After flattening out last month, the latest issue of the Western Wood Products Association’s monthly Lumber Track, for January-August 2019, shows US softwood lumber production volume continues almost flat from the same time last year, to 23,737 mmfbm.
Like last month, January – August softwood lumber production in Canada continued big drops through most of this year, falling another -11%, to 16,655 mmfbm, compared to the first eight months of 2018 when it was 18,664 mmfbm.
In British Columbia, brutal sawmill curtailments brought another huge drop in production volumes, which for Jan – Aug plumetted another -20%, to 6,887 mmfbm, from 8,587 mmfbm in the first eight months of 2018.
North America Softwood Lumber Production, Sawmill Capacity Utilization, WWPA: Aug 2019
US sawmill production as per cent of practical capacity for the first eight months of 2019 dropped -3% compared to the same time in 2018; at 83%, from 86% in January – August 2018, said the Western Wood Products Association’s monthly Lumber Track.
Canadian sawmill production as per cent of practical capacity crashed down another -9% in January – August 2019, to 79% from 88% the previous year.