Lumber production hits decade low, even with weak dollar boosting exports

Portland Business Journal, September 19, 2008---Thanks to the flagging housing market, lumber production at Western sawmills in 2007 plummeted to the lowest annual volume in more than a decade.

 

Data released Thursday by the Portland-based Western Wood Products Association show that mills in 12 Western states produced 16.32 billion board feet of softwood lumber in 2007, down 9.3 percent from the previous year.

 

Since reaching an all-time record of 64.3 billion board feet in 2005, lumber demand has dropped by 12 billion board feet — equivalent to the annual production in Oregon, Washington and California.

 

...the article doesn't mention exports, but this earlier story did...the US is both an importer and exporter of lumber...

Northwest lumber exports jump from weaker dollar

 

Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle), May 23, 2008 -- The weak dollar and soft U.S. housing market are strengthening Northwest lumber exports.

In contrast, slow U.S. housing starts and the falling demand for structural wood are throttling Northwest lumber mills, with many of them closing or curtailing operations.

The weak dollar helps U.S. lumber exports become more competitive against lumber from other sources, because the U.S. lumber costs less.

 

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