The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), the leading international trade association for the American hardwood industry, has identified Jordan as an important and growing market for American hardwoods, given the Kingdom’s contribution to the USD 69.3 million worth of US hardwood exports to the MENA region last year. The country is showing increased demand for interior wood products as its construction sector continues to witness rapid development amidst growing economic stability. With aims to help develop the market further, AHEC, in partnership with local importer/distributor A. A. Kattan & Sons Co., is set to conduct an intensive workshop on species and lumber grading on the June 05, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Jabal Amman.
Roderick Wiles, AHEC Director for Africa, Middle East, South Asia and Oceania, will be one of the event’s main speakers. He will discuss the availability and wide variety of American hardwood species as well as their important environmental credentials and the United States’ long history of good forest governance. In addition, he will also address various issues related to the carpentry and joinery sector in the country. This will be followed by a practical demonstration of the grading rules for North American hardwoods, which will be conducted by Bob Sabistina, former Chief Inspector of the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) and AHEC’S grading consultant. The workshop follows similar activities undertaken by AHEC aimed at elevating awareness and knowledge of American hardwoods across the region.
“We are taking significant steps to raise awareness in new market sectors for American hardwoods in the region, as more governments in the Middle East undertake major initiatives to address calls for sustainability,” said Roderick Wiles. “The workshop we will be conducting in Jordan is designed to demonstrate the efficiency of the rules used to grade American hardwoods, and the importance of proof of sustainability amidst the growing demand for assurances that wood is both legal and sustainable. We are looking forward to meeting with wood consumers and traders in Jordan, and with the backing of our local partner A. A. Kattan & Sons, we are expecting this event to be a huge success.”
As Jordan’s construction industry sees large-scale progress, American hardwoods, with their great variety of colour, grain and character, and remarkable colour contrasts, offer a wide range of design options for architects and specifiers within this rapidly growing sector. Some of the most popular US hardwood species include dark-toned walnut, red alder, elm, cherry and red oak; light-hued white oak, maple and ash; and colourful hickory, sapgum and tulipwood, which are ideal for interior purposes such as moulding and millwork, furniture, cabinetry and flooring. Given their unique and interesting properties, American hardwoods have become the preferred choice of the international design community for high end interior projects such as public buildings, hotels and corporate offices as well as private homes and many of the species available from the United States are making it in to Jordan’s most recent developments.
“We are proud of the growing prominence of American hardwoods in Jordan and across the region, which is a testament to the global appeal of our products. The initiatives we are taking in the region have resulted in growing recognition for US hardwoods among specifiers, importers, retailers, and developers of major construction projects, and we are confident that this event will further drive awareness of our products, not only in the Kingdom, but also across the Middle East,” concluded Wiles.
