The results of Japan’s intensive campaign to foster a domestic lumber production industry over the past couple of years are in; Japan’s Forestry Agency released the data for the Wood Supply and Demand in 2015 to the public on September 27, said Japan Lumber Journal Thursday.
According to the report, the total amount of demand for the year (after conversion to the log equivalent) was 75,300,000 cubic metres, which is down 0.7 percent compared with the previous year, and the rst decrease in four years. Among the total amount of demand, domestic output was 25,058,000 cubic metres (up 6 per cent) and import was 50,242,000 cubic meters (down 3.7 percent).
Japan Wood Consumption: FY 2015
The total demand in Japan for sawn timber for 2015 amounted to 70.9 million cubic meters, a decline of 2.3 percent from the previous year’s result, said Japan Lumber Journal Thursday. Of the figure, demand for wood for lumber decreased 3 percent to 25.4 million cubic metres, and that for plywood diminished 11 percent to 9.9 million cubic metres. These sectors saw drops for the second consecutive year. On the other hand, demand for wood for pulp and woodchip increased (up 1.1 percent) to 31.8 million cubic metres increasing for 2 consecutive years.
Domestic production of sawn timber grew 1.4 per cent to 21.8 million cubic metres, of which 21.9 million cubic meters were logs (up 1.5 percent) and 217,000 cubic meters were wood remaining in forests (down 6.1 percent). On the contrary, Japan’s import of sawn timber dropped 3.9 per cent to 49.1 million cubic metres. The self-sufficiency in sawn lumber rose 1.2 points from the previous year’s result to 30.8 percent. Also Japan’s export of sawn lumber increased 13.5 percent to 2.3 million cubic metres.