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Rubber and Wood July 22, 2014 06:00:20 AM

North American log export volumes surged 14% during Q1 2014

Paul Ploumis
ScrapMonster Author
North American log exports to Asia over the past several years have boosted profitability for timberland owners while challenging the domestic solid wood sector mainly in northwestern US and Coastal British Columbia

North American log export volumes surged 14% during Q1 2014

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): North American log exports to Asia over the past several years have boosted profitability for timberland owners while challenging the domestic solid wood sector mainly in northwestern US and Coastal British Columbia. In the 1Q/14, the North American export volume was 14% higher than in the 1Q/13 and 30% more than the same quarter in 2012, as reported by the North American Wood Fiber Review (NAWFR). Almost 53% of the overseas exports have been shipped from the US Northwest, while 41% was from British Columbia and the remaining share of shipments were split between Alaska, California and the US South.

There are nine ports that handle break bulk log shipments along the US West Coast. The Port of Longview in Southwest Washington exports more logs than all the other eight ports combined, according to Jones Stevedoring. In the past five quarters, each of the eight ports shipped an average of one vessel per month, while the Port at Longview loaded one vessel for Asia every three days. The major exporting companies at this location are Chugoku, Weyerhaeuser, Pacific Lumber & Shipping, Sojitz and TPT.

Coastal British Columbia is also a major supplier of logs to the Asian markets,with a majority of the timber originating from private timberlands on Vancouver Island. Over the past year, shipments have been approximately 1.5 million m3 per quarter, which is up from an average of 1.2 million m3 per quarter during 2011 and 2012.

Total shipments of southern yellow pine were up 130% for the period January through May this year compared to the same period last year, and volumes are already 70% more than they were for all of 2012. Combined with the first reported bulk shipload departing from the Port of Baton Rouge in May, we are likely to see increased exports of logs from the Southern states in the coming years.

North America continues to supply China, Japan and other Asian countries with logs for their forest products sectors. Log exports from the US and Canada in the 1Q/14 were up 14% from last year, reports the North American Wood Fiber Review, with shipments from the US South having increased the most.

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