The number of permanent softwood lumber mills in North America has declined by more than 300 since the mid-90s.
There were 990 softwood lumber mills in the US and Canada as of June 2007 according to figures from the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), compared to 1,311 in 1995.
The figure was released as part of a report into the state of the market, which addresses the US housing recession, the Softwood Lumber Agreement and the impact of the mountain pine beetle on wood stocks in British Columbia, which it says could shrink lumber supplies by as much as 4% over the next decade.
Economists at FPL added that the downturn in housing would continue the trend of over-capacity at mills, which is affecting the economic prospects of the industry.
