Until the end of August, hardwood lumber exports fell by 21% year-on-year, totaling only 1.56 million m³. At the current pace, exports will decline to the smallest volume since 2011 according to an analysis by online platform timberlinemag.com based on statistics of the US Foreign Agricultural Service.
Exports to China, by far the biggest overseas market for US hardwood lumber, fell to around 700,000 m³ in the first eight months. Shipments to China are likely to decrease for a third consecutive year, after having peaked at 1.25 million m³ in the record year 2020.
US imports of hardwood lumber, too, have seen a marked decrease of 32% in this period, which brings the total to only 240,000 m³.
