Between the early 1950’s and 1984, the 
consumption of sawlogs increased by more 
than a quarter, round pulpwood use nearly 
doubled, and veneer log use nearly 
quadrupled. In the future, demand will 
continue to increase but at slower rates. 
that that level of production in Canada probably cannot be 
sustained. As a consequence, softwood lumber imports have 
been projected to decline to about 11.8 billion board feet 
by 2030. Conversely, hardwood lumber imports are expected 
to increase slowly to 0.7 billion board feet over the projec- 
tion period. 
Imports of structural panels of oriented strand board or 
waferboard, also from Canada, increased rapidly in the late 
1970’s as demands outstripped the small, but growing, do- 
mestic industry’s ability to produce them. Continued in- 
creases in imports are expected in the future, but they are 
likely to rise more slowly than in the past as the domestic 
industry continues to expand. Softwood plywood imports are 
small and are not expected to rise over the projection 
period. 
Of the nonstructural panel products, imports of hardwood 
plywood are most important for domestic consumption. 
Currently, about two-thirds of all the hardwood plywood 
consumed in the United States is imported, chiefly from Tai- 
wan and Indonesia. Imports from such sources have risen 
rapidly over the past three decades and are expected to con- 
tinue to go up, but more slowly, in line with rising domes- 
tic demands. Imports of the other nonstructural panel 
products—insulating board, hardboard, and particleboard— 
have also increased since the early 1980’s but are expected 
to continue at about current levels through 2030. 
108 
For a long time, the United States has been 
a net importer of many timber products. 
This situation is expected to continue, but 
the Nation will have to depend to an 
increasing degree on its domestic timber 
resources. 
Imports of pulp products—pulp, paper and board, and 
pulpwood—have approximately doubled over the past 30 
years, rising to the equivalent of about 1.9 billion cubic 
feet of roundwood. As demands continue to rise over the 
next 45 years, such imports should continue to increase. 
In line with domestic demands, however, the rates of growth 
are expected to slow through the projection period. 
Imports of logs, both softwood and hardwood, are expected 
to be negligible. 
Projected Exports—Like imports, softwood lumber exports 
have increased since the early 1950’s. Most of the growth 
has consisted of shipments to Japan, South and Central 
America, and Western Europe, a trade that is expected to 
continue and to increase slowly as population and incomes 
in these countries and regions rise in the future. Hardwood 
lumber exports have also grown and should rise in the pro- 
jection period. 
Exports of softwood plywood, though showing some fluc- 
tuation, have trended up since the early 1970’s and are ex- 
pected to continue to rise further as European markets grow 
and other markets open up. Exports of oriented strand board 
and waferboard have been, and are expected to remain, 
small in the projection period. 
