Softwood lumber increased in 2011

Global trade of lumber up 25 percent the past two years, with signs of better times ahead for the lumber industry, reports the “Wood Resource Quarterly”.
After a sharp decline in global demand for lumber in 2008 and 2009 as a result of the global recession, global trade of softwood lumber increased an estimated 25 percent over the past two years. In 2011, trade reached just over 90 million m3, which is still substantially below “pre-financial crises” levels. China, Japan, Spain and South Korea saw the biggest rise in import volumes between 2010 and 2011. However, not all markets improved last year, and major importers such as the Us, the Uk, Italy, France and Egypt reduced imports by between 5-10 percent year-over-year.