A record level of timber was supplied to the US market during the first nine months of 2004, according to industry newsletter Random Lengths.
The market was supplied with 46 billion board of lumber, 8.4% more than the same period in 2003.
US production accounted for 28.9 billion board feet, while imports totalled 17.5 billion board feet.
Canada had the lion’s share of the imports with 15.7 billion board feet. Some 1.76 billion board feet of lumber was imported from non-Canadian sources, led by Europe, Brazil and Chile.
The record supply caused a steep fall in prices from mid-August to mid-November.
