The level of US softwood lumber imports from overseas nearly doubled in the first half of 2005 compared to a year ago, according to industry newsletter Random Lengths.
America imported 1.55 billion board feet of softwood from offshore during the period and is on course to break last year’s record volume of 2.5 billion board feet.
European countries led the way, with shipments from the 10 largest supplying nations in Europe growing by 83% to 1.05 billion board feet.
Sweden, Germany and Austria were the biggest exporters, with Sweden’s shipments increasing by 233% to 322 million board feet – attributed in part to the country’s need to shift large amounts of windfall timber felled in January’s storms. Southern Swedish mills have focused their production on framing lumber for the US housing market, which accepts blue stain more readily than other markets.
Overall, Germany had the clear lead, shipping 412.9 million board feet of softwood lumber to the US.
Offshore suppliers took 12.7% of total US imports during the first half. The vast majority of imports came from Canada.
