April 30, 2008
Wednesday

A total of 879.9 million board feet of softwood logs was exported from Washington, Oregon, northern California, and Alaska in 2007. The 2007 volume was up 11.6 percent from the 2006 total of 788.4 million board feet, according to Debra Warren, an economist at the Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station.

"Some 546.8 million board feet or 62.1 percent of the west coast softwood log exports in 2007 went to Japan, 264.8 or 30.1 percent went to South Korea, 42.4 million board feet or 4.8 percent went to China, and 7.2 million board feet or 0.8 percent was exported to Taiwan," says Warren.

Warren is the author of "Production, Prices, Employment, and Trade in Northwest Forest Industries, All Quarters 2006" a publication produced by the PNW Research Station. This publication provides current information on lumber and plywood production and prices; employment in the forest industries; and international trade in logs, lumber, and plywood. It also provides volume and average prices of stumpage sold by public agencies. Data were retrieved from the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Other statistics included in the report are:

• Log exports for 2007 from Washington and Oregon totaled 673.0 million board feet, up 26.0 percent from the 2006 volume of 534.3 million board feet.
• A total of 457,000 board feet of logs was exported from northern California, up from 75, 000 board feet in 2006.
• Alaska exported a total of 206.5 million board feet in 2007 compared with 254.1 in 2006.
• Douglas-fir accounted for 53.7 percent of the 2007 log exports; western hemlock, 13.6 percent; Sitka spruce (out of Alaska), 17.3 percent; and other softwoods made up the remaining 15.4 percent.
• The total value of 2007 log shipments was $544.1 million at port of exportation, and the average value was $618.40 per thousand board feet. Douglas-fir averaged $780.17 per thousand board feet; western hemlock, $521.92; and other softwoods, $460.77.

The Pacific Northwest Research Station is headquartered in Portland, Ore., and has about 500 employees based in 11 laboratories and research centers located in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington.

On the Web:

Warren's publication: "Production, Prices, Employment, and Trade in Northwest Forest Industries, All Quarters 2006"
www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/rb255.pdf

Source of News:

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station
http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw

 

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