SHANGHAI – Qingdao
is the location of a new, $125,000 landscape project, which demonstrates
creative new uses of B.C. hemlock and western red cedar products, Forests and
Range Minister Pat Bell announced today on his trade mission to China.
“There is an enormous number of
innovative business opportunities for us in China,”
said Bell.
“This park is our second landscaping demonstration project in China, featuring pressure-treated
outdoor products made up entirely of B.C. coastal wood. This represents a new
market for treated outdoor wood products that could be worth up to $1.5 billion
by 2010, and we intend to pursue these opportunities vigorously.”
The Qingdao
landscape project will be constructed in Zhongshan Park,
the oldest and largest urban park in the city, and a destination that attracts
over four million visitors per year. China’s
landscaping market has grown rapidly as a result of the government’s desire to
increase urban greening, a trend that began during the lead up to the 2008 Beijing summer Olympics.
“We are tremendously supportive of
projects such as this, as they allow us to showcase the durability, suitability
and beauty of B.C. wood products directly to Chinese customers,” said Rick
Jeffery, CEO of the Coast Forest Products Association and chair of the Canada
Wood Group.
The Qingdao project involves contributions from
several partners. Forestry Innovation Investment (FII) China will provide pressure-treated
hemlock and western red cedar from coastal B.C. to create walkways, decking and
seating. The preliminary design calls for about 20,000 board feet of hemlock
and about 17,000 board feet of western red cedar. Canada Wood Group is
supporting the project with materials co-ordination, training and technical
seminars aimed at increasing the understanding and use of B.C. outdoor wood
products.
China’s demand for treated softwood
lumber products has increased more than 80 per cent annually over the last
seven years from 5.4 million board feet in 2000 to 339 million board feet in
2007.
The first landscape project
partnership between B.C. and China
– the Guangdong-British Columbia Pacific
Gateway Park
– was officially opened in Guangdong, China
earlier this year. Research by Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd. and the
Canada Wood Group has identified 20 cities across China most likely to use imported
treated wood in landscaping.
Photos from the China trade mission are available
online in the Ministry of Forests and Range media room http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/pab/media/.
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