For the first two months of 2020 softwood lumber production in the US continued improvements compared to one-year-ago, to increase even more, says the latest issue of the Western Wood Products Association’s monthly Lumber Track.
For January and February 2020 US lumber production volume increased by +5% to 6,163 mfbm compared to the first two months of 2019 when it was 5,862 mfbm. Comparing February to the previous month however, there was a -10% drop in US softwood lumber production in February 2020 likely due to the impact of the global COVID19 pandemic.
In Canada meanwhile, softwood lumber production fell, by -7.8% in the first two months of 2020 to 3,766 mfbm, compared to one-year-ago when it was 4,084 mfbm.
In British Columbia sawmill production volumes tanked compared to January – February 2019, by -15%, to 1,461 mfbm in the first two months of 2020.
North America Softwood Lumber Production, Sawmill Capacity Utilization, WWPA: February 2020
US sawmill production as per cent of practical capacity for February 2020 remained almost flat at 88%, compared to 89% in January, said the Western Wood Products Association’s monthly Lumber Track.
After huge drops in the end of last year, Canadian sawmill production as per cent of practical capacity popped nicely in February 2020, to 83% compared to January 2020 when it was a brutal low of 71%.