But the industry will need to ensure that potential bottlenecks in manufacturing and supply are addressed, in order to take full advantage of the opportunities.
The enormity of the challenge is not lost on Robert Finch and Professor Andy Buchanan, Chief Executive and Research Director respectively of the Structural Timber Innovation Company (STIC), which is based in Christchurch.
“The interest in using structural timber extensively in the re-build of Christchurch is huge and it could really set up the timber industry for years to come,” says Mr Finch.
“But there is a recognition that the industry needs to be well prepared, particularly in the long term and we are talking to key suppliers to make sure the response to demand is able to be fully met.”
He says the LVL side of industry is probably better positioned to take advantage of the upswing in local demand because it currently only supplies about 10% of production capacity to customers within New Zealand and should be able to divert some of its exports to local use. There is less Glulam production capacity within New Zealand, however, and this part of the industry may need to be boosted, in order to meet expected demand.
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