Japan’s Foreign Timber General Supply and Demand Liaison Conference has released data on the amount of timber and lumber imported into that country, according to the Japan Lumber Journal this week. Volumes of foreign logs received in 2013 was 4,528,434 m3, a 3.6 per cent increase compared to the previous year, and the amount of lumber products was 7,703,486 m3, a 15 per cent increase from 2012. The total for both was 12,231,920 m3, a 10.5 per cent increase.
The log volumes included: 3,420,273 m3, a 12.2 per cent increase, of North American logs; 589,905 m3, an 18.4 per cent decrease, of New Zealand logs; 292,213 m3, a 12.2 per cent decrease, of Southsea logs; and, 214,134 m3 a 15 per cent decrease), of Russian logs.
North American logs account for more than three- quarters of the overall share and had a two-digit increase.
Wood Imports, Japan 2013
Among other lumber products, total import volumes into Japan were: 3,201,377 m3, a 31.1 per cent increase, of European lumber; 2,866,763 m3, a 4.2 per cent increase, of North American lumber; 751,117 m3, a 22.1 per cent increase, of Russian lumber said the Japan Lumber Journal this week.