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UK Rising Wood Imports
British imports of sawn and planed lumber have increased in value by 33 per cent, or almost EUR 50 million in the first two months of 2014, according to the latest figures provided by Eurostat. Imports from the European Union countries, which represent more than 90 per cent of all UK softwood lumber purchases, grew…
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Funding for Canadian Forest Equipment Technology
The federal government needs to offer money, training and incentives to ensure a technological revolution in the forestry industry creates well-paid jobs at home rather than abroad, according to a new study Natural Resources Canada commissioned to find ways to support Canada’s billion-dollar forestry-equipment sector. Canada’s traditional forestry products — softwood lumber and pulp-and-paper —…
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Global Log and Lumber Markets
A purported ‘herd mentality’ in China has brought prices of radiata pine softwood logs for May in New Zealand down sharply. Some industry watchers think the drop is a ‘short term blip’. New Zealand “eastern seaboard log inventories have suddenly risen to close to five million cubic metres. This represents about four months’ supply at…
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Housing Starts, Japan
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan’s housing starts in March were 69,411 units, down 2.9 per cent from the same month in the previous year, said the Japan Lumber Journal Thursday. This marked a year- on-year reduction for the first time in 19 months. Seasonally adjusted annual rate was 896,000…
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US Housing Starts
Housing starts in the US jumped in April and building permits hit their highest level in nearly six years, offering hope that the troubled housing market could be stabilizing. The Commerce Department said Friday groundbreaking increased 13.2 per cent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 1.07 million units, the highest level since November 2013.…
