South African sawmills are facing a log shortage in the face of strong demand for timber.
Forestry consultants predict exports of sawn timber will plummet or stop because of the shortfall, with plantations only able to provide 3.8 million m3 of the mills’ 5.3 million m3 processing capacity. They believe sawn timber may even have to be imported soon.
The log dearth and strength of the rand may cause remanufacturers to slow production or move to countries with secure timber supplies, such as Poland.
Domestic timber use has risen sharply in the commercial, industrial and household sectors.
