An extra 6.7% of lumber was available to the US market during the first half of 2005 compared to a year ago, according to industry newsletter Random Lengths.
The additional wood, amounting to 2 billion board feet, came from US production and imports, bringing the total level of lumber available during the first six months to 32.06 billion board feet.
US production totalled 20.1 billion board feet, 5.1% above a year ago, while Canadian imports grew by 5.7% to 10.67 billion board feet.
Imports from overseas jumped a staggering 46%, with shipments led by European nations, especially Germany, Sweden and Austria.
