Taiwan's solid wood product imports held roughly steady during 2005. Growth was relatively strong (5~15%) in softwood plywood and composite woods, used in construction and as structural material in furniture and interior design. The domestic investment in interior design services grew a healthy 9% in 2005 is expected to continue in 2006 and 2007, as mild growth in the real estate sector and strong growth in home refurbishing is expected to continue. The US remains a relatively minor player in Taiwan's wood market, which is dominated by Southeast Asian suppliers. Taiwan's long-delayed approval of a standardized fire code for wood frame construction continues to rule out a strong uptick in lumber and engineered wood in the near term. With a fire code on the books, opportunities for US suppliers exist for higher value engineered wood solutions used in wood / timber frame construction and for lumber needs that, due to performance requirements, demand performance measures (e.g., decay resistance) ensured through proper product certification.
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