According to the American industry news magazine Random Lengths, the US wood products trade gap grew a further 6% last year.
The total figure for 2001was US$9.93bn. The record was set in 1999 when the gap was U$$10.05bn.
Random Lengths says that the deficit growth overall was greatest in the softwood sector. In Softwood lumber it was US$5.87bn, in softwood plywood US$50.8m (the first time this sector showed a deficit) and in softwood moulding US$406m.
The gap in softwood veneer was US$91.7m, a rise of over 23% on 2000.
The hardwood lumber sector managed a trade surplus of US$764m and hardwood logs of US$376m, but hardwood plywood was in deficit US$707m.
Canada was the US’s biggest softwood lumber market, although sales were down 18% in 2001, followed by Japan, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
China was not in the top 10 US softwood lumber importers by volume, but was eighth by value.
