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Timber & Plywood
American hardwood sees rising demand
American hardwood has seen a notable rise in demand in the entire Mena region as well as East Africa and Pakistan, with Saudi Arabia and Egypt being the single largest markets.
THE Middle East and North Africa (Mena) remains a key destination for American hardwoods amidst increasing demand within the region’s furniture, interiors and flooring sectors. Despite the widespread effects of the global recession, the region continues to show significant demand for American hardwoods, with exports from the US reaching $74.4 million last year, according to the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC).
“In line with our aims to increase awareness in the region, we are undertaking significant attempts to underline the primary benefits of US hardwoods, which are well reputed for their wide range of species and suitability to address calls for sustainability and standardised grading for increased transparency and assurance, among regional customers,” says Roderick Wiles, director – Africa, Middle East, South Asia, Oceania.
According to Wiles, American hardwoods have seen a significant increase in demand, not only in Dubai, which has developed into a wood processing hub, but also in Abu Dhabi, territories across the entire Gulf as well as Iran, East Africa and Pakistan.
“Notably, hardwoods from the US have also seen widespread demand in Egypt, where sawn timber and veneer are used in all kinds of construction projects as well as for the manufacturing of flooring and furniture – a significant percentage of which is exported back to the US and to Europe,” he says.
A quick review of the numbers indicate that US hardwood log, lumber, veneer and flooring exports to the Mena region reached $74.4 million last year, marking a decrease from the previous year’s total of $80.6 million, but still up on the 2007 total of $62.4 million. The dip seen in 2009 was widely anticipated, due to the global economic downturn. However, this decrease was also mainly due to a decline in exports of logs to the region, rather than lumber and veneer, which held up remarkably well.
“In terms of American hardwood lumber, which forms the bulk of US hardwood exports to the Mena region, the top five destinations in 2009 include Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. While Egypt and Saudi Arabia are the single largest consuming markets, the UAE remains extremely important given its strategic location, infrastructure and other capabilities, which make it an excellent hub for re-export to neighbouring Gulf countries and beyond. Exports of US hardwood lumber to Egypt and Saudi Arabia last year accounted for 24 per cent ($8.5 million) and 15 per cent ($5.6 million), respectively, of total exports to the region. Egypt was also the single most important destination for American hardwood veneers last year, taking $4.9 million or 37 per cent of total exports to the region. The second most significant market for veneers was the UAE, which took $2.9 million or 22 per cent of exports to the region.
Commenting on the important markets for American hardwoods, he says: “The UAE continues to remain an important market as it acts as a wood-processing and redistribution hub for a wider region. Although demand in Dubai has decreased in the past 18 months or so, demand in Abu Dhabi has increased significantly and this is helping to drive the UAE market as a whole.
“Saudi Arabia is also a very important market for hardwoods and its young and fast-growing population means that the construction sector will develop rapidly for the foreseeable future. Egypt, which is the largest market in the region, in terms of population, has a massive furniture and interiors sector and demand here is expected to grow as the sector increasingly gears itself up towards manufacturing for export. Other emerging markets include Lebanon and Jordan, where economic stability and growth are driving demand for interior wood products.”
US hardwoods have been specified for a significant number of high-profile projects in the region, including Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Emirates Towers, Grand Hyatt Dubai, Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates and Ibn Battuta in Dubai and Bar Al Jissa Muscat. Leading architects and designers, as well as high-end turnkey contractors and manufacturers of flooring and furniture in the Gulf have also developed a strong appreciation of the potential offered by American hardwood, which signify further growth prospects for the product in the region.
Commenting on sustainability and market trends, he says: “With the mounting global concern about climate change and illegal logging, green issues are becoming more important nearly everywhere. Abu Dhabi recently announced its intention to enact the world’s toughest green building standards. This trend is set to continue, particularly now that governments in major consuming countries are introducing legislation targeting illegal wood in trade. In the US, we have seen a recent amendment to the Lacey Act, which gives American authorities the power to prosecute companies caught in possession of wood harvested or traded illegally in any other country. The EU seems to be moving in the same direction, with proposals on the table to impose ‘due diligence’ requirements on all companies that ‘first place’ timber on the EU market.
“Green marketing opportunities and burdens still vary enormously worldwide. We are seeing strong emerging demand for labels like FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) in the UK and the Netherlands, respectively, where government procurement policies were developed early and are now being enforced more effectively.
“There is no question that increased focus on environmental issues provides a major opportunity for American hardwoods at a very fundamental level. A natural, renewable, legally harvested and sustainably sourced product like US hardwood has much to gain from increased market interest in these issues.
“The science of lifecycle-analysis is clear on the fact that very few materials can compete with wood on environmental credentials, and very few wood suppliers can match American hardwood’s claims to sustainability. Despite relentless population growth, urban expansion, and rising demand for hardwoods, the area and volume of American hardwood forests has been expanding dramatically. Between 1953 and 2007, the volume of US hardwood growing stock more than doubled from around 5 billion cu m to over 11 billion cu m.
“When the wood industry originally began to respond to calls for proof of legality and sustainability, it tended to be industry specific or country specific – there was no unified wood voice. This is beginning to change now and it is clear that some challenges are common to the whole industry and demand a cohesive approach.
“All sectors of the wood industry face growing demand for assurances that wood is both legal and sustainable. However, it has to be ensured that these demands do not impose unnecessary costs on the wood supply chain and that wood is not singled out unfairly compared to other materials. It is noticeable that the steel and concrete sectors are increasingly laying claim to ‘sustainability’ credentials. The forest sector has for years agonised over the actual meaning of ‘sustainable forestry’ and has t