A record number of logs were exported by British Columbia in 2002, raising fears from workers and manufacturers that too much timber is leaving the province.

Offical figures show 3.7 million m3 of wood, worth more than C$500m, was shipped last year.

Industry commentators believe the high volumes are due to the poor state of the coastal timber industry and the softwood lumber dispute with the US, as raw logs which are processed in America are duty-free.