Forestry Conference Will Highlight Importance of China

8 February 2012

China is now the world’s largest importer of softwood logs and lumber, as reported by Wood Resources International. The importance of China to forestry’s export earnings will be a key focus at the Future Forestry Finance conference series.

According to a report from Wood Resources International, a US-based forest industry consulting firm, the total value of softwood log and lumber imports to China equaled almost eight billion US dollars last year.

“Anyone associated with forestry in Australasia knows that China’s steady economic growth drives wood demand from Canada, USA and New Zealand/Australia. That 8 – 9% growth continues to be the antidote to Europe’s economic woes for southern hemisphere wood exporters,” says Johns Stulen Event Director of the Future Forestry Finance conference series.

Keynote speaker Russell Taylor from International Wood Markets Group has an excellent grasp on the market and its dynamics, having provided high quality research, analysis and strategic planning services to the international wood products community for over a decade.

“Mr Taylor visits the Chinese market regularly and even has an office in China. His in depth wood market knowledge makes him a front-runner when it comes to keeping updated on future demand for wood imports to the massive country,” says Mr Stulen.

Counter to the comments by general economists, Mr Taylor and other wood industry market commentators are bullish on continued good signs from the Chinese buyers

Another international guest speaker, Mr Bob Flynn of international market information agency RISI will be highlighting other international market changes as well.

“Mr Flynn is well known to wood marketing people for experience in Brazil. The company RISI also has a good handle on what’s happening in the wood industries of India as well – so our conference presenters really have the wood world covered,” says Mr Stulen

One New Zealand consultant who has direct business dealings in China, Jon Dey of Forme Consulting, will balance out the two international analysts with his presentation of “What’s Hot and What’s Not” in China’s rapidly emerging wood products sector.

“Mr Dey’s experiences in China will be instructive to others as he has a long history of doing business with Chinese entrepreneurs and can provide some real insight into what people can expect to see for the benefit of New Zealand and Australia wood exporters,” says Mr Stulen.

Forestry exports – particularly log exports from New Zealand – have been enjoying growth since 2005. That strong growth has gone against general economic trends since 2008 in New Zealand and Australia.

Future Forestry Finance is happening in Sydney on 13-14 March at the Novotel Brighton Beach, and in Auckland at the Crowne Plaza on the 7-8 March.

For more information see the conference website www.forestryfinanceevents.com

Forest managers, senior financial sector executives and Maori trustees are among the top three groups already registered to attend this event.

About FIEA

The Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA), a division of Innovatek Ltd, is a unique grouping in Australasia. It's the principal vehicle for technology transfer for forestry and wood products companies. Through a range of independent programmes, new product and process technologies are introduced to New Zealand and Australian companies. Technologies best suited to the size of the industry and to the local wood resource are being identified and "showcased".

A regular series of conferences, practical workshops and managed exhibitions are run every year. Forestry and wood product companies, key product suppliers, researchers and technology providers from throughout the world are targeted and involved with the programmes. In addition to these events, new resources from the technology programmes are being supplied to New Zealand and Australian companies.

ENDS

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