Canada to nourish forest trade with Korea and other East Asian nations

VANCOUVER (Scrap Monster): The B.C Forest Minister leads a 25-member delegation on a 12-day visit to East Asian countries- Korea, China and Japan. The trip is aimed at strengthening trade ties between these countries and Canada, with special focus on Korean market.

According to the free trade agreement reached between the two countries earlier during this year, lumber imports from Canada will have zero tariffs. Canada intends to increase its trade with Korea by at least 10% per year. The delegation is expected to lay the foundation for increased trade between the two nations. The use of woods in construction will be demonstrated and discussed. Incidentally, 11% of Korea’s lumber imports in 2013 were from Canada.

The burning issue of raw log vs lumber is likely to feature during the visit. The increased shipment of raw logs has left the B.C sawmills with acute shortage of timber. As a result, many sawmills are currently operating well below their capacities. The raw logs shipped by B.C companies during the initial eight months of the year have totaled 4.29 million cubic metres. The log exports have surged significantly during the past decade.

Critics argue that sawmills be fed with adequate timber supplies and that only the surplus timber be allowed to be exported. But it remains to be seen how the government strikes the balance as log exports continue to remain as one among the major contributors to nation’s economy.

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