In April 2024, Canadian sawmills produced 4,557 thousand m3 of lumber, marking a 3.6% increase from March, according to the new data of the Statistics Canada. However, lumber shipments decreased by 2.7% to 4,210 thousand m3 during the same period.

Photo: Statistics Canada

Year-over-year, lumber production in Canada saw a significant 9.9% increase, while shipments also rose by 5.6%.

From January to April, lumber production in Canada increased by 3.2% to 17,303 thousand m3.

The lumber production from the beginning of the year to April reached the annual rate 51,908 thousand m3, representing a 5.8% increase compared to last year, however this is 3.0% less than the 5-year average of 53,514 thousand m3.

In April, the capacity utilization rate in wood products manufacturing in Canada stood at 80.5%, showing a 4.1 percentage points increase year-over-year and a 3.4 percentage points rise month-over-month.

In May 2024, the average price for the softwood lumber exported from Canada to the U.S. decreased 5% compared to April, according to Lesprom Analytics. However, this was 3% more than a year ago. The exports of softwood lumber from Canada to the U.S. slipped 4% year-on-year in May.

Source: Statistics Canada