Japan, not China, South Korea or even India, is Canada’s top target for lumber exports, with its shift from single‑family homes to multi‑storey timber buildings creating ideal conditions for Canadian forest products. That is according to Bruce St. John, president of the federally funded Canada Wood Group, who said Canada is now looking further afield for new markets, such as Mexico, the Middle East, and North Africa, to offset declining shipments to the United States.
“Japan gives the highest possible return to the industry in terms of the value of the lumber they import,” St. John said. “They import our traditional products, and we make products that are specific to their market.”
Despite Japanese new-builds falling to less than half the levels they were 30 years, Canada’s timber systems are an ideal fix for Japan’s growing multi-storey market according to Bruce St. John, president of the Canada Wood Group.
The push to diversify comes as U.S. duties and tariffs continue to weigh on British Columbia’s forest sector, with the industry now racing find new markets as mills close, and prices fall. St. John, who has just returned from trade missions in Japan, China and South Korea, said the industry is moving quickly but also warned that entering new regions is rarely straightforward.
“We’re in a bit of a crisis right now, so we want to get everything done very, very quickly,” he said. “You go into new markets, and there are a lot of barriers that are in place. For a start, do they have wood construction codes and standards? And if the country doesn’t have that, we’re starting from the very grass roots.”
And while India has drawn considerable attention since Premier David Eby’s trip last month, St. John cautioned that the country’s promise won’t translate into immediate results. Shipping from B.C. to India can take up to three times longer than shipping to Japan, termite exposure requires specialised building systems and treatments, and strict import rules limit the types of wood products that can enter the market.
“We see the real opportunity there is for the furniture sector, for domestic consumption or export,” St. John said, noting that India’s young population is driving demand for new styles and materials. “[India has] got a history of using wood, and what’s happened is their domestic species have been reduced. They are looking for new products.”
And China remains a major focus too, though its strategy is shifting. With residential real estate slowing and concrete still the dominant material for housing, Canada Wood is concentrating on non‑residential projects such as resorts, convention centres and public buildings.
“One of the real benefits of wood construction is the environmental perspective of it,” he said. “Forty per cent of China’s carbon emissions come from construction. So when they’re looking at how we can reduce our carbon emissions, low‑hanging fruit is wood construction.”
