Announcements
The GBM Asia Market Program a Great Success! 

The launch of the 18th annual Global Buyers Mission got off to a great start, with delivery of the Asia Market dates of September 14th and 15th. 145 Buyers from China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan participated in 274 one-on-one meetings with 80 Canadian Suppliers from 30 companies of value-added wood products.
 
Next up will be the North and Latin American markets on September 29th and 30th, which is also turning out to be a very popular event. We expect to coordinate “face-to-face” virtual meetings with wholesale distributors, architects, designers, builders and contractors and our industry Suppliers over those dates and anticipate a significant positive return on this activity. 
Over 140 registered architects will also participate in WoodTALKS @ the GBM this year, with presentations delivered by industry and notable architects & engineers. For more information on the WoodTALKS Manufacturer & Specifier Collaboration Series and how you can participate, visit the website. 

If you are not yet registered for the GBM but would like to participate, there is still time! Contact us at [email protected] or visit our website for more information. You can also call me direct for an immediate response to your inquiry. Randi Walker 604-309-6683.
Wood First
Wood First: Company Projects

There is cost-shared funding support available for BC’s value-added wood products industry to help build capacity!

Company Specific Projects use information gained from assessments to help improve competitiveness, address gaps, and strengthen your company’s supply chain. With this help, you will learn to manage your business and market your product more efficiently and effectively: ultimately growing your company.

Projects could include such things as:
  • marketing and sales coaching
  • assistance with developing marketing strategies and business plans
  • company/product branding strategies
  • social media strategies/implementation
  • business diagnostics
  • how to create video content for marketing
  • and more! 

Access to company-specific support is governed by a set of guidelines that strongly promotes skills development within each company. Ask us how we can help your needs/ideas fit our criteria for funding.

Contact Kit Crowe at [email protected] to secure your project cost-share funding.
British Columbia Timber Building Tour –
14 AIBC LU Approved!
October 19th to 22nd, 2021

The Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in collaboration with the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) is pleased to announce the British Columbia Timber Building and Technical Tour to showcase leading manufacturers of mass-timber building components, prefabricated energy-efficient homes, and modular building systems fabricators.
                                                                       
The UBC CAWP has been leading tours to Europe for over 15 years. This tour is an opportunity for participants to visit some of BC’s leading mass-timber building component and prefabricated building systems manufacturers, many of whom have attended our past tours to Europe and have adopted and implemented principles and technologies into their manufacturing practices.

These companies provide building solutions to meet the sustainability and green building requirements of advanced energy-efficient materials, and mass-timber products for single-family, multi-family, and non-residential construction.
 
The following companies have been confirmed:
  • Mitsui Homes Canada Inc.
  • StructureCraft 
  • Daizen Joinery
  • 5th C Building Solutions
  • Spearhead Timberworks
  • Kalesnikoff Mass Timber and Lumber
  • Structurlam Mass Timber Corporation
  • Nicola Logworks
  • …additional companies to be confirmed
 
For more information please contact Jason Chiu at j[email protected]
UBC - Industrial Wood Finishing Certificate Course
A unique Industry Training Program
 
Part-time online training program with a one-week hands-on practical session
 
North America’s most comprehensive wood finishing certificate program. 
 
The certificate program provides participants with a broad understanding of the field of wood finishing. It's designed for individuals who have some general experience in wood finishing and would like to expand their knowledge.  
 
Once completed, learners will have knowledge and experience to do the following:
  • Understand why the finish is applied to wood and how wood properties affect finishing
  • To be able to identify the best finishing system based on the end-use
  • Trouble-shoot wood finishing problems
  • Design a safe and efficient finishing facility
 
This course will provide you with the knowledge and tools to start a finishing business or to improve an existing one.
 
Starts January 10, 2022– April 8, 2022
One week intensive practical – April 4 - 8, 2022
 
Space is Limited, Register Now!
Tel: 604 822-0082
WMC Management Skill Training Program
 UBC - Online Managements Skill Training Courses
 
UBC – Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) will be offering the following “online” courses;  Quality Management & Control will run from October 25 to December 6, 2021, and Production Planning will run from October 25 to December 20, 2021.

These wood products industry-specific courses are designed for owners, managers, supervisors or management tracked employees. These are not academic courses and the skills learned can be applied immediately to the workplace. Each part-time course is led by a tutor with extensive industry experience. 
 
For more information on the courses, please click on the following link: Management Skill Training or call Jason Chiu at 604 822-0082.
Wood Co-op Presentation Night

Please join us for our UBC Wood Products Processing (WPP) Virtual Co-op Presentation Night on Tuesday, September 28th, 2021.
Intermediate and senior students in the B.Sc. Wood Products Processing degree program at the University of British Columbia will be delivering presentations on their most recent co-op work terms. This is a fantastic opportunity to see what our students are able to accomplish in the workplace.

Presenters for our upcoming UBC Wood Products Processing Virtual Co-op Presentation Night:

Anderson Lu – Western Forest Products
Jin Young Lee – Skeena Sawmills
Ian Penninga – Tolko
15 Minute Intermission & Poster Showcase
Wai Lone Chan – West Fraser
Joel Woznow – Western Forest Products
When: Tuesday, September 28th, 2021, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Where: Anywhere! Those who RSVP will receive a link to the event closer to the event date.
Please RSVP by September 26th, 11:55 pm.
TWIG Monthly Oct 19th - Gurminder Minhas - Forest Bioeconomy 
Patrick Christie | Organizer | [email protected]

Have you heard the terms bioeconomy, bioproducts, or things such as cellulose nanocrystals? The future of forestry is about diversification and innovation that makes use of fiber that could be considered less desirable. Adding value comes through how you process and treat the input material and convert it into something that customers are willing to pay for and that provides performance benefits. It's not about making a new industry, but repurposing and reusing what's already here. Ultimately we have to think outside the box and realize the diversity of value the forests in BC have to offer, and the new markets that could be developed from thinking differently. 

Gurminder Minhas has been moving his way through the industry for 20+ years, working for a range of companies in an R+D-based role, and is a strong business leader in the space of the Bioeconomy. His work and drive for innovation have opened up new doors for partnerships, spawned new companies and products, both locally in BC and across Canada. When talking about the future of forestry, the work Gurminder is up to with Performance BioFilaments contributes to it. Innovations in forestry could have applications in other industries that previously would not consider the use of forest-based materials, and that's what's exciting about the future of the Bioeconomy. 

This next TWIG monthly will focus on what the Bioeconomy is and how it relates to some of the issues we are facing in our forests today when it comes to fires, old-growth and undesirable standing fiber. The Bioeconomy is relatively new here in BC, and so there is lots of space for it to be defined and explored. The Bachelor of Science in Forest Bioeconomy Sciences and Technology (BEST) at UBC is a new program designed to support this emerging side of the industry. If you have ever had questions or curiosities about some of the science and technology, or the applications behind Bioproducts, this would be a great event to join.

The Wood Innovation Group (TWIG) is creating an industry-leading forest products innovation ecosystem, rooted in Wood Science, informed by Craft that highlights Design, Art, Invention, and creative thinkers in working with locally available fibre. The TWIG Monthly event is a recurring get-together to connect on topics, projects, and ideas that bring sustainable and considered value to the forests in BC. 

Information on our events can be seen at twigbc.ca/monthly. To get updated information directly, sign up for the mailing list on the website and/or follow TWIG on LinkedIn. 
BC Wood Program Updates
Online GBM Making the Japanese Market More Accessible than Ever
Jim Ivanoff | [email protected]

While being a large and lucrative market, Japan has long been seen as difficult to reach by Canadian exporters due to both the physical distance and language barrier. In the past, BC Wood’s in-market staff brought the market closer through language support and client introductions at trade shows such as the Japan Home & Building Show. Unfortunately, COVID-19 slammed the door shut on such in-market travel, once again creating a large barrier. However, BC Wood quickly pivoted to a new online approach and as a part of that reimagined the physical Whistler Global Buyers Mission as an industry-leading, online business discussion platform this past January.

This fiscal year’s Global Buyers Mission for Asian markets was just held on September 14th and 15th and it further refined this concept of matching members together with buyers for direct talks supported by class-A interpreters. The efficiency of this format is unquestionable. The BC Wood Japan office alone was able to pre-qualify and pre-set 82 meetings for members over the event’s four short hours.

After Japanese buyers experienced this tremendous value proposition of being able to source from new suppliers from the comfort of their offices during the initial online GBM, we had a huge demand for participation and had to carefully manage meeting slots among participants. Just as in January, after the event we received many calls from a variety of buyers, ranging from traditional trading companies that used to go abroad frequently to local distributors looking to buy directly for the first time, thanking us for hosting this incredibly powerful online event. However, the sales numbers being reported by these buyers are the true testament.

The GBM will now turn to the North American market so suppliers will get another chance shortly to experience the effectiveness of this format. However, the success of the Asian GBM days also made me realize that we could and should incorporate a more robust online element to our traditional trade shows, such as the Japan Home Show. As Japan has fared better than other countries with COVID-19, trade shows have been held here with few interruptions and more importantly, strong in-person attendance figures.

Therefore, the BC Wood Japan Office will be offering a new hybrid option that allows us to target the much larger buyer audience provided by the Japan Home Show in order to hold Zoom-based pre-set and pre-qualified business meetings with members. For more information on this upcoming program, please contact me at [email protected].
2021 WoodTALKS at the GBM,
September 29-30th

WoodTALKS is designed to enlighten, inform and inspire on the use of wood in design and construction. Coming up soon, through 6 live webinar sessions we will feature a manufacturer-specifier collaboration series on new architectural projects and advancements in manufacturing. Join us online to explore Unique West Coast Island Projects, Off-site Prefabrication Projects, Advancements in Mass Timber Manufacturing & Lessons Learned on Projects, New Mass Timber Community Projects in British Columbia, Spectacular Wood Structures and Connections, and Modern Timber Structures & Factory Tour of a Modern Timber Operation. 

Event registration is $85 and open to all wood industry specifiers. 

For more information on the topics, speakers, schedule, learning accreditations, and registration:
Spotlight
Longhouse Specialty Forest Products

Longhouse Specialty Forest Products was founded in 1982 by husband-and-wife team Brian and Moila Jenkins. Primarily based in Parksville, BC, with a sawmill operation in Prince George, the company manufactures everything from heavy timbers to sidewall shingles, exterior and interior profiles and has knife grinding available for Heritage profiles, using all softwood species grown in British Columbia. As well, they have a pre-staining/finishing plant where they can apply all brands of coatings including non-toxic fire retardants as specified by architects. 

The company originally started as a firewood business in 1982, when they won contracts to supply firewood for 3 local provincial parks. This led them to logging their own supply through British Columbia Forest Products, where they would bring their own mobile dimension sawmills on-site to cut the cedar logs. They officially made the switch to value-added in 1985 and within a year, they opened a pre-staining plant after receiving a request for stained wood from a client. The company has stayed a consistent size over the years with many of their employees who have now worked at the company for over 20 years. They also have a loyal client base, with many going back to 1985.
What sets Longhouse apart from their competitors is that they deliver direct only to construction projects, no matter where they are on the globe and has delivered over 14000 projects worldwide. As well, they are in charge of all aspects and facets of the manufacturing from log to pre-staining/fire treating finished products ready for installation - all of which is done on the same property in Parksville. This has two advantages: first, it reduces the carbon footprint significantly as the product never travels in the manufacturing process.
Secondly, it reduces the cost of producing the lumber profiles instead of being sub-contracted out for each process giving Longhouse an unfair cost advantage.

Longhouse continues to supply lumber profiles for amazing projects. Such examples include all the cedar heavy timbers and profiles for the 7 Longhouses that make up the Haida Gwaii Museum in Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, the new Tseliteth community building in North Vancouver, and recently they have been invited to work with the lead contractor for the upcoming Vancouver Art Gallery, which will be entirely clad in finished coated and fire treated lumber profiles.

The Vancouver Island Construction Association has awarded Longhouse as manufacturer/supplier of the year in 2019 and 2021.

Longhouse Specialty Forest Products were one of the Company’s included in the first group of BC companies to be certified for FSC in 2007 by Eco Trust and still held. They are proud members of BC Wood Specialties Group, The Living Building Challenge, PASSIVEHOUSE CANADA, HAVAN, VICA and the Timber Framers Guild.

For more information on Longhouse, please go to www.longhousecedar.com or contact Brian Jenkins at [email protected].
Industry News
BC’s Sustainable Forest Management Practices

Long before a tree is cut, forest professionals identify the silvicultural system that keeps the forest as natural as possible.

Stringent forest laws, skilled forestry professionals, comprehensive monitoring, compliance and enforcement strengthen the Province’s leading reputation. At the end of 2016, BC had 52 million hectares (128.5 million acres) of certified lands. Canada is the international leader in forest certification with BC contributing more than any other province.
Demonstrating the benefits of whole-building life cycle assessment

The goal of green design is to achieve sustainability by designing and building structures that use less energy, water and materials, and minimize impacts on human health and the environment.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) supports this by quantifying the environmental impacts of resource consumption, emissions and waste throughout the building’s life. Governments and building owners are increasingly moving towards LCA as a way of assessing the environmental impacts of buildings.
CanExport for Innovators

Innovators from Canadian organizations may access up to $75,000 in funding to assist with research and development (R&D) for a single technology. We cover up to 75% of costs to pursue and sign collaborative R&D agreements with international partners and investors.
10 Export costs you need to consider when projecting cash outflows

Businesses that operate internationally need to treat their cash flow planning differently than those that operate domestically. There are many additional details to consider for international transactions, including export costs which, ideally, should be determined alongside a timeline that tracks where and when these costs are incurred and when they are due for payment. These costs can be added to the company’s domestic costing worksheet to help the exporter fully understand the cash flow implications of trading internationally.

To help you understand more about some of these common costs in international business, we’ve compiled a list of 10 export costs you need to consider when projecting cash outflows along with an export cost timeline.
New service helps companies quickly resolve urgent export issues
Trade Commissioner Service

Exporter Solutions is a new service from Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service that provides Canadian companies with personalized support to help resolve urgent export issues within one business day. This free service also offers access to self‑serve and find the relevant information, services and programs Canadian businesses may require to avoid potential problems by referring them to the right place to get the right help.
12-storey mass timber rental tower proposed next to SkyTrain Moody Centre Station
Kenneth Chan

A transit-oriented rental housing tower is proposed for a site immediately north of Moody Centre Station, just beyond the SkyTrain guideway and CP railway/West Coast Express tracks.

An application by PCI Developments for an official community plan (OCP) amendment, rezoning, and development permit seeks to redevelop 2933-3005 Murray Street, which is currently occupied by low-storey industrial buildings.
B.C. leadership in wood design recognized
REMI Networks

Leadership in structural and architectural wood use by local governments was recognized at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Convention in Vancouver. Five local governments were presented with 2021 Community Recognition Awards for use of wood in their community projects by Wood WORKS! BC.
Mass timber sector poised to be leaders in ‘climate-smart construction’: Structurlam
Don Wall

The mass timber market has never been stronger, with the number of mass timber buildings doubling globally every two years, but the head of Canada’s pioneering timber firm Structurlam says there are still substantial hurdles for the sector to overcome for it to achieve its potential.

Structurlam CEO Hardy Wentzel has announced that the Penticton, B.C.-based firm is close to commissioning its first U.S. plant, in Conway, Ark. The new 287,000-square-foot facility will produce glulam and CLT, just as Structurlam’s existing three plants in Penticton do, but the U.S. site will have double the production capacity of the Canadian plants.
Mass timber buildings on the rise in B.C.
BC Gov News

The City of New Westminster is joining the growing list of B.C. municipalities participating in the Province’s Tall Wood Initiative that allows the construction of 12-storey mass timber buildings.

This provides the opportunity to create innovative and greener housing options.
Pursuing opportunities for B.C. species in India’s furniture export market
Forestry Innovation Investment

Responding to the dwindling supply of local wood species such as Mango, Acacia and Sheesham, high costs and future availability constraints, FII India focused product trial efforts with manufacturers in the export-focused regions of Rajasthan, Western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi National Capital Region. In addition, trends within international furniture markets have shifted from heavy, antique styles to modern designs with clean lines and smooth finishes, which B.C. species such as Hemlock lend itself to. These factors have presented exciting opportunities for FII India to introduce B.C. wood products as alternatives to traditional hardwoods.