“Eastern Canadian 2x3in CLS is once again competitive against European supplies, at a time when European prices are showing a tendency to firm, sterling is beginning to strengthen against the Canadian dollar and North American prices are weakening,” said Patrick Cooper of Canada Wood UK.
“We are delighted to see these green shoots emerge, evidence that the Canadian industry is responsive to UK market demand.
“People forget that CLS stands for Canadian Lumber Standard, and that Canadian CLS was the original framework for UK timber frame construction, becoming the industry standard and widely copied by other producer countries.”
Lancashire-based PDS (Forest Products) Ltd has already received a couple of shipments of eastern Canadian CLS, produced specially for the UK market, at Liverpool.
“A number of factors have come together giving an opportunity for eastern Canadian lumber to come back to the market in a small way,” said Patrick DeSalvo, managing director.
“Customers remember the eastern Canadian product – the only reason it went away from the UK market was purely on price.”
A lot of UK customers would love to have Canadian product back, and now is the opportunity according to Chris Skelton, UK sales manager at Tembec Europe Ltd.
“The US market was very hot last year and 2×3 spiked at 40% up over normal levels – it was being used as flange stock for I-beams,” he said.
“It is great to have the product line back at a time when our customers are seeing prices rise from other European sources.”
