The research, which responds to the request of proposals issued by National Resources Canada and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, aims at providing an assessment of the market conditions in Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and France, analysing the perception of Canadian hardwood among present and potential users and eventually finding out which strategies can be implemented by Canadian stakeholders – namely the Ontario Wood Products Export Association and the Québec Wood Export Bureau - to regain market shares in the above-mentioned countries. Qualitative issues were investigated in-depth, including product design, sustainability, technical wood features, consumer perceptions.