Hardwood lumber exports from USA up 10% by end of September

The upward trend in US hardwood lumber exports that had still been quite pronounced at the start of the year continued to lose momentum in the third quarter. The volume of hardwood lumber exports from the USA until the end of September 2011 was 10% higher than in the same period of last year at a total of 2.108m m³. Growth of 18% had been recorded in the first quarter, and 13% in the first half-year. Deliveries to EU countries in the first nine months even remained 2% below last year’s level at 302,016 m³. Exports to the EU had risen by 4% by the end of June. At a combined figure of 584,884 m³, exports to Mexico and Canada also failed to match last year’s figure (-1%). Exports to East Asia, on the other hand, rose by 32% to 877,808 m³. Growth was also achieved in deliveries to countries in the Middle East (+19 %) and the Caribbean region (+55%). However, a total of only 55,000 m³ or so was shipped to these countries in the first nine months of 2011.