48 | Sector Focus: North America
IN PERSPECTIVE Presentations and panel discussions provided latest US hardwood trade analysis and perspectives on its prospects Ms Standaert said that currently Brazil was Vandecasteele’s only
hardwood supplier capable of providing geolocation co-ordinates at scale. Asked what more the US hardwood sector could do to support
European buyers, one comment from the panel was while AHEC collaborate with NHLA to put on workshops for European buyers, even more focus should be put on explaining the grading system. Ms Standaert added that really what her customers wanted was “wane-free, fixed widths and lumber that is not too long”.
US suppliers’ panel On the US suppliers panel at the symposium were Denis Mann of Baillie Lumber, Nick Thompson of Appalachian Hardwoods and Adam Hyer of MacDonald and Owen Lumber. All three underlined the continuing commitment of the US
Above: Maple is making a UK comeback Photo: David Cleveland
European importers’ panel The European importers panel at the American Hardwood Trade Symposium comprised Stuart McBride of NHG Timber, Geneviève Standaert of Vandecasteele Houtimport and John Dowd of International Timber. Asked to explain the contraction in European demand for US
hardwood in Q1 2023, Mr McBride reflected that it was partly market correction following surging demand and the home improvement boom triggered by the pandemic. Increased demand for red oak was attributed to its relative
“cheapness” compared to US white and European oak. But Mr Dowd said availability in better specifications was also producing increased uptake “despite buyers’ resistance to change”. US maple is coming back in the UK market, said panellists, but demand for cherry remains low. Ash sales remain constant. Doubts were expressed about the workability of the new EU
Deforestation Regulation. Mr McBride said the geolocation requirement for provenance was “baffling” and he wondered how it would be enforced.
hardwood sector to supplying the European market. One issue, however, was the current “gap in demand” for industrial grades, with China’s imports down. “We need to move the market towards lower grades,” said Mr
Hyer. “US exporters are largely reliant on China to take grades such as number 1 and 2 Common, but while Chinese demand could start growing again towards the end of the year, right now they have a lot of finished products stock for which there is no demand.”
Mr Mann said that currently US stocks are also high, but that mills needed to keep purchasing raw material. “We don’t want to stop buying logs in case loggers leave to find other jobs. We need to sustain them”. Panellists agreed that white oak represents currently roughly
50% of their demand and that ash supply continues to worsen due to emerald ash borer infestation. Tulipwood is largely available, but supplying very specific buyer demands can be an issue. A slowdown in the paper sector, which takes up “massive amounts of fibre”, is also affecting tulipwood availability, with the biomass sector unable to take up the slack. A broader concern of panellists was that sawmills that go out of business are not being replaced due to the high capital investments required versus relatively low return on investment. ■
◄ and legality of its management and the timber it produces has been validated by rigorous independent analysis. What is of concern is the requirement of the EUDR for geolocation co-ordinates for every consignment, for the plot of land where it originated for all timber placed on the EU market. Ownership of the US hardwood forest is famously fragmented, with mills sourcing from multiple small private forest holdings. This would make providing provenance geolocation co-ordinates a hugely burdensome task. So a regulation aimed at blocking unsustainable timber from the EU potentially threatens access to the market of
TTJ | July/August 2023 |
www.ttjonline.com
one of the most sustainable timber resources. But in another development, AHEC, with US government support, has initiated the ground-breaking Sustainable Hardwood Coalition certification project (SHC – www.
shc-cert.org ). It’s not specifically a tool to crack the EUDR. Its ambition is broader than that, but fundamentally it aims to provide a risk-based framework of proof of sustainable provenance that doesn’t swamp the US industry in admin and, most importantly, does not impose a cost burden on millions of private landowners. These were among key topics addressed at the American Hardwood Trade Symposium
in London in May, co-hosted by AHEC and Timber Development UK (TDUK). It also included presentations and panel discussions providing latest US hardwood trade analysis and perspectives on its prospects. Held at the Building Centre, the event attracted an audience of 120, including representatives of US suppliers and their customers from the UK and the rest of Europe. AHEC executive director Mike Snow gave an update on US hardwood export developments, starting with the recent slide in sales to China. He attributed this to a range of factors. The pandemic and consequent global slowdown played a part, but the emphasis
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