This October the Competitiveness and Innovation Branch of the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource operations has released the 2014 Economic State of the B.C. Forest Sector report.
Prices and Costs – North America’s housing market improved in 2014, but housing starts were still low compared to the early/mid 2000’s. Average SPF 2×4 lumber prices fell slightly in 2014.
Data sources: Madison’s Lumber Reporter (SPF), U.S. Census Bureau, JAWIC and Statistics Canada.
Softwood lumber production volume held relatively steady in 2014. The Coast accounted for 12% of B.C. production. Volumes were roughly unchanged from 2013 to 2014, and up 30% from 2009. Lumber production with current markets in the past several years is 10 comparable to the production in ‘95-’99 when U.S. housing starts averaged around 1.5 million.
Wood Products, especially Lumber: In 2014, B.C. produced 29.8 million cubic metres of lumber, or 51% of Canada’s total softwood lumber production. B.C. sawmill* sales (primarily lumber) were CA$5.0 billion in 2014, or 59% of total Wood Product Manufacturing sales in B.C.
Logs: In 2014, 66.4 million cubic metres of logs were harvested. Exports of 6.8 million cubic metres (10.3% of harvest), mostly from coastal areas, were worth CA$784 million.
Total harvest volume (66.4 million m3) was down 6.6% from 2013, and up 36% from 2009. The Interior accounted for 71% of the harvest, and the Coast for 29%. The last few years 15 of harvest are close to pre-beetle harvest uplift, pre-housing boom harvest levels.
Hemlock and Douglas fir make up roughly 2/3 of the harvest on the Coast. In the Interior the main species is lodgepole pine, followed by spruce.
