Today in Teeny-Tiny Silver Linings: Rebuilding Japan to Boost NW Timber Industry
In a region still firmly rooted in its lumber legacy, an increase in the world's demand for wood always seems welcome--even in light of a terrible tragedy.
As relief efforts in Japan forge on, the focus is slowly shifting toward the need to rebuild the structures damaged and demolished by March's earthquake and tsunami. Here in the Pacific, lumber companies and sawmills are gearing up for a hike in demand that will likely ensue: as much as a 10% increase in global exports of Washington wood, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. As new stateside construction continues to falter in the region, investors are leaping on the chance to grab timber stock, sending stock prices into the timberline.
But companies aren't just reaping benefits--they're giving back, too. Northwest News Network's Tom Banse reported that industry titan Weyerhaeuser, who has a long-standing relationship with Japan, has donated money to the Red Cross' relief effort, both from its own pockets and from its Community Fund.
