British Columbia has opened a new trading office in London, its first in Europe, dedicated to growing the trade in its softwood lumber and reducing a long‑standing dependence on the United States, provincial officials said overnight. The office, operated by Forestry Innovation Investment (FII), will serve as a commercial and regulatory hub for the United Kingdom and Europe, with later outreach planned for selected markets in the Middle East and North Africa.
Wood Central understands that the decision responds to a clear market gap for wood supply: as it stands, the U.K. imports 6 to 7 million cubic metres of softwood lumber annually while producing roughly 3 to 4 million cubic metres domestically, making Britain Europe’s largest softwood buyer, FII says. Canadian exporters and provincial policymakers view that imbalance, combined with recent supply shifts in Europe, as an opening to rebalance trade that has long favoured North America.
“British Columbia is the second largest exporter of softwood lumber in the world, and with U.S. President Donald Trump’s continued attacks on our forestry workers and economy, we are not sitting idly by,” Ravi Parmar, B.C.’s minister of forests, said. “We are making it easier for our friends across the pond to buy our world-class lumber, and we are supporting our forestry sector to get boots on the ground in more growing wood markets around the world.”
FII already operates offices in China, India, and Vietnam and partners with industry‑led posts in Japan and South Korea. The London outpost will knit those efforts into a European node focused on market development, building‑code engagement, and technical support for wood construction. FII will promote engineered‑wood technologies and off‑site prefabrication, sectors in which B.C. has invested heavily.
The timing comes after the Starmer government, in March, revealed plans to rapidly increase timber use in construction as part of a five‑year housing push, and its programme of retrofits and social housing is expected to increase demand for prefabricated timber systems that match B.C.’s industrial strengths. At the same time, Europe’s supply picture has tightened: the end of beetle‑kill salvage harvesting in parts of Central and Nordic Europe removed a temporary spruce surplus, and the U.K.’s ban on Russian wood imports eliminated about 5 per cent of Britain’s foreign lumber supply.
“Expanding into the U.K. reflects FII’s commitment to building resilient, diversified markets for B.C. forest products,” Rick Doman, board chair of FII, said. “The current trade‑impeding U.S. duties and tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber underscore the importance of reducing reliance on any single market.”
Industry groups welcomed the decision while warning that market development will require sustained engagement. “This is an exciting step in expanding trade diversification efforts,” Bruce St. John, president of Canada Wood, said. Kim Haakstad, CEO of the Council of Forest Industries, said the initiative will help B.C. “share our story of quality, innovation, and sustainability with the world.” Brian Hawrysh, CEO of BC Wood Specialties Group, said the sector is “very aware of the need to diversify its international markets.”
- To learn why Canada is looking to global markets to increase production of mass timber six-fold over the next 20 years, click here for Wood Central’s special feature from June 2024.
