Lumber production in Canada fellย -18.6 per cent in December 2017 from November, with sawmills producingย 4,827ย thousand cubic metres of lumber, said Statistics Canada Thursday. Declines in production during this reference period are common due to the holiday season. Production wasย -0.8 per cent lower than in Decemberย 2016.
Sawmills shippedย 4,812ย thousand cubic metres of lumber in December, downย -14.9 per cent from November andย -2.8 per cent lower than in Decemberย 2016.
In separate data released by Statistics Canada Wednesday, exports of forestry products and building and packaging materials declinedย -6.6 per cent to $3.4ย billion in January, on lower exports of lumber and other sawmill and millwork products, down -14.5 per cent. This decrease occurred as the US Department of Commerce resumed collecting import duties on Canadian lumber in late Decemberย 2017.