Newsletter - International

Save the date and join the American Softwoods Latin America’s virtual event March 2-4 for three days of talks with international experts, including SFPA Executive Director Eric Gee. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet distributors and get to know the new trends in wood construction. Each day’s sessions run from 10:00 – 2:00 (CTS) Mexico […]

American Softwoods was represented in-person at the Taipei Building Show in mid-December 2020. Taiwan has been successful in containing the COVID-19 virus, allowing business operations and trade shows to continue. Although U.S.-based representatives were unable to attend due to international travel restrictions, local contractors were hired to staff the booth and survey visitors. The show […]

SFPA wrapped up this year’s schedule of webinars with Antigua and Curaçao in late October. Like elsewhere in the Caribbean, the U.S. has a dominant share of these markets but faces competition from alternative building materials such as concrete and steel. As seen throughout the Caribbean, the driving force behind this competition stems from a […]

In early October, American Softwoods representative, Charles Trevor, attended the International Softwood Conference (ISC) which was held online due to COVID-19. The International Softwoods Conference exists so that producers and users of wood and wood products can engage in dialogue on markets and resolve any bilateral issues. There were fewer presentations in this year’s conference […]

For the first time in over a decade, the U.S. has reached out to softwood markets in the British Virgin Islands and Dominica with a virtual educational seminar presented by SFPA in mid-September. The event is SFPA’s fourth webinar and follows successful webinars presented in Costa Rica, and Jamaica and the Dominican Republic earlier this […]

Dr. Bob Smith from the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials at Virginia Tech recently co-authored a book titled International Marketing Practices for Small to Medium Sized Forest Products Firms. with Dr. Omar Espinoza and Ms. Anna Pitti from the University of Minnesota. The book was written to assist forest products companies entering international markets or to […]

A new report details several Chinese projects that display innovative uses for Southern Pine lumber. Featured SYP projects include timber bridges, the Luhu Resort Hotel, and the Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre. In 2019, 13 timber bridges in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province were renovated using imported SYP lumber supplied by SFPA Manufacturer Member, Interfor. The stressed laminated […]

Despite COVID-19 travel and gathering restrictions, education and promotional efforts continued in July with a lumber training webinar targeting lumber traders and construction professionals in Costa Rica. This webinar was SFPA’s third educational event to follow the webinar format, after a successful series of webinars in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic in June. Costa Rica […]

In late August, American Softwoods representative Fernanda Vale presented a webinar at Expo CAMACOL. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, CAMACOL exhibitors (like American Softwoods) were given the opportunity to virtually present educational or technical seminars that were streamed through both the Expo CAMACOL platform and YouTube. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Mrs. Vale presented a 45-minute […]

In late June, SFPA conducted a pair of successful virtual training seminars targeting lumber traders and construction professionals in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. The Dominican Republic and Jamaica are currently the two largest markets for Southern Pine lumber in the Caribbean. Although U.S. softwoods have long held a dominant share in these markets, their […]