Australia Consumes Less Wood, Agency Says
10/14/99
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Title: Australia Consumes Less Wood, Agency Says
Source: Environment News Service
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: October 14, 1999
CANBERRA, Australia, October 14, 1999 (ENS) - Australia's apparent
consumption of structural wood -- sawnwood and wood-based panels --
fell in 1998-99, ABARE's Manager, Natural Resources, Rhonda
Treadwell, said today when releasing Australian Forest Product
Statistics: June quarter 1999. ABARE is a professionally independent
applied economic research agency.
A flat plateau in housing starts over the 12 months from June 1998 to
June 1999 created conditions that saw the consumption of sawnwood
fall by three percent and consumption of wood based panels by four
percent. Production of sawnwood also fell by three percent, while
production of wood-based panels remained steady in 1998-99.
Australia's total value of forest products imports rose by six
percent to $3.26 billion in 1998-99. Imports of structural wood fell
slightly, but this was more than offset by a large rise in the volume
of pulp imports, and by increased prices of imported paper.
"Forest products imports from Asia were rising," Treadwell said.
"While most Australian imports are still sourced from New Zealand,
North America, and Europe, Asia's share of total forest products
imports has risen from 22 percent to 27 percent in the past two
years," she added.
Australia's total value of forest products exports fell by two
percent to $1.3 billion in 1998-99. The main reasons for the fall
were a fall in woodchip exports to Japan from the record exports in
1997-98, and in the volume of paper and paperboard exports to Asia.
At the same time, exports of other forest products to several Asian
countries increased strongly. Sawnwood, roundwood, wood-based panels,
and wastepaper exports all increased in 1998-99.
Responding to the current prospect of limited growth in the Japanese
woodchip market, combined with signs of renewed economic activity in
other parts of Asia, Australian woodchip exporters are establishing
new markets for woodchips outside Japan.
Australian hardwood woodchip exports to Chinese Taipei more than
doubled to 132,000 bone-dry tonnes, while exports to South Korea
reached 71,000 bone-dry tonnes. Japan remains the predominant market
for Australian woodchips, however, taking 93 percent of hardwood and
almost all softwood chip exports in 1998-99.