Russia has surpassed Canada to become the world’s largest exporter of softwood lumber, and is on track to ship almost 32 million m3 of lumber in 2019 (23% of globally traded lumber this year). Despite slowing economies in North America, Europe and Asia, lumber imports to these markets were higher in 2019 than in 2018, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ).
Volume traded during the first nine months of 2019 represented the second lowest y-o-y increase for the period in eight years, according to the WRQ. Of the world’s ten leading exporting countries, Russia, Belarus, Germany and Finland have boosted their lumber sales the most this year.
WRQ: Russia increased lumber sales in 2019
Global trade of softwood lumber slowed in the 3Q 2019 but was still on pace to be higher in 2019 than in 2018. Russia, Belarus, Germany and Finland have boosted their lumber sales the most this year, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly.