Displaying items by tag: Wood Resource Quarterly

Japan is in urgent need of pre-fabricated houses and manufactured wood products in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country in early March. Longer term, it can be expected that imports of commodity products such as plywood, lumber and logs will increase to this country, which is already one of the largest importers of wood products in the world, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly


The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11 is first and foremost a humanitarian tragedy that is difficult to comprehend. Over 10,000 people died during and in the immediate aftermath; more than 400,000 people lost their homes and 100-150,000 buildings were destroyed. The re-building of towns, roads, railways and the power grid in the impacted region northeast of Tokyo will be a lengthy and difficult undertaking.


Much is still uncertain regarding short-term and long-term changes in the importation of forest products as a result of the catastrophe, but the need for construction material is going to be considerable in the coming years. Initially, there have been requests from Japanese authorities and trading houses for pre-fabricated houses. There have also been inquiries for glue-laminated products and other pre-cut wood products that more quickly can be used for re-building efforts, as opposed to need for basic commodities such as lumber and plywood. To start with, the government has asked for 30,000 temporary houses within two months.


Japan is one of the largest importers of wood products in the world. In 2010, the country imported wood raw-material (logs and chips) and processed wood products valued at more than ten billion dollars, which was 20 percent more than in 2009, as reported in the Wood Resource Quarterly. Japan was the biggest importer of wood chips and plywood, the second largest importer of logs, and was ranked the third biggest importer of lumber in the world last year.


It is not likely that imports of lumber, plywood and sawlogs will increase much in the next few months before ports and access roads have been cleared and the power has been restored for at least the most basic needs. Over the next 6-12 month, it can be expected that there will be a rise in demand for both lumber and plywood. This will result in increased importation of processed products and of logs to supply domestic Japanese mills. Based on contacts already established between importers in Japan and manufacturers around the world, it is probable that there will higher shipments of softwood lumber from Canada, the US, Russia, Sweden and Finland later this year. The major suppliers of plywood will most likely continue to be Malaysia, Indonesia and China.


Japan imported 3.6 and 4.1 million m3 of softwood logs in 2009 and 2010, respectively. As the domestic forest industry increases production later in 2011, imports of logs predominantly from the US, Canada, New Zealand and Russia can be expected to increase to their highest levels in at least three years.

Published in Asian News

Wood pellet exports from the US and Canada to Europe reached 1.6 million tons in 2010, a doubling of shipments in just two years, reports the North American Wood Fiber Review


Over the past two years, North America has become a major supplier of wood pellets to Europe. In 2010, an estimated 1.6 million tons of pellets were shipped from the US and Canada to the Netherlands, the UK and Belgium, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review. This is a doubling of volume compared to 2008.


The full article can be found in the attached PDF file.....

Published in Financial News

Wood costs for the global pulp industry have increased 17 percent the past two years; only the US South has bucked the trend, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly 

 

Global market pulp production increased by seven percent in 2010, which increased demand for wood raw-material. As a result, prices for wood chips and pulplogs were up in most regions of the world, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly. The Softwood Wood Fiber Price Index (SFPI) has increased 16.5 percent the past two years, while the Hardwood Wood Fiber Price Index (HFPI) went up 17.7 percent.

 

Global pulp production in the second half of 2010 was higher than many had anticipated, and pulp markets were better than they had been the first six months of the year. The total production of chemical market pulp last year reached an estimated 45 million tons, which was about seven percent more than was produced in 2009. North America and Western Europe increased production by 10 percent and 12 percent, respectively, while Latin America/NZ reduced production slightly. Other regions including Asia, Africa and Russia also raised production in 2010.


High demand for wood raw-material by the pulp industry pushed the costs for wood fiber upward in the second half 2010, as reported in the Wood Resource Quarterly. Softwood chips and softwood pulplog prices were higher in most key markets around the world in the 4Q/10. As a consequence, the Softwood Wood Fiber Price Index (SFPI) increased for the third consecutive quarter. The Index reached US$103.60/odmt, which was the highest level since the beginning of the financial crisis, and the SFPI is now 16 percent above the 1Q/09 price. The biggest price increases in the 4Q/10 occurred in the US Northwest, Sweden, Spain and Brazil.


The Hardwood Wood Fiber Price Index (HFPI) has gone up faster than the SFPI since early 2009. The 4Q/10 Index was US$108.28, which was up 3.4 percent from the previous quarter and almost 18 percent higher than 1Q/09. The HFPI has only been higher twice since its inception over 20 years ago. Pulp mills in Germany, Spain, France and Brazil all had to pay more for hardwood logs in their local currencies. In addition, the US dollar weakened against most currencies and therefore contributed to a higher Price Index


One of the few regions that experienced reductions in wood fiber costs in 2010 was the US South, with 4Q prices being about 10 percent lower than in the 1Q. Wood prices in the South were the lowest in all of North America in the 4Q/10, and pulp mills in this region have benefited from some of the lowest wood fiber costs in the world



Published in North American News

Global trade of wood chips was up in 2010 after a sharp decline in 2009 with China becoming a major importer, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly


Global trade of wood chips was up 25 percent in 2010 because of increased production of pulp and paper products worldwide. China showed the greatest growth in chip imports with an increase over 400 percent in the past two years, as reported in the Wood Resource Quarterly. Australia continues to be the major exporter and shipped 11 percent more in 2010 than in the previous year.


The full article can be found in the attached PDF file.....

Published in Press Releases
Monday, 24 January 2011 11:30

Forest Products Market Update

Global sawlog prices in the 3Q 2010 were almost back up to pre-crisis levels, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly

Sawlog costs for many sawmills around the world went up during 2010, and the Global Sawlog Price Index reached the highest level in over two years in the 3Q/10, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly. The biggest wood price increases occurred in Western US, Germany, Sweden and Northwest Russia.

Seattle, USA. Sawlog prices have trended upward in almost all regions of the world for the past two years. The Global Sawlog Price Index (GSPI) reached $80.88/m3 in the 3Q/10, which was the highest level since the beginning of the financial crisis in late 2008, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly. The Index, which is based on prices for logs being processed into construction and better-grade lumber, is a weighted average of sawlogs traded in the open market in 19 key regions worldwide.

The GSPI for the 3Q/10 was up 4.8 percent from the previous quarter, which is actually one of the largest quarter-to-quarter increases in 15 years. Compared to a year earlier, the GSPI was 12.8 percent higher. The price increases are partly the result of a weakening US dollar, but log prices have also gone up in the local currencies in most regions. Western and Eastern Canada are the only two regions that currently have lower log costs in the local currency than a year ago. The biggest increases occurred in the US Northwest (+43%), Germany (+28%), Sweden (+24%) and Northwest Russia (22%).

Sawmills in North America, Latin America and Oceania generally have lower costs for wood raw-material than do sawmills in Europe and Japan. The lowest sawlog costs in 2010 were found in Western Canada, Chile and Northwest Russia, while Austria, Germany, Japan and China stand out as the high-cost countries of the world. These regions have been on the high-end of the price spectrum ever since WRQ started tracking sawlog prices in 1995.

The biggest change over the past decade has occurred in Brazil. Ten years ago, sawmills in Brazil had by far the lowest log costs in the world, according to Wood Resource Quarterly. This has changed in recent years, with prices rising closer to the global average. Just in the past two years, log prices have gone up 23 percent in the country. Not all of the increase has been the result of the higher costs in the local Brazilian Real; some is due to the strengthening of the Brazilian currency against the US dollar.

Global timber market reporting is included in the 52-page quarterly publication Wood Resource Quarterly. The report, established in 1988 and with subscribers in over 25 countries, tracks sawlog, pulpwood, lumber and pellet prices and market developments in most key regions around the world.

Published in Financial News

The value of softwood logs and lumber exported from North America to China reached over 1.6 billion dollars in 2010, which was 150 percent higher than the previous year and more than ten times as much as in 2006, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly.

The full article can be found in the attached PDF file.....

Published in Financial News

The wood chip cost discrepancy between pulp mills in Western and Eastern Canada was the lowest it has been in 10 years in the 4Q/10, reports the North American Wood Fiber Review

Over the past 20 years, pulp mills in Eastern Canada have consistently had higher wood fiber costs than the mills in the Western provinces with the exception of a short period in 1995, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review. In the 4Q/10, softwood chip prices had fallen in Quebec and Ontario and increased in British Columbia and Alberta resulting in the smallest cost gap between the two regions in 10 years.

The full article can be found in the attached PDF file.....

Published in Financial News

Sawlog costs in Europe have gone up more than lumber prices the past year, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. With the expected decline in lumber consumption, many sawmills in Europe are considering reductions in their operating rates. As a consequence, prices for sawlogs are likely to drop from their two–year highs in the coming months.

The full article can be found in the attached PDF file.....

Published in Financial News

Global sawlog prices have trended upward in almost all regions of the world for the past two years.

After a temporary drop in the 2Q, the Softwood Wood Fiber Price Index (SFPI) increased again in the 3Q to the highest level during the financial crises.  

This year has been a very good year for the world’s producers of market pulp. World production for the first eight months was eight percent higher than last year.

Lumber markets were mixed around the world. In Sweden and Finland, lumber prices trended downward during the first half of 2010. Canadian w est coast spruce-pine-fir prices went up the most, and were 14 percent higher in September than in June.

Woody biomass prices in the US peaked in late 2008 and early 2009 and have fallen until the 2Q this year when they probably bottomed out for this cycle.

The full article can be found in the attached PDF file.....

Published in Financial News

Wood fiber costs for the global pulp industry in the 3Q/10 were close to the highest level in two years, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly

The cost for wood fiber accounts for almost 60 percent of the total production costs when manufacturing pulp. Both softwood and hardwood wood fiber price indices, SFPI and HFPI, have increased about six percent over the past year, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly.

The full article can be found in the attached PDF file.....

Published in Financial News
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