An Analysis of the U.S. Wood Products Import Sector: Prospects for Tropical Wood Products Exporters

Abstract

The U.S. has dramatically altered its wood product imports and exports during the past few years, and at present, it is the second largest wood product importer in the world. Hence, an understanding of market structures, factors in selecting foreign suppliers, and the emphasis placed on environmental issues/certification are critical to understand from the perspective of wood products importers in the U.S. This study provides an analysis of the U.S. wood products import sector with special emphasis on current and future opportunities for tropical wood products exporters to the U.S. market.In this study, 158 wood products importers in the U.S. were surveyed using a mailing questionnaire. The adjusted response rate was 40.6 percent. Results indicated that most of the respondents were small to medium scale firms, but major importers of wood products. According to respondents, wood products to the U.S. mainly come from Brazil, Chile, and China. From the importers' perspective, Brazilian wood products ranked first for its quality followed by wood products from Chile and Finland. Product quality, long term customer relationships, on-time delivery of orders, fair prices, and supplier reputation were the factors deemed important in selecting overseas suppliers. Majority of respondents were importing certified wood products. FSC, SFI, and ISO 14000 were the mostly accepted certification programs. However, certification was not a major factor in foreign supplier selection criteria. When considered the U.S. wood products importers' tendency to diversify their products and species imported, attractive opportunities exist for wood products suppliers from tropical countries.

Revisiting Forest Certification in Sri Lanka: The Forest Management and Export Wood-Based Manufacturing Sector Perspectives

“…Rubberwood is an essential raw material, particularly for export-oriented wood products manufacturers [16,20]. Sri Lanka's wood-based manufacturing sector is characterized by sawmill, furniture, construction, parquet flooring, wood-based panel products, and carving enterprises, with the majority of companies focusing on domestic markets [17,21,22]. These companies predominantly depend on the local wood supply for raw materials [15,21].…”

Developing Marketing Strategy of Nasatech Kitchen Set Malang to Enter a New Market in Usa

“…In addition, furniture is getting traded via e-commerce in the modern market. However, the reputation of word of mouth, international trade shows, and sales representatives are still important sources of information (Bandara & Vlosky, 2012).…”

Some Market Trends of Wood Products Exports in Ghana and Their Implications for Stakeholders: The Case of Furniture and Kiln-Dried Lumber

“…Meanwhile, it appears that in the wood industry, direction of trade (i.e. destination) also appears to significantly influence the unit value of both furniture and lumber products exports [17] which could consequently affect the potential profits of firms engaging in the manufacturing and exports of any of the two products. However, studies appear limited or unavailable on market trends such as unit price fluctuations over a considerable period of time especially in relation to lumber and furniture produced in Ghana for the export markets and whether or not significant differences exist between these values across importing countries/direction of trade and among wood species.…”