The Western Wood Products Association, out of Portland, OR, this week released it’s latest monthly Lumber Track, highlighting Canadian and US lumber production and sawmill capacity.
This latest issue also contains nal revisions for the WWPA’s 2015 Annual Mill Operating Survey results.
Western Wood Productions Association Lumber Track: April 2016
Softwood lumber production by US sawmills reached 10.718 billion board feet (bbf) in the first four months of 2016, a gain of 0.9 per cent from 10.625 bbf in the same period last year, Portland, OR’s, Western Wood Products Association reported Tuesday in its latest Lumber Track report.
In April alone, US sawmills produced 2.665 bbf, a drop of 4.7 per cent from 2.796 bbf a year earlier, and down 6.7 per cent from 2.855 bbf in March 2016.
Apparent US softwood lumber consumption was 16.224 bbf in the four-month period, a 13.4 per cent increase from 14.310 bbf in the year before. In April, consumption was 4.038 bbf – up 7.6 per cent from 3.754 bbf last year, but down 8.5 per cent from consumption in March 2016 of 4.414 bbf.
Softwood lumber production by sawmills in Canada reached 9,496 billion board feet (bbf) in the first four months of 2016, a gain of 9.3 per cent from 8,690 bbf in the same period last year.
Western US sawmills accounted for 4.652 bbf of the four-month total US production, down 1.8 per cent from 4.737 bbf a year earlier, while production at southern US sawmills rose by 3.2 per cent to 5.575 bbf from 5.401 bbf.
Western US sawmills accounted for 1.157 bbf of production in April, down 7.2 per cent year-over-year from 1.247 bbf, and down 8.6 per cent from 1.267 bbf in March 2016.
Sawmills in the South contributed 1.386 bbf to April’s production, 2.5 per cent lower than last year’s 1.421 bbf, and down 4.9 per cent from 1.458 in March of this year.
US sawmill production as per cent of practical capacity for the first four months of 2016 was 84 per cent, com- pared to 82 per cent in the same period last year.
Canadian sawmills production as per cent of practical capacity for January to April of 2016 was 91 per cent, compared to 84 per cent in the same period last year.
