One of fifth of western Canada’s lumber output was shipped to China in 2011, according to industry newsletter Random Lengths.
The 3.1 billion board feet of lumber shipped from Canada to China was equivalent to 20% of the lumber output from British Columbia and Alberta, or 25% just for British Columbia. The figures compare to 13% and 16.7% respectively for 2010.
The growth in Chinese lumber shipments has been mirrored by a decline in sales to the traditional US market.
In 2011, 39.6% of Canada’s lumber production was exported to the US, down from a 62.5% peak in 2005.
