Shipments had been on course to hit record levels during the first half of 2006, but the final tally was 2.6 billion board feet, down from 2.93 billion board feet in 2005.
The drop is being attributed to a slump in the US market combined with demand from other timber buying nations.
The steepest drop in shipments came from Austria, Lithuania and the Czech Republic. Germany, the largest offshore supplier to America, saw its shipments drop 8% to 901 milllion board feet.
Plantation pine imports also declined, but a 15% growth from Chile (to 429 million board feet) offset drops from Brazil and Argentina.
South American suppliers, Random Lengths says, changed their focus to markets in Mexico, Spain, China and parts of North Africa.
Chinese imports to the US reached 61 million board feet in 2006, up from 11 million board feet the previous year.
