Delegates from British Columbia’s 2014 Forestry Asia Trade Mission helped celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Canada Wood Office and the B.C. Council of Forest Industries (COFI) establishing a presence in Japan.

Jiangsu Province is the latest Chinese province to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Province of B.C. to increase the use of wood-frame construction.

Efforts to expand export markets for B.C. lumber took a major step forward last night with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding designed to increase the use of wood-frame construction in China.

B.C. wood was in the spotlight today at the Sanlin Shanghai Affordable Housing Project, as Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson and forestry trade mission delegates toured two wood-frame buildings and signed a new memorandum of understanding.

In an important step toward a stronger working relationship between B.C. and China's Zhejiang province, both governments signed an agreement encouraging greater co-operation in wood-frame construction.

Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson and delegates on the 2013 Forestry Asia Trade Mission had an action-packed first day in Japan.