54 | Sector Focus: North America
SUMMARY
■Global sales of US softwood in 2022 were US$936m
■The US remains the world’s leading softwood exporter
■The US imported 4.8 million m3 softwood from Europe in 2022
of
■The top three US softwoods imported to Europe since 2019 are SYP, Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine
US SOFTWOOD KEEPS UP POWERFUL RUN
The US softwood industry remains in robust good health, with continuing near record exports and southern pine shipments at an all-time high. American Softwoods consultant Charles Trevor reports
Despite a slight decline from the record- breaking total of 2021, worldwide sales of American softwood lumber in 2022 were a respectable US$936m.
Below:
This beach house is built with southern yellow pine PHOTO: KEBONY
Export sales of Douglas fir reached a record US$195m, up from US$170m in 2021. Including plywood, treated lumber, veneers and mouldings, total world sales were US$1.37bn.
The US remains the world’s leading softwood exporter. For the first time, sales to Mexico were higher at US$283m than
to Canada at US$264m. Sales to Japan at US$72m recorded a healthy increase over 2021. Egyptian sales held up remarkably well in the face of currency problems at US$10m. Plywood showed great resilience with sales of US$160m as did treated lumber with sales of US$145m, with the Caribbean and Mexico being the main markets. In Europe, the Netherlands provided robust sales of treated lumber of US$9m. World sales of softwood windows and frames were US$63m, with softwood veneers at US$37m.
The top three US softwood species/species groups imported to Europe (including the UK) since 2019 are:
• southern yellow pine: 31% • Sitka spruce: 27% • lodgepole pine: 15%
US softwood lumber exports to Europe overall have been on a roller coaster since 2019, posting a 23% decrease from 2019 to 2020, then a 56% increase as the economy reopened, post-Covid, in 2021. 2022 saw an 18% drop, but in January and February 2023 there were more positive signs, with a 19% increase over the same two months in 2022. Southern yellow pine (SYP) remains the most imported US softwood throughout Europe, with sales of US$8.3m in 2022. Sitka spruce followed closely with US$5.6m. It is worth noting, though, that SYP imports were down 5% in 2020 compared to 2019, and, despite a 23.8% increase in 2021, were down 25% in 2022.
TTJ | July/August 2023 |
www.ttjonline.com
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