Oregon Public Broadcasting

Weyerhaeuser’s Chief Financial Officer  says the Northwest timber giant is well-positioned to supply timber to Japan when the country starts to rebuild after this year’s earthquake and tsunami.

Patricia Bedient was the keynote speaker at an Oregon State University business summit in Portland Tuesday.

She says Weyerhaeuser is ready to send more logs, lumber and fiber products to Japan. But first the country has to clear all the debris and temporary shelters, and that could take a while.

Patricia Bedient: "I think it's probably at earliest late this year. It's not in the next few weeks."

Bedient says U.S. housing starts are still slow, but she sees signs of activity in Phoenix, Arizona and Washington D.C.

She doesn't expect a recovery in the housing market until the unemployment numbers are well below the national average of 8.8 percent.