US hardwood exports to the UK grew significantly during the first 10 months of 2005, according to the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC).
Sawn hardwood volumes to the UK were up 9.4% on a year ago, while the value of shipments grew by 13.2%.
AHEC said the growth in average prices showed that Britian was buying higher quality wood, particularly in the joinery sector.
The UK also saw a rise in the import of solid hardwood flooring from US$2.7m to US$6.2m, although veneer fell by 25% to US$400,000.
The Republic of Ireland recorded a 15% increase in the value of US hardwood imports to US$19.7m. UK and Irish import levels combined totalled US$85.5m, the same as Spain which is the largest market in Europe for American hardwood.
AHEC estimates the UK and Ireland’s import of US hardwood could reach US$103m for the full year.
