Imports of logs and timber to China plunged 19 percent during the first eight months of 2012 relative to the same period a year earlier reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. The slowdown is attributed to a drop in demand due to reduced construction.
China imported $4.3 billion worth of logs and lumber through the end of August, 19 percent last year. Log imports dropped 17 percent by volume, lumber volume fell 5 percent.
The biggest decline in log imports were from Russia and the U.S. Prices fell most steeply for Russian lumber.
China is the world’s largest log and lumber importer.
