South Carolina Forestry Commission to Host Export Convention

Later this year, the South Carolina Forestry Commission will host the 2016 Southern Forest Products Export Conference in Charleston, SC—one of the most important and productive ports cities in the US South. The two-day meeting will focus on uncovering and developing key global markets where Southern forest products can compete. A number of world-class speakers are lined up to address current market conditions in key countries, and share successful export experiences covering a variety of forest products.

Conference History

The idea for an export conference as a way to foster growth among the forest products industry in the Southeast began at the height of the Great Recession. The domestic housing collapse called for a global marketing approach. Addressing this need, the South Carolina Forestry Commission hosted a Forest Products Export Conference for the local forest industry in Newberry, SC in 2011. The success of this meeting exceeded expectations, as a number of individuals came to hear about research on key global markets and opportunities, as well as lessons learned by successful companies.

This initial conference garnered the attention of members of the forest products industry in neighboring states, and eventually prompted an alliance among North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia to hold the Mid-Atlantic Export Conference. North Carolina hosted the meeting in New Bern, NC in 2013, and Virginia hosted it in Portsmouth, VA in 2014.

The South Carolina Forestry Commission will host the 2016 export conference on October 17-18 in historic Charleston, which is a fitting location as forest products are the single largest export by volume from the Port of Charleston. This year, the decision was also made to expand the reach of the conference to all 13 Southern states.

2016 Conference Highlights & Agenda

• South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will greet all attendees to start the conference on Monday, October 17, which also marks the beginning of National Forest Products Week.
• United States Forest Service (USFS) Chief Tom Tidwell has also committed to kicking off National Forest Products Week from the conference in Charleston. 
• Lynn Michaelis, former VP with Weyerhaeuser and an expert in international marketing of forest products, will be the keynote speaker.
• Conference topics will include: global markets for forest products, the South’s role as woodbasket to the world, free trade agreements, country-specific market intelligence, emerging markets and much more.
• Two panels will address key markets for southern forest products including China, India, Turkey, Canada and Central and South America. 
• Four successful wood products businessmen will share their insights into successful exporting of forest products, including hardwood & softwood lumber, logs, SYP chips and pellets. 
• The conference will conclude with two optional field tours in the Charleston area:  (1) a mill tour of the co-located Kapstone paper mill & Ingevity’s chemical plant and (2) a back-stage pass to two Charleston ports.  

Who Should Attend the Conference?

• Primary and Secondary Manufacturers
• Marketing Specialists
• Extension Specialists and Researchers
• Trade Association Representatives
• Service Providers: freight forwarders, trade compliance, financial, etc.

Visit the registration page to register for the 2016 Southern Forest Products Export Conference.