US lumber producers are failing to see much benefit from the softwood lumber duties imposed on their Canadian counterparts, according to industry sources.
British Columbia’s big timber companies have raised their output and continued the flow of imports to their neighbours, helping to drive down US lumber prices and ultimately the earnings of the US firms.
Canadian companies are trying to reduce their costs by operating multiple shifts, helped by new deals cut with unions. A glut of cheaper timber affected by the mountain pine beetle infestation has also been flooding the market.
