Chinese Forest Products Imports Soar

Softwood lumber markets strengthened in the third quarter in China and northern Africa but remained slow in the U.S. and Japan, according to forest industry analysts Wood Resources International.

Canadian sawmills benefited from a 135 percent increase in softwood lumber exports to China; overall, China’s lumber imports were up 81 percent for the period. Swedish sawmills saw a 45 percent increase in lumber shipped to Egypt, Morocco and Algeria compared to the third quarter of 2008….