The European timber industry has enormous potential, but needs greater international collaboration and improved communications to achieve it.

This was a theme running through presentations at the first European Wood Day organised by the European timber federation CEI-Bois in Brussels 10 days ago.

The event attracted over 200 European , Nordic and Baltic industry figures, EU commissioners and officials.

The tone of the presentatons was set by CEI-Bois president Bo Bogström. He said that the forest products industries’ had adapted well during CEI-Bois’ 50-year history. But globalisation meant they would have to develop even more rapidly in the years ahead.

  ‘We must co-operate and step beyond company boundaries for the common benefit of the industry.’

Lars Göran Sandberg of Swedish timber consultancy Timwood AB said that a key challenge for the sector would be posed by the rapid growth of the international home products chains, led by the US giants Wal Mart and Home Depot. And the timber industry would also have to adapt to changing demographics, with declining birth rates and fewer housing starts in developed countries.

Kelly McCloskey, chief executive of the Wood Promotion Network, the organisation behind the North American ‘Wood is Good’ campaign, showed examples of timber-knocking adverts run by the US steel and concrete sector. He also highlighted the success of ‘Wood is Good’, in raising awareness of the performance and environmental advantages of timber. ‘Against well financed, aggressive competition, our best defence is offence,’ he said.

TTJ editor Mike Jeffree said that campaigns like wood. for good and wood is good were a positive start, but that the industry’s profile had to be raised further. ‘ When the industry’s communication overall is as good as its message it will be a potent force,’ he said.

Other speakers included Tony Bravery of the Building Research Establishment, Centrumhout director Cees de Bruin, and Professor Arno Frühwald of the University of Hamburg.

CEI-Bois aims to make European Wood Day an annual event.