Canadian Wood the trusted brand has been a global supplier of quality, environmentally responsible wood products from sustainably managed forests.  Their team of experts assists leading manufacturers, builders/developers, architects and interior designers in identifying the right species and appropriate grades of Canadian wood for their projects.“Today one can see a lot more mechanised wood working factories manufacturing solid wood furniture in the organised sector. Customers exposed to global trends are demanding products made with lighter and fairer solid wood i.e., Conifers as compared to dark and heavy tropical hardwoods. The shift taking place in export-oriented production hubs where the units are manufacturing and exporting furniture and artefacts made using conifers to their buyers abroad.” says Pranesh Chhibber, Country Director, Canadian Wood. He shares his views on the types of wood and the new product innovations they have planned for the Indian market with CW…You have 20 years of expertise in wood-related industries; what are the changes in consumer preferences?There is a trend lately of designers/architects incorporating more solid wood in their projects. Building with wood is catching on with HNIs desiring to have their country homes and farmhouses made with wood for aesthetics benefits. Today consumers ask for certified wood from their suppliers.Canadian Woods has adopted sustainable forest management in response to growing environmental concerns; what initiatives has your company done in India?Canada is a world leader in forest management practices by a wide lead over other nations. It has the largest certified forest area in the world by independent international agencies such as PEFC and FSC. Every single piece of wood that is exported or sold domestically is certified. In India, we create awareness and educate the target audience on the benefits of sustainability and certification as it helps mitigate global warming and climate change. What new product innovations have you planned for the Indian market? We provide technical support to manufacturers in India by sharing best practices and organising educational seminars and training workshops. We also promote innovative use of wood for a variety of applications by suggesting the right species and grade to the manufacturers. We are also playing a role in evolving an ecosystem of like-minded wood working professionals by providing them a platform. We are also helping Indian manufacturers to develop innovative products like Finger Jointed Edge Glued (FJEG) boards using Canadian Wood species to help Communication Feature overcome the challenge of customised sizes from one  manufacturer/region to another.You have recently collaborated with the MAK projects for futuristic Canadian Wood Villa. Please elaborate.We collaborated with MAK projects to develop a fully functional and live-able wooden villa as a pilot project at BTR Greens, Hyderabad. These WFC structures incorporate comprehensive water-proofing measures to protect them from heavy rain and moisture ingress and are designed to withstand seismic undulations and local conditions including wind load etc.The primary wood species used for constructing the villa is Spruce-Pine-Fir (SPF) and Douglas fir Laminated Veneer Umber (LVL). Other species used for different applications are SPF for Roof structure, OSB (Oriented strand Board) for Sheathing, Western hemlock glulam’s for floor system, columns and beams, Yellow cedar for exterior doors and windows, Western hemlock, Douglas fir for interior doors, Western red cedar for cladding and Western hemlock for soffit.(Communication by the management of the company)