responsible material choice.  Whether the ambitious commitments made at UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow come to fruition, the fact remains people in the public and private sector are making decisions about material choices based on carbon emissions and renewability.

Construction materials and buildings play a significant role in either creating or reducing greenhouse gases. Residential and commercial buildings generate nearly 40% of annual global CO2 emissions. Of those emissions, building operations are responsible for 28%, while building materials and construction (referred to as embodied carbon) are responsible for an 11%. Just three materials – concrete, steel, and aluminum – are responsible for 23% of total global emissions, most of which is used in the construction sector.

Forests not only absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere as they grow, but after trees are harvested and processed into lumber and other wood products, approximately 50% of the dry weight of wood continues to be stored carbon. When forests are replanted, the cycle continues. U.S. Forest Service data show that U.S. forests reach their maximum capacity for sequestering carbon at about 80 years, after which the rate begins to decline. During the decades when trees are growing most rapidly, the carbon sequestration rate is fastest.

Wood – the Only Renewable Building Material
Wood is the only widely commercially used building material that comes from a renewable resource. Life cycle assessment studies show that wood is better for the environment than fossil fuel-intensive materials such as steel or concrete in terms of embodied energy, air and water pollution, and other environmental impacts.

Embodied energy is the sum of all the energy required to produce any goods or services, considered as if that energy was incorporated or 'embodied' in the product itself. 

For example, one study compared the environmental impacts of wood-frame and steel-frame homes in the cold climate of Minneapolis, Minnesota (U.S), where the average winter temperature ranges from -20o C to -9 o C, and wood-frame and concrete-frame homes in the hot and humid climate of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S), where the average summer temperature regularly exceeds 32o C.  Wood performed better than steel and concrete in terms of the energy required to produce the material, air emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions, and in particular:

• Embodied energy – The wood-frame homes had 17% and 16% less embodied energy, respectively, than the homes framed in steel and concrete.
• Air emissions – The wood-frame homes had 14% and 26% less emissions, respectively, than the homes framed in steel and concrete.
• Greenhouse gas emissions – The wood-frame homes performed 26% and 31% better, respectively, than the homes framed in steel and concrete.

Life cycle assessment studies also show that wood buildings require less energy during their entire life cycle - from resource extraction through manufacturing, distribution, use, and end-of-life disposal, and they are responsible for far less greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuel-intensive materials such as steel or concrete. As shown in Table 1:

• Building a wall with kiln-dried wood studs, oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing, and vinyl siding instead of concrete with an exterior stucco coating results in 6.8 kilograms (15 pounds) of avoided CO2 emissions for every square foot of wall area.
• Using engineered wood I-joists with an OSB sub-floor rather than steel joists and OSB sub-flooring results in 9.97 kilograms (22 pounds) of avoided CO2 emissions for every square foot of floor area.

A five-story wood building stores 3,970 metric tons of carbon dioxide. Combined, this is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated by 2,300 passenger cars.

These differences are significant and applying this analysis to an entire building makes a strong case in favor of using wood to reduce carbon emissions. A five-story wood frame condominium building was found to store 3,970 metric tons of CO2 e (carbon dioxide equivalent) in its lumber, panels and engineered wood products. Another 8,440 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 e) were avoided by using wood instead of steel or concrete.  Combined, this is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated by 2,300 passenger cars or in the operation of 1,000 average-sized U.S. homes.

Wood Products also use Significantly Less Fossil Fuels to Produce than Concrete and Steel
Manufacturing wood into lumber and engineered wood products requires far less energy than other construction materials, and most of the energy used to fuel manufacturing comes from renewable biomass. While manufacturing typically accounts for the largest proportion of embodied energy and emissions associated with the life cycle of any building product, it is also an area where wood consistently outperforms steel and concrete.

For lumber, processing is straightforward – bark is removed, logs are sawn, edges are trimmed, lumber is cut to desired lengths, dried, and then planed. Manufacturing engineered wood products requires more processing to achieve structural performance requirements, which requires more energy. For example, glued laminated posts and beams are bonded with durable, moisture-resistant adhesives – however, embodied energy associated with engineered wood products are still significantly lower than steel or concrete. In the lumber industries’ quest to reduce waste and increase efficiency, state of the art processing equipment has helped create an industry where waste is an almost obsolete term. Remaining sawdust and bark are used to fuel the processing operations. According to Dovetail Partners Inc, which provides information about the impacts and trade-offs of environmental decisions, the North American lumber industry is 50-60% energy self-sufficient.

Comparatively, the global steel sector has a massive carbon footprint, contributing more than 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Manufacturing virgin steel from iron ore is energy intensive. Basic oxygen furnaces (BOFs), the norm in most developing countries, require coke—a purified version of coal—to extract the iron from the ore and alloy it with carbon. The result, pig iron, is then refined into mild steel, which incorporates about 25% recycled iron and steel scrap. Manufacturers are experimenting with ways to replace coal and coke with non-fossil agents like hydrogen and electrolysis in BOF mills, yet the industry remains largely dependent upon greenhouse gas producing fuel in its manufacturing processes. The American Institute of Steel Construction does estimate that 98% of structural steel from demolished buildings is recovered and recycled into new steel products, which is a more resource efficient material than virgin steel.  

Concrete, the world’s most widely used construction material, contributes 6-11% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Most of those emissions come from the production of its binder, Portland cement, which comprises about 10% of the concrete mix by weight, on average. Producing aggregate—sand and crushed rock, which may constitute 70% to 80% of the mix, on average—also requires energy, but much less so. Sand mining can damage river and coastal ecosystems.

When comparing the embodied effects of wood, steel, and recycled steel a second study compared two post and beam systems built of wood and steel. The study also modeled a recycled steel building. While recycled steel manufacturing requires approximately half the energy as it does to refine virgin steel from iron ore, recycling still uses considerably more energy than is required to manufacture wood products. As shown in Figure 1, wood is superior to virgin steel in all categories and to modeled recycled steel in all categories except air pollution and resource use.
 
The U.S. Forest Industry Addresses the Misconception that the U.S. is Running out of Trees
In addition to being the only commercially available renewable building material, when sustainably managed, forest area can increase and provide a steady supply of usable timber. In fact, the U.S. has more trees today than 100 years ago and over 1 billion seedlings are planted in the U.S. every year – the equivalent of 2.7 million trees every day of the year. U.S. forest management laws ensures not only that harvested trees are replaced, but that every year more wood is grown in U.S. forests than is harvested. According to The State of America’s Forests report, less than 2% of the standing tree inventory in the U.S. is harvested each year while net tree growth is close to 3%.

About one-third of America is covered by forest, and of that third, private landowners own 58%, state and local governments manage 9%, and the federal government manages 33%. All timberland managed by state and federal government entities follows strict forest management and harvest regulations that protect wetlands and wildlife and mandate replanting and active forest management. Private forest lands must also follow state and federal regulations such as the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Clean Air Act that protect wetlands and provide regulations for the removal and replanting forests that are identified to be located in environmentally sensitive areas.

At the end of their life, wood products can often be recycled. Recycled wood may be used as feedstock for other products or biofuel, or even landfilled, where gas from decomposition can be captured or flared to eliminate methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
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As global leaders and end users look for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and select building materials that are good for the environment, forest products grown in sustainably managed forests offer a solution.   

A.     Introduction and Overview:
The Softwood Export Council functions as the marketing arm of the U.S. softwood industry to promote and encourage increased exports of U.S. value-added softwood products worldwide.  The Softwood Export Council (SEC) carries out promotional, policy and research activities for its members and their associated member groups from offices throughout the world.  

B.      Proposal for Services: Softwood Export Council is seeking proposals for professional services to lead educational and promotional efforts related to US softwood promotion in the Mexico pallet industry.

Two copies of the proposal must arrive by December 31, 2021 and include the following sections:

• A brief description of your firm;
• At least three references, including the names of individual contacts and telephone numbers;
• A detailed description of the method proposed and the contractor’s experience in the areas of work detailed;
• Proposed budget for outlined work (travel expenses will be reimbursed by SEC).

 
C.      Scope of Work

Engagement:
Engagement work will be carried out to expand upon SEC’s network of pallet producers and lumber importers in Mexico, strengthen existing relationships, and develop new partnerships with other like-minded institutions in Mexico. All communications will be directed toward increasing brand awareness and will include:

• Bulletin/Newsletter
  A monthly Spanish-language newsletter will be published and will focus on issues that are of interest to the Mexican wooden pallet and packaging industry.  Each newsletter will address relevant and timely industry issues and educate readers about US softwood lumber species and benefits in pallet manufacturing.
• Online traffic: Each edition will include embedded links to a Spanish language website and LinkedIn account to increase traffic to both sites.
• Repurpose & share content: Please see Social Media section for additional details.   

• Email list: Send Spanish emails to convey important updates to larger opt-in pallet and packaging community. 
  
  

Member Outreach
The primary focus in 2022 will be to continue building personal relationships via in-person and digital communications.

• Email communication: Direct email communications to date have been highly received (open rate exceeding 80%). Regular emails will be used as a tool to convey information and solicit direct participation.  

• Bi-annual virtual discussion: Create a schedule for 2022 to strategically address pressing               issues
                during online webinars.   Organize webinars and lead recruiting efforts
  
  ​Inbound Mission Promotion

Assist with recruiting and lead a group of pallet producers from Mexico to participate  in the NWPCA fall conference.

Social Media (Microsite & LinkedIn) Strategy
The social media goal for 2022 is to become a widely recognized online resource for the wooden pallet and packaging, innovation and design, and sustainability in Mexico and the greater Spanish-speaking region. To accomplish this goal, it is paramount that our engagement and social media strategy are complementary and overlapping. Social media activities will include:

LinkedIn

• Social media calendar: Create a detailed content calendar to highlight SEC events/news and announce important product updates in real-time. Posts and content will be planned out on a monthly basis, as SEC moves from being reactive to proactive content generators. 
• Content: Repurpose information from the bulletin and publish on LinkedIn using the “report” function.

 
Ongoing Projects
The contractor will also be tasked with other pallet related activities in Mexico during 2022.

• IMEXFOR Convention in Mexico (May 2022): The contractor may be requested to attend the conference to interact with lumber importers and pallet producers.
• Events: 
  • University of Monterrey Pallet Seminar: Organize a pallet seminar at University of Monterrey during 2022.
  • Expo Ferretera (​September 2022) Work with SEC to organize a construction seminar and invite lumber brokers as part of one- or two-day event prior to show.
• Fall Tour (TBD): Use SEC funding to invite Mexican members of the NWPCA to participate in the Fall Tour, as it would be an inbound buying mission. The Mexican producers will engage in face-to-face meeting with sawmills and establish new US softwood lumber sourcing leads. 
  • Trip reports are required within 30 days of the conclusion of each travel related activity.

 
D. Selection Criteria
 
Candidates will be evaluated based on how well they demonstrate that they satisfy the general criteria listed below and their ability to provide the services listed. Please provide specific references and examples.
Selection will be made by January 5, 2022. Only those firms meeting the criteria will be considered.  All proposals must be received by December 30, 2021 and addressed to:

Softwood Export Council
Rose Braden
10350 N. Vancouver Way #163
Portland, Oregon 97217
rbraden@softwood.org

Questions regarding this RFP or your proposal submission may be addressed to Ms. Braden at the above email address.

E. Equal Opportunity Employment
The Softwood Export Council does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity. To file a complaint, please contact the USDA (866) 632-9992: program.intake@usda.gov. Persons who require reasonable accommodations or alternative means of communication should contact AMSO.

The Subcontractor/Consultant agrees that, during the performance of this Agreement, it shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status, political beliefs, parental status, or protected genetic information. (Not all bases apply to all programs.) The Subcontractor/Consultant agrees that it will fully comply with any and all applicable Federal, State, and local equal employment opportunity statutes, ordinances, and regulations, including, but not limited to, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay act of 1963, Executive Order 11246, as amended, etc. Nothing in this section shall require the Consultant to comply with or become liable under any law, ordinances, regulation, or rule that does not otherwise apply to the Subcontractor/Consultant

The U.S. softwood industry has worked consistently for over two decades to introduce U.S. species to Chinese construction professionals and the efforts continue to pay off.  Millions of dollars of U.S. softwoods are showcased in world-class architectural projects across the country – many of which were completed during trade tensions between the U.S. and China.
 
The Softwood Export Council, the Southern Forest Products Association, and APA-The Engineered Wood Association (known internationally as “American Softwoods”) have worked extensively with China’s Ministry of Construction to develop wood frame construction codes and technical manuals for architects and engineers. Trade missions and seminars introduced construction professionals to U.S. species and wood frame and hybrid construction design.  As a result, China’s design community is increasingly turning to wood as a preferred building material.
 
Notable examples include:
 
Douglas-fir imported from the western U.S. is used extensively in a massive hotel and exhibition facility under construction in Nanjing. Slated for completion in 2022, the project uses thousands of cubic meters of U.S. Douglas-fir in glue-laminated beams for the building’s roof structure. The project is being touted by the local government as a prime example of green construction. 
 
Douglas fir is also prominently featured in the main exhibit hall of the “Horticulture Exhibition of Jiangsu Province”, a 129,000 square foot concrete/wood hybrid structure that was completed in November 2019 (pictured to the right). The three-story building features soaring ceilings with exposed Douglas fir glulam posts and beams. The steeply pitched, angular roof was designed to evoke the shape of a resting bird.

The architect’s motivation for using Douglas fir for the project underscored the effectiveness of American Softwoods’ work in China.  According to Wang Jianguo, Chief Designer for the project, "Modern wood frame construction is used in the exhibition hall, giving the hall an ambient light but with good thermal insulation.” The project, and the benefits of wood frame construction, received national press coverage.
 
Another design that utilizes the strength and beauty of Douglas fir to achieve a dramatic design with is the Chongqing Yunshan Art Gallery Resort, located at the base of the mountains of western China. The resort includes an exhibition hall, wedding chapel, and guest rooms and includes an A-frame roof, constructed of Douglas fir glulam beams and supported by glulam posts and to achieve a blend of traditional Chinese architecture and modern design.
 
U.S. Southern Pine is on display in the Luhu Resort Hotel and the Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre. Southern Yellow Pine was selected for outdoor walkways at Luhu Resort because it was well suited to withstand the humid, insect prone environment. The material also contributed to the nature-inspired design that was influenced by the region’s semi-tropical setting.

The selection of Southern Pine plywood as interior cladding for the Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre was a decision based on a desire for beauty and function. Designed by architect Tadao Ando and completed in 2014, the Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre hosts operas, concerts, and plays and was one of the first cultural buildings of this scale in the area. Together, the design and the woodwork create a hall that is acoustically tuned to provide the audience with an optimal concert experience.
 
Although these impressive projects are major steps in the right direction, work towards greater use of U.S. wood in China continues. The U.S. industry is surveying architects and engineers in China to better meet the needs of the local design community and adapt its communication and promotional strategy accordingly.  Learn more about these activities at www.softwood.org and www.americansoftwoods.org