Summary
• BC cedar exports are increasing.
• Alternative shingle species are being tested.
• The volume softwood sector is rock bottom.

Cedar is the undisputed star of the British Columbia timber industry.

Where most commodity softwoods have taken a nosedive in the current market, value-added western red cedar is holding its own.

In fact, it was the only softwood species to buck the downward trend in terms of exports to the UK in the first half of 2008. A total of 20,114m³ was shipped, a quarter of all softwood exported here and up from 18,326m³ in 2007.

The UK self-build sector seems very keen on the wood for cladding applications. Canada Wood UK says it gets an average of one enquiry a day from visitors to the National Self Build Centre & Renovation Centre at Swindon.

The combination of natural durability, appearance, stability, lightness and advantages in the whole carbon debate make this an attractive option for not only self-builders, but also housebuilders and commercial developments. The Western Red Cedar Export Association (WRCEA) says worldwide shipments are up by approximately 6%.

“The UK is doing extremely well and is on track to have the second highest shipments in more than a decade [2006 was the highest],” said WRCEA’s Cees de Jager. “The other European markets are also showing strength, with the exception of Ireland and Belgium.”

UK activity

WRCEA’s architect and specifier programme is very active in the UK this year, with a number of events held in conjunction with Akzo Nobel.

The BC Shake & Shingle Association is also positive about the UK cedar market, with manager Randy Engh declaring exponential growth – about 30% annually for shingles and shakes. His estimate for UK volumes is in the region of 180-200 containers.

“From our advertising and marketing efforts we are now seeing containers in the hundreds coming to the UK,” said Mr Engh.

The association does not intend to rest on its laurels, and through its additional species programme is targeting other woods for roofing and wall applications.

Pressure-treated Douglas fir and balsam (Pacific silver fir) shingles and shakes are currently undergoing accelerated weather testing. The results will be known during October and then examined by the US-based International Code Council. Several paint manufacturers are involved in the project, providing coatings for the wall products.

“We would be delighted to see the product on shelves within six months,” added Mr Engh. “There has been ad hoc experimentation over a number of years. Western red cedar is not meeting market demand because there is not enough raw material, so we need to get serious with the testing of alternative species. “Our expectation is that the pressure-treated roof shingle product will be viable.”

Cost-effective alternatives

Douglas fir and balsam would represent a more cost-effective alternative to cedar, thus opening up the possibility of a two-tier wood roofing market, and potentially greatly expanding the customer base.

Merchants interested in this product will have a chance to ask questions of the BC Shake & Shingle Association team at Interbuild, where the team will be promoting BC 5x cedar shingles.

News is not great for the commodity softwood mills, where shutdowns and layoffs have been widespread due to Canadian currency strength, low pricing and harvesting levels, plus a spike in demand. Add to that a pine beetle epidemic which is killing large swathes of forest and you have probably the worst market conditions for BC mills since the early 1980s.

During National Forest Week this month, BC forests minister Pat Bell outlined four target areas: an increased emphasis on growing trees; better use of timber and forest residue; more use of wood in large commercial and institutional buildings; and strengthening the already considerable export trade (one billion bd ft of lumber) with China.

Mr Bell also recently stated that he wants to see more beetle-killed wood harvested quicker.