Decline of softwood timber imports in the US in 2017

The comparatively weak business activity in softwood timber imports in the USA in the third quarter of 2017 (18% decline), did not continue in the last quarter of the year.

The US imported nearly 1% more (a total of 9.264m m³) softwood timber in the fourth quarter of 2017 than in the same period of the previous year. Data from the US Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS), demonstrate that imports from Canada fell by around 3% (to 8.557m m³), while imports from Europe (EU28) made a huge step of 156% to 437,103 m³. The FAS also pointed out at sharp increase in imports from Latin America (+19% to 186,816 m³) and Brazil (+78% to 113,010 m³).

The decline in imports in Canada is mainly due to the antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) applied to deliveries to the USA in the fourth quarter as well. The final rates of antidumping and countervailing duty on imports of Canadian softwood timber into the USA were fixed at an average of 20.23% of the invoice value on 28 December upon publication in the Federal Register.

Information provided according to www.euwid-wood-products.com