Highlights of joint outlook report by Russ Taylor Global and Margules Groome Consulting addresses key softwood and hardwood topics, issues and outlooks. This new report, China Forest, Log & Lumber Report: Supply, Demand & Prices to 2030/2035, shows China will again become a significant growth market for softwoods especially for lumber. Source: Timberbiz
The Chinese hardwood pulp sector will also see substantial growth with important fibre sourcing implications and opportunities.
Some key trends and questions answered in the report are as follows:
Softwoods:
- China’s softwood lumber demand peaked in 2019, a level unlikely to be reached for a very long time. Demand will increase slowly, but only by about 20% from 2023 to 2035.
- Lumber imports will surge over the forecast period by 50-75% to offset supply limited declining log imports.
- Log imports peaked in 2021 and are forecast to decline by more than 50% from the 2021 level by 2035.
- While 2024 will likely be lacklustre, recovering demand, low inventories and tight log supplies mean that prices will rise.
Hardwoods:
- China’s hardwood eucalyptus plantation estate has expanded exponentially and based on size is now on par with Brazil. This expansion allows for more domestic supply than many would expect.
- The analysis shows that there are opportunities now for China to re-align and optimise its hardwood value chain.
- The hardwood pulp industry is forecast to increase consumption from ~20 Mt in 2023 to ~31 Mt by 2035.
For more information about the report contact Russ Taylor at [email protected] or visit: https://russtaylorglobal.com/report-china-log-lumber-outlook-to-2035/
