Evidence of a slow-down in the French economy has appeared in the country’s wood import data for the third quarter of 2001, according to the newsletter hardwoodmarkets.com.
Imports of many hardwood products during July to September were down, compared with the same period the previous year. Tropical logs were down 32%, tropical sawn lumber by 11%, oak sawn lumber by 20% and other temperate hardwood lumber and veneers by 22%.
The dominance of tropical log imports in the domestic wood processing sector is being eroded with signs of a shift towards imports of further processed products.
Tropical log imports from Liberia and Equitorial Guinea declined last year while imports from Congo increased.
