February 2023 Southern Pine exports were down 1.4% over January but up 7.3% over the same month in 2022. Softwood imports, meanwhile, were down 11.7% over the month and down 9.7% over the same month in 2022.
Our international consultants weighed in with the following thoughts on the February 2023 Southern Pine exports data. Here are their thoughts:
Southern Pine lumber exports are up by a sharp 26% to 44.5 million board feet through February of this year, the latest data available.
The rise is driven by continued growth in shipments to Mexico, which reached record levels the past two years and are on track to reach a record again this year. Mexico now ranks as the Southern Pine industry’s largest export market, exceeding shipments to the Dominican Republic, long ranked as the top destination, for the first time.
While shipments to China have grown sharply thus far this year, exports are only a tenth of shipments a few years ago because of rising trade tensions and prohibitively high tariffs.
Pressure-treated Southern Pine exports dipped slightly to 29.8 million board feet in the same period but remain near record levels. Top destinations are Mexico and, as would be expected, the Caribbean.
As for softwood lumber imports, they’ve held steady this far this year at 2.3 billion board feet. Imports from Canada are slightly off, while imports from Europe, lead by far from Germany, are on the rise. Imports from Europe have more than doubled in the past few years.
SFPA members: Don’t forget to check out the our members-only site to get a full breakdown on every country’s import and export numbers for Southern Pine and treated lumber!