INTErVIEW ”We have a
INTErVIEW ”We have a timber for every application” For more than 30 years, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) has been at the forefront of international wood promotion, successfully building a distinctive and creative brand for American hardwoods. The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) showcased its innovative approach to hardwood communications at the Interzum fair in Cologne. Following the fair, WiN had the opportunity to speak to David Venables, European director of the American Hardwood Export Council. large stocks, a slowing of the Chinese economy, and the punitive tariffs imposed as result of the trade war with USA, have had an immediate impact on sales. While some of this lost business has been off set by increased sales to other Asian markets such as Vietnam, they recognize Europe is a well-established market for US hardwoods that still has growth potential. So, companies came to cement existing relationships and make new ones. It worked, as feedback suggest they collectively made millions of dollars of new sales. How important is the European market for AHEC? Which are the main sales markets for American hardwood? David Venables: Europe is where US hardwood exports were first established and European markets have a long history of importing hardwoods. It is true that hardwood consumption has changed and contracted in Europe over the decades due to reduced furniture production as industries have sought cheaper production costs outside Europe. And in turn European industries have faced stiff competition from imports of furniture and flooring. However, Europe is still home to some of the world’s leading brands and continues to be a powerhouse for design, innovation and product development. Going back a decade, Italy was the main volume destination for US hardwoods with its sizeable furniture and joinery industries, built on exports. But the 2008 recession and increased competition in global markets especially from Asia consumption has led to significant structural change in this industry. As a result, companies are consuming less high value hardwood than in the past and now stock and use a narrower range of species. All of which has impacted on sales of US hardwood. Spain’s hardwood manufacturing industries on the other hand are more focused on domestic consumption. For US hardwoods there is a heavy focus on one species, white oak, used for furniture, flooring, doors and general joinery. White oak accounts for well over 80 % of sales, current AHEC promotion is to target other species such as maple, cherry and now red oak. Germany is also an important market for US hardwoods although as a percentage of overall consumption US hardwood share is relatively low so there are opportunities for growth. Without doubt the most important market for us in Europe is the UK, which has been the most consistent market for 10 years, and currently accounts for around 30 % of all US lumber exports to the Europe. Recent reports suggest that all the confusion of Brexit is now having an impact on confidence and for the first time in years we are expecting exports to slow in the second half of this year. What are special features of American hardwood? David Venables: The hardwood resource is vast and increasing. Supplies are legal and sustainable. AHEC have created unique tools (i.e. an The AHEC presence at the Interzum fair 2019 has been the largest since 1990. How come your interest in Interzum has increased again? David Venables: In terms of stand space yes it was the biggest, but we have always had a big presence at Interzum - taking our design projects, such as ”The Wish List” and ”Workshop of Dreams”. This is because we have always recognized the importance of this show for meeting and networking with the European hardwood trade and industry. The difference this year was we shifted more of the focus onto our industry and what they can offer buyers in Europe, by providing them with dedicated spaces within a pavilion. So yes, in that sense, this was the biggest turnout by US hardwood companies since the 1990’s. Why? Simply put, most of them have been selling large volumes of all species and grades into China and a combination of Bloomberg /London. The highlight of the 'Vortex' is a curved construction clad in American red oak. Picture credit: Foster + Partners and Nigel Young. 18 No. 4 • November 2019
INTERVIEW interactive forest map, an environmental profile and the Seneca creek legality study ‐ all on www. americanhardwood.org) that demonstrate this and provide the necessary assurance of low risk for the EUTR (EU Timber Regulation). The temperate forests of the USA are home to a wide range of species and are more diverse than those in Europe. So, as well as the white oaks, ash, walnut and maple we have red oaks, hickories, tulipwood and many more. The US is the largest producer of hardwood lumber in the world and can supply large volumes of the main species worldwide. The industry has a unique lumber grading system, administered by the NHLA (National Hardwood Lumber Association) that provides a consistent language between buyer and seller. Over and over again we see great designs by young architects and product designers who work with American hardwood. How close is the collaboration of AHEC with designers and architects? David Venables: Architects and designers are the key to innovation and creative use of wood. We have always known that and over 25 years we have put these professionals at the centre of our marketing and communication efforts. Over this time, we have built many strong and lasting relationships, influenced new approaches to using our hardwoods, and seen many of these architects and designers become Ambassadors for our materials, celebrating their performance and environmental credentials. To boost the impact of this communication we have undertaken many ambitious collaborations with some of the world’s best designers and architects, in high profile events and locations. American hardwood is frequently used in the furniture sector. Which are the main sales markets (internationally)? David Venables: Over the last two decades we have seen a migration of furniture production out of Western Europe firstly to Eastern Europe then further east to SE Asia and China. US hardwoods naturally fit into the higher value end of furniture production and in recent years we have seen a return by brands to production in Europe in effort to control quality efficiency and service in order to remain competitive. And, of course Europe is a global hub for design so even where production happens outside of Europe often the decisions on design and choice of materials takes place here. Our industry is a huge global supplier to the furniture sector and it services industries in big volumes in Mexico, Japan, China, Vietnam etc… and will continue to do so. Why is American hardwood so particularly popular in the furniture sector? David Venables: Because we have hardwoods that perform, look good and are widely available in a wide range of sizes and grades. Just what furniture producers need. They take stains, oils, machine well, can be steam bent, turned and CNC machined. We have a timber for every application and the material is available in both lumber, veneer and dimension components. We also have the timbers and grains that are in fashion. Designers are attracted by the strong grains of oak and ash and are now beginning also to return to the smooth texture of the fruit woods such as walnut, cherry and maple. Also, it is important to note that the environmental impact of materials used by furniture industries will become increasingly important over the next decade. Designers are also driving this trend. We are beginning to realize the impact of plastics on our environment and as wood is renewable, recyclable and has very low LCA impacts in use, there will inevitably be more focus on it in future product design. AHEC was the first in the wood sector to explore this connection. We have been observing a trend of using hardwood in the timber construction. Is also American hardwood being used in the sector of timber construction? If so, to what extent? David Venables: I am pleased to hear that you are observing more products and use of hardwoods in construction, because this is a discussion AHEC have been involved with since the early 2000’s. In fact, I would say that we have been one of the drivers to get hardwood recognized as a viable high-performance construction material. It began in 2003 when we worked with engineers Arup to strength test 4 American hardwoods, ash, red oak, white oak and tulipwood. It confirmed that American oaks are extremely strong and in fact with D40 and D50 ratings in the Eurocode 5 they are higher than European oak. Both species are highly suitable for glulam and in fact the roof beams of the new stand at Lords Cricket Ground in London designed by Populus architects, are in white oak and the largest timber cantilever beams in Europe at 23 m. But the most significant development from this testing was to establish the extraordinary strength properties of tulipwood, which effectively has the strength of oak but is not much denser than a softwood. AHEC has undertaken a series of collaborations with architects and engineers to show the structural potential of tulipwood. The most important development occurred in 2013 when AHEC together with Arup and dRMM architects created the experimental structure the Endless Stair, which was the first ever use of hardwood CLT. The Smile and Multiply followed, both structures breaking Kälida Sant Pau/Barcelona. The trellised façade consists of horizontal thermally modified tulipwood slats that allow light to filter through. Picture credit: Lluc Miralles. new ground and pushing boundaries of what is possible. In 2017 the first ever permanent building to use hardwood CLT (tulipwood) was opened and this was the Maggie’s Centre in Oldham in the UK. Currently there are at least 3 medium sized CLT producers in Europe willing to trial tulipwood CLT in order to make it commercially available from next year. Another significant development for hardwood and construction products has been the use of thermal modification to turn certain timber species that are non-durable to make them resistant to insect and fungal decay so they can be used for decking, cladding and external joinery. AHEC and the American hardwood industry have pioneered a number of US hardwood species for TMT with great results. Ash is already widely used in Europe, the use of tulipwood is on the increase and now attention is turning to maple and red oak. What are your prospects for American hardwood in the near future? David Venables: If we are talking about Europe, then we believe firmly there is real growth opportunity even if the hardwood sector itself is not growing. This because US hardwood share of overall consumption is still relatively small and with innovations such as TMT and CLT and glulam there are new markets opening up. There is also huge potentially for red oak to alleviate pressure on current supplies of European oak. Then there are opportunities for well-established species such as maple and cherry to return to fashion and be once again widely used for furniture and joinery. AHEC programs focus on all these issues at the same time pushing the message that US hardwoods have unique environmental credentials that can offer new sustainable solutions in construction and product design. www.americanhardwood.org No. 4 • November 2019 19
