FUTURE DEMAND FOR TIMBER 



461 



Table 270. — Exports and imports of plywood by 

 kinds, 1985-55 



[Thousand square feet] 





Exports 



Imports 



Year 



Total 



Soft- 

 woods 



Hard- 

 woods ' 



Total 



Birch 



Other 2 



1935- 



40, 845 

 59, 484 

 47, 148 







30 



678 

 4,532 

 2, 878 

 2, 859 

 2, 623 

 3,470 



222 



\ 



788 



24, 380 



37, 151 



42, 392 



19, 720 



63, 262 



73, 870 



85, 500 



220, 846 



434, 472 



627, 760 







40 



608 



1, 641 



1, 441 



612 



636 



11 



4 







605 



18, 162 



23, 318 



18, 890 



16, 204 



51, 221 



50, 428 



62, 171 



90, 120 



110, 149 



156, 579 



30 



1936-.- 

 1937--- 

 1938--- 



56, 874 

 45, 289 



2,610 

 1,859 



638 

 3,924 

 1, 237 



1939- - - 









1, 418 



1940--- 



1941-.- 



1942-- 



1943.-- 



1944--. 



1945--- 



1946--- 



1947--- 



1948--- 



1949. 



1950.. 



1951... 



1952--. 



1953--- 



1954--- 



1955--- 



45, 234 



24, 921 



27, 746 



135, 967 



117, 834 

 127, 115 



60, 935 



118, 448 

 14, 305 

 16, 060 



3, 816 



4,551 



13, 460 



10, 273 



7,335 



10, 352 



69,' 692 

 29, 232 

 49, 820 



12, 659 

 16, 060 



3, 279 

 3, 916 



13, 095 

 9,648 

 6, 682 

 8, 122 



45, 234 



24, 921 



27, 746 



135, 967 



117, 834 



57, 423 



31, 703 



68, 628 



1,646 



"3" 537 

 635 

 365 

 625 

 653 

 2, 230 



2,011 



2, 834 



211 



5 



1 



183 



6, 218 



13, 833 



23, 502 



3,516 



12, 041 



23, 442 



23, 329 



130, 726 



326, 553 



471, 181 



' For the years 1953-55, includes nonwood-faced ply- 

 wood and other types of boards in the following amounts: 

 1952, 105; 1953, 162; 1954, 222; 1955, 1,906. 



2 Includes 22, 37, and 32 thousand square feet of birch 

 and alder in 1935, 1936, and 1937, respectively, and 3,974 

 and 154 thousand square feet of western redcedar in 1948 

 and 1949, respectively. 



^ For 1950, hardwood includes "special" plywood — 

 172,000 sq. ft. 



Source: U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of 

 Foreign and Domestic Commerce and Bureau of the 

 Census. 



Although exports of plywood were compara- 

 tively large during World War II (136 million 

 square feet in 1943), they have generally not been 

 significant in other years. In 1955 they totaled 

 about 10 million square feet — about 2 percent of 

 the volume of imports. Most of the pl3rwood 

 exports have consisted of Douglas-fir shipped to 

 the United Kingdom. 



Net plywood imports since 1949 have been as 

 follows : 



Quaviity 

 (■million 

 Year : square feet) 



1950 59 



1951 69 



1952 72 



1953 211 



1954 427 



1955 617 



With rapidly rising net imports after 1950 the 

 ratio of hardwood plywood imports to domestic 

 hardwood plywood consumption increased sharply. 



In 1952 the ratio was about 11 percent; currently 

 it is in excess of 30 percent. Various factors 

 including reductions in tariffs on hardwood ply- 

 wood, a high level of domestic construction, the 

 increased popularity of flush doors, '^^ and the 

 expansion of foreign production facilities combined 

 to cause the increase. 



So far, imports have been primarily supple- 

 mental to domestic production. Assuming that 

 they continue in this role, some increases can be 

 anticipated as demand for hardwood plywood in 

 construction and in manufacturing grows largei'. 

 Accordingly, net imports have been set at 1 billion 

 square feet in 1975 and 1.5 billion square feet 

 in 2000. These estimates represent an equivalent 

 log volume of 313 and 472 million board-feet, 

 respectively. In view of anticipated domestic 

 demand, no significant increase is expected in 

 exports. 



Veneer Imports Have Been Increasing 



Trends in the imports of veneer have in general 

 followed those of plywood (table 271 and fig. 132). 

 Before 1946, veneer imports were relatively insig- 

 nificant, but since 1948 they have increased from 

 54 million square feet to 765 million square feet 

 in 1955. In the latter year about 88 percent of 

 the veneer imports originated in Canada. Maple 

 and birch veneers account for about half of the 

 veneer received from Canada. 



Exports (excepting the war years when they 

 reached a peak of 448 million square feet in 1943) 

 have not been important. In 1955, exports 

 amounted to 52 million square feet — equal to 

 about 7 percent of the volume of imports. Since 

 1950 most of the veneer exports (85 percent in 

 1955) have gone to Canada. 



Net imports of veneer since 1950 have been as 

 follows: 



Quaniitu 

 (mUlion 

 Year: siiuare feet) 



1950 327 



1951 403 



1952 397 



1953 534 



1954 541 



1955 714 



Veneer imports, as in the case of plywood, are 

 supplementary to domestic production, and it 

 seems logical to assume that imports will increase 

 as demand for hardwood plywood and veneer 

 increases. Accordingly, net imports are estimated 

 at 1.4 billion square feet in 1975 and 2.0 billion 

 square feet in 2000. These estimates represent 

 an equivalent log volume of 112 and 158 million 

 board-feet, respectively. Exports are not expected 

 to be significant. 



'5« Most of the plywood imports from Japan consist of 

 panels used primarily in the domestic manufacture of flush 

 doors. 



