Trends in Timber Product Imports 



Imports of timber products have followed about 

 the same upward trend as exports, rising from 1.5 

 billion cubic feet roundwood equivalent in 1950 to 3.2 

 biUion in 1978 (fig. 6.2). The 1978 imports repre- 

 sented more than a fifth of the total United States 

 consumption of timber products. 



Between 1950 and 1978, lumber imports grew from 

 0.5 billion cubic feet (3.4 billion board feet) to 1.6 

 billion cubic feet ( 1 2.2 billion board feet) — a rise that 

 accounted for more than half of the total expansion 

 in imports during this period. Nearly all of the 

 increase was composed of softwoods from Canada, 

 chiefly from British Columbia. By the mid-1970's, 

 imports amounted to more than 20 percent of U.S. 

 softwood lumber consumption. Hardwood lumber 

 imports, mostly from the tropical regions of the 

 world and from Canada, fluctuated between 0.2 and 

 0.5 billion board feet per year. 



Imports of woodpulp, newsprint, and other grades 

 of paper and board have also increased since 1950, 

 reaching 1.4 billion cubic feet in 1977. In the mid- 

 1970's, imports of pulp products amounted to 30 per- 

 cent of U.S. consumption, down from 37 percent in 

 the early 1950's. Nearly all of these imports have orig- 

 inated in Canada. 



Although not large in terms of cubic volume, 

 hardwood plywood and veneer imports have grown 

 rapidly since 1950, rising from 5 million to 195 mil- 

 lion cubic feet in 1977. Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and 

 the Philippines have been the source of nearly all the 

 added imports. Most of the timber used in the manu- 

 facture of these products, however, has originated in 

 tropical hardwood forests in Malaysia, Indonesia, 

 and the Philippines. In the mid-1970's, imports of 

 hardwood veneer and plywood amounted to about 65 

 percent of U.S. consumption of these products. 



Small volumes of logs, softwood plywood, particle- 

 board, and miscellaneous roundwood products such 

 as posts and poles also have been imported. Most of 

 these imports have been cross-border trade with 

 Canada. 



Future trends in United States trade in timber prod- 

 ucts will largely depend on the economic availability 

 of timber in the major forested regions of the world, 

 and on the timber demand-supply price situation in 

 the major consuming areas. Demand in western 

 Europe and Japan is of particular significance in 

 estimating export trends. The timber situation in 

 Canada, the source of most imports, and to a lesser 

 extent in the world's tropical hardwood areas, is of 

 primary importance in appraising future prospects 

 for imports. 



Trends in World Timber Demands 



Softwood lumber imports from Canada have grown rapidly and 

 now account for over a fifth of U.S. consumption. There is also a 

 substantial export trade. 



Consumption of industrial timber products has 

 been growing rapidly in all parts of the world. In 

 total, it increased from 26 billion cubic feet round- 

 wood equivalent in 1950 to over 49 billion in 1977, a 

 rise of nearly 90 percent. Several studies point to 

 further substantial increases in demand in the decades 

 ahead. 2* 



2' Examples of relevant studies include: 



Buongiorno, Joseph, and Gerold L. Grosenick. Impact of world 

 economic and demographic growth on forest products consump- 

 tion and wood requirements. Canadian J. For. Res. 7(2): 392-399. 

 1977. 



Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 

 Development and forest resources in the Asia and Far East region. 

 Rome. 89 p. 1976. 



Development and investment in the forestry sector. 



FO:COFO-78/2. Rome. 21 p. March. 1978. 



Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and 

 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. European 

 timber trends and prospects: 1950 to 2000. Supplement 3 to Vol. 

 XXIX of the Timber Bulletin for Europe. Geneva. 308 p. 1976. 



Madas, Andras. World consumption of wood: Trends and prog- 

 noses. Akademiai Kiado, Budapest, Hungary. 130 p. 1974. 



Pringle, S. L. Tropical moist forests in world demand, supply 

 and trade. Unasylva 28 (112-113): 106-118. 1976. 



216 



