Global Trade in Lumber Has Risen 25% in The Past Two Years

Global trade in lumber has risen 25% in the past two years. After a sharp decline in 2008 and 2009, traded volumes rose to 90 million m³ in 2011, although this is still well below pre-financial crisis levels. According to the Wood Resource Quarterly, the biggest rises in import volumes from 2010-11 were in China, Japan, Spain and South Korea. However, major importers such as the US, the UK, Italy, France and Egypt reduced imports by 5-10%. Growth was also recorded in the Middle East and north African region, which has a growing appetite for timber, with imports up 36% in 2010 compared with 2007. Nordic countries’ lumber prices fell during the second half of 2011, to their lowest levels since 2009, but they may rise again as there are signs of market improvement in some European countries and in northern Africa and the Middle East. Source: ttjonline