Reduced activities in the housing construction sector in China decreased importation of softwood logs and lumber in late 2011, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. Despite the decline in the 4Q, total imports during 2011 reached a record high, making China the largest importer of logs and lumber in the world.
ICTORIA - The B.C. government says lumber exports to China have gone through the roof.
It says in the first 11 months of last year, the province had shipped 4.2 billion board feet of lumber to China, exceeding a goal of four billion set four years ago.
Exports are up 200 per cent from 2009, and their value has hit more than one billion dollars.
Jobs Minister Pat Bell calls the numbers astounding, saying about two dozen sawmills across B.C. have re-opened or added shifts partly because of the boost in exports to China.
The popularity of certain timber construction techniques appears to be spreading, with cross-laminated timber (CLT) proving to be particularly sought-after.
CLD is produced in a factory and involves industrially-drying quick-growing timber boards, before stacking them at right angles and gluing them together. The boards are glued across their entire surface, and one product will usually use three, five or seven layers of timber.
The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service has launched anti-dumping procedures against softwood lumber imports from Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, Canada, and the USA. Mainly concerned from a European point of view are assortments of softwood lumber for construction purposes sorted by strength by machine. If the investigation concludes that dumping took place, the responsible ministry could impose temporary anti-dumping duty.
New Zealand’s sawn timber exports to China have been ‘hammered’, while raw log shipments surged in the wake of Beijing’s efforts to cool the economy and amid increased sales by rival forestry nations such as Canada, according to an industry lobby group.Lumber exports fell 16 percent to $264 million in the four months ended Sept. 30, according to New Zealand Timber Industry Federation figures. Exports to China fell 19 percent to $44.7 million and shipments to the US fell 23 percent to $40.2 million.
British Columbia’s Wood Enterprise Coalition (WEC) today congratulated Regional District of Kootenay Boundary on the passage of its new Wood First Resolution in support of the province’s Wood First Act – making it the 40th local government in BC to pass a Wood First commitment.
The Wood Enterprise Coalition is a partnership of:
OTTAWA, Oct. 26, 2011 /CNW/ - The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) applauds the Mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, and the City for their decision to create incentives for green construction. Watson made the announcement during a speech outlining the City's 2012 Budget proposal.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) welcomes a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) summarizing scientific findings that support the environmental and economic benefits of using wood in green building construction.
Helsinki, Finland, Oct 3, 2011 - Stora Enso plans to undertake a unique wooden construction project in Finland called Wood City in collaboration with the construction company SRV. A proposal that a site in the Jätkäsaari district of Helsinki be reserved for Stora Enso Oyj and SRV Yhtiöt Oyj was submitted today to the Real Estate Board of the City of Helsinki. The aim is to create a world-class project in which engineering skills can be taught in a practical way and to develop wood architecture.
