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Log exports from Washington, Oregon, northern California, and Alaska increased by just under 2 percent in volume to 466 million board feet in the first quarter of 2014 compared to the fourth quarter of 2013, the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station reported today. During this same period, West coast lumber exports decreased by more than 11 percent to 257 million board feet.

Also in the first quarter of 2014, the total value of West coast log exports increased by more than 6 percent to $369 million, while the total value of lumber exports decreased more than 10 percent to $186 million.

“West coast and U.S. log exports to China were stable in the first quarter of 2014,” said Xiaoping Zhou, a research economist with the station who conducted the analysis and compiled the data. “China’s demand for U.S. lumber increased just slightly, by 2 percent during this quarter, but lumber exports specifically from the West coast to China decreased 17 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2013. East coast exports made up for these shortfalls.”

Other highlights:
•    Total U.S. log exports increased nearly 11 percent in volume in the first quarter of 2014 compared to the fourth quarter of 2013, while the value increased by more than 12 percent;
•    Total U.S. lumber exports in the first quarter of 2014 increased by less than 1 percent in volume compared to the fourth quarter of 2013, while the value increased by just under 6 percent;
•    In the United States, 41 percent of outgoing logs and 35 percent of outgoing lumber were destined for China in the first quarter of 2014, compared to 44 percent of logs and 30 percent of lumber in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Compared to the same period last year, West coast exports increased by 11 percent for logs and by 17 percent for lumber. Sixty-four percent of the West coast’s log exports were shipped to China in the first quarter of 2014, compared to 59 percent in the first quarter of 2013. West coast lumber exports to China represented 43 percent of the total exports, compared to 37 percent during the same period last year.

From The USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station: http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/news/2014/06/log-exports.shtml