B.C Lumber exports to China records first fall in almost a decade

VANCOUVER (Scrap Monster): The B.C softwood lumber shipments to China fell for the first time in almost a decade during 2014. The exports to China registered a decline of 5% during the year. The shipments to the country had witnessed incremental growth since 2005.

According to figures released by the provincial statistical agency, the B.C lumber shipments to China exceeded 7.5 million cubic metres. The value of shipments amounted to $1.4 billion during the year. The shipments dropped nearly 5% when compared with the total shipments of 7.9 million cubic metre during the previous year. The value of lumber shipments to China had totaled $1.39 billion during 2013.

The B.C lumber exporters had heavily depended on Chinese markets, especially when the exports to the US had slowed down on account of weaker housing market. The lumber exports to China have jumped multiple times over the decade when compared with the total exports of just 251,000 cubic metres in 2005.

Meanwhile, B.C lumber exports to the US continued to rise for the fourth consecutive year in 2014. The exports to the US totaled 14.5 million cubic metres in 2014, 6.4% higher when compared with the previous year. The value of shipments totaled more than $3 billion. The US accounted for 56% of the total B.C lumber exports during the year.

The B.C lumber exports totaled 25.8 million cubic metres during the entire year 2014. The value of exports amounted to $5.75 billion.