Subscribe/Advertise/Contact Us/Links/Digital Editions
Homag Canada JAN 2024 Leaderboard Alpha
Site Menu

Global trade of softwood lumber slowed in late 2019

Share this story

According to a market report from Wood Resource Quarterly, the global trade in softwood lumber has slowed late in 2019 but remains on pace to be higher than in 2018.
According to the report, Russia has surpassed Canada to become the world's largest exporter of softwood lumber, and is on track to ship almost 32 million m3 of lumber in 2019 (23 per cent of globally traded lumber this year). Despite slowing economies in North America, Europe and Asia, lumber imports to these markets were higher in 2019 than in 2018.
Volume traded during the first nine months of 2019 represented the second lowest y-o-y increase for the period in eight years, according to the WRQ. Of the world's ten leading exporting countries, Russia, Belarus, Germany and Finland have boosted their lumber sales the most this year.
According to the report, lumber production has fallen in both the US and Canada in 2019 because of disappointingly low activity in the US housing market and meager demand for North American lumber in overseas markets.
From January to September in 2019, lumber exports from Canada were down 5 per cent y-o-y, while US shipments fell as much as 23 per cent. 
All the major lumber-producing companies in British Columbia have taken downtime this fall, causing production to plummet 19 per cent in 2019.
Prices for softwood lumber were quite stable during the summer and fall in three of the four major lumber-producing regions of North America. Only in the US Northwest, where log supply has been tight and demand for lumber along the US west coast has stayed healthy, did lumber prices move up from their lower prices early in the year.

Proudly serving the industry since 1987
FESTOOL Feb 2024 Cordless Trio
Xylexpo 2024
Akhurst Banner Dec 2021
ELIAS WOODWORK Feb 2024 RB
OCI March 2024 Right Banner
Felder 2021 Homepage Right
KCD - Right Banner July 20th_2020
CHEMCRAFT Feb 2024 Right Banner
CNC Automation Feb 2024 Right Banner
Taurus Craco Right Banner March 2024
VENJAKOB Right Banner March 2024
SCM Canada ESHOP May 2023
Blum March 2024 Revego
NR MURPHY Jan 2023 Right Banner
GRASS Jan 2024 Banner References
SUGATSUNE March 2024 Right Banner ALT-ST
© KLEISER MEDIA INC., 2024 Woodworking Magazine