For the past 20 years, logging restrictions in Taiwan have resulted in insufficient domestic
timber sources and quantities. Accordingly, the only way that local manufacturers’ stable operations
can be ensured is with imported raw materials. To address this issue, the government will
have to effectively draw upon domestic woodlands and timber sources to promote the domestic
timber self-sufficiency rate. Hence, it is paramount to obtain information about one of the key factors,
sawmills, the forefront of processing harvested wood. Results of this survey indicated that
sawmills in Taiwan are predominantly small. And medium-scaled businesses equipped with fewer
than 5 woodworking machines and less than 10 employees each. However, only 30% of them use
domestic timber for production. Important supplier selection criteria for raw wood materials involve
“stability of supplies”, “reasonable prices”, “sufficient quantities of supply”, “meeting one’s
own production demand for raw materials”, and “quality of wood or wood products”. Meanwhile,
regarding the predicaments faced by the lumber industry, the severity of the following problems
is considered a priority: “lack of the involvement of youth to which the business can be passed
down”, “reduced profit margins from price wars”, and “downturn in the domestic construction
industry”. It is hoped that the government can provide assistance such as “launching an industrydriven
talent training program”, “encouraging more-widespread usage of wood/bamboo merchandise”,
“promoting both the quality and quantity of domestic bamboo materials” and “making
wood/bamboo products eligible items of the government’s green procurement”. Therefore, the
sustainability of the wood industry relies heavily on promoting its development as a whole with
prospects for making this industry an attractive option for youth.