The Coronavirus Epidemic has negatively impacted the supply chains for numerous industry sectors worldwide the past few months, but it has not stopped the global trade of forest products. For the Wood Resources International, a forest industry consulting firm that specializes in evaluations of global forest resources, one sector that has remained fairly strong during the initial period of the epidemic is the forest products industry.
In the “Wood Resources Quarterly”, a quarterly market report focusing on the global wood market, Wood Resources International highlighted how the import of softwood logs has increased by 14 percent in China and 19 percent in South Korea, while exports of this type of timber from Australia and Canada have increased by about 70 per cent compared to the previous month.
Not only softwood logs. Softwood Lumber, for example, also increased, with New Zealand and Canada increasing their exports by 32 and 25 percent compared to the previous month, resulting in an increase in imports from China (59 percent), states United (27 percent), the United Kingdom (13 percent) and Japan (10 percent).
Also wood pulp and hardwood chips increased their market. Demand for toilet paper, face masks, disinfecting wipes, corrugated paper for cardboard boxes, and wood products for home renovations are just a few forest products that have been in unusually high demand in many countries during this spring.
Despite the difficulty, the woodworking sector was ready.