US softwood lumber suppliers have reported on the awesome potential but also concerns of supplying to China, according to industry newsletter Random Lengths.
About 20 companies visited China as part of a Softwood Export Council-sponsored trade mission in September.
Suppliers toured ports and production and distribution facilities around Beijing and Shanghai
Some described the scale of construction as “overwhelming” but there were also concerns about Chinese importers’ intense focus on price and strong indications that the Chinese economy was on an unstable footing.
Opportunities include western spruce-pine-fir lumber, western red cedar for interior applications and in the furniture and landscaping sector.
