US and Canadian exports of logs and lumber to China are expected to double this year to reach an estimated value of US$2.6bn, according to Wood Resource Quarterly.
The North American share of log and lumber imports to China has already increased by 14% in the past five years to a market share of 18% in 2010.
Some sawmills in the western US and Canada are exporting up to 30-40% of their production to Asia, with the biggest growth coming from British Columbia, much of it pine beetle-killed lumber.
Canada’s lumber shipments’ value has risen from just US$55m in 2005 to an estimated US$1.2bn this year.
US mills have concentrated more heavily on log exports, with shipments projected to reach a value of US$900m.
