Vietnam has become a formidable player in the global furniture industry, now ranking as the world’s second largest wooden furniture exporter, behind China. Vietnam currently exports furniture to more than 100 countries—and benefits from the free trade agreements (FTA) it has with the EU, ASEAN, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, U.K., Canada, Mexico, Chile, and Peru, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) it is a signatory to with Canada, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, and Singapore. To take advantage of Vietnam’s rising importance in this sector, FII Vietnam (under the Canadian Wood brand) attended two major trade shows in Ho Chi Minh City. Both trade shows attracted significant numbers of attendees and suggests a rising interest in using Canadian wood for the growing furniture manufacturing sector in Vietnam. FII also helped to organize visits and meetings for participating B.C. companies.
Ottawa, ON – The Canadian Wood Council has announced the winning projects of the 39
Explore value-added wood opportunities from Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Japan all in one seminar — Greg Henderson and special in-market speakers will present new wood product sales opportunities & market entry strategies for Japan as well as an overview on opportunities in Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Topics will include: Opportunities, buying patterns, & wood product segments that are growing in each market; Key importing requirements; and a short review of local cultures & sales techniques that help prepare for any meetings with buyers from that market. DETAILS: Thursday, March 30, 2023, 3:00PM – 5:00PM PST, cost: $59 per person, location: Zoom.
Architects are increasingly using mass timber in the hopes of creating net-zero buildings but carbon assessments are missing key sources of potential emissions, researchers tell Dezeen. The standard method for determining a building’s overall carbon footprint is a whole-building life-cycle assessment (LCA) that breaks down emissions at every stage – from the sourcing of raw materials to their ultimate disposal. These calculations tend to indicate significantly lower emissions for timber structures compared to those made entirely out of concrete and steel. But experts warned that LCAs only tell part of the story. “LCAs do not typically consider anything that happens in the forest,” said forester and timberland manager Mark Wishnie. Because so few mass-timber buildings have been constructed – let alone demolished – researchers are also unable to reliably forecast what will happen to engineered timbers at end of their life and what emissions this would entail.
We are pleased to share our annual report and encourage anyone interested in getting an understanding of all we accomplished in 2022 to have a look. Last year was the first year of work toward implementing AWC’s five-year Strategic Plan to ensure wood products are properly recognized in building codes and standards, while also providing strong advocacy support to protect the industry from overreaching federal environmental regulations and embarking on new opportunities to expand wood use through an emerging carbon-conscious built environment. AWC has quickly assumed a leadership role in shaping and driving our industry’s engagement on climate change and carbon in the built environment. We launched our life cycle inventory database and outperformed our year one collection goal with 87% of member company mills completing surveys. There is also a downloadable compilation pdf at the end of the report that can be shared with colleagues and friends. 
Portland/Los Angeles-based LEVER Architecture and Atelier Ten published a new report addressing “four myths about mass timber construction.” The report hopes to “promote a more nuanced discussion in the industry to truly capture the potential wood has to offer.” The first myth is that “mass timber buildings are carbon neutral.” The team note that while mass timber construction can be an important pathway toward carbon neutrality, other critical factors need to be considered. …The second myth is that “wood is always more sustainable than concrete.” The authors note that solely utilizing wood products “does not automatically make buildings more sustainable” …The third myth is that “mass timber buildings absorb carbon emissions.” They note that “trees sequester carbon” and that “timber buildings hold but do not actively absorb carbon.” …The final myth is that “all wood is good wood.” The team notes that “wood products are only as good as the forestry practices associated with them” 
Following industry research that identified the difficulties of insuring timber buildings, the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) is launching the Mass Timber Insurance Playbook – a practical resource to help overcome the challenges preventing wider adoption of mass timber. The UK is committed to net zero emissions by 2050 … mass timber has an important role to play. …ASBP identified three obstacles preventing the wider use of mass timber: Difficulties obtaining affordable construction and property insurance for mass timber buildings; A prohibitive regulatory environment precluding the use of combustible materials in certain building types; and Uncertainty around the fire performance of mass timber causing doubt amongst industry stakeholders. Costs of insurance for mass timber buildings have been reported to be up to 800% higher than conventional construction methods. In some cases, insurers have opted to refuse cover.
