Södra’s exports of sawn timber to the US have risen over the past four years and a further 25% increase is expected next year.

圆木

Södra expects 25% sawn timber exports growth to the US in 2018

Södra’s exports of sawn timber to the US have risen over the past four years and a further 25% increase is expected next year. Södra has been represented in the US market since 2000 and is one of the Swedish suppliers in the market that takes a more long-term approach, as the company said in the press release received by Lesprom Network.

Sales consist of structural timber, and the increase in exports is due to several factors. Construction of single-family houses using timber as the most common material is growing. The number of housing starts has doubled since the US real estate crash of 2009-2010 and housing construction is also expected to increase in 2018, resulting in greater consumption of sawn timber. Meanwhile, production of sawn timber in Canada – the largest supplier of structural timber to the US – has been low due to fires and damage from pests.

Structural timber produced from spruce and in a specific dimension is the product that primarily interests customers – mainly timber suppliers with distribution to construction sites. Although the US market is relatively small for Södra, which mainly exports timber to Europe, Andreas Jonasson views this as a positive trend.