Northern Exports of Softwood

Assessment of export opportunities for softwood products from the North has been hampered by a lack of information describing foreign sales from the region. This article describes the value and volume of softwood products exported from the northern United States for 1980 through 1985. Roundwood productsmostly spruce logs from Maine and Vermont -are the largest northern softwood export. Canada, the principal market, accounted for 86% of all shipments over the 6-year period. Compilation of regional export data provides a basis for identifying opportunities for selected products in specific markets. North. 1. Appl. For, 5215-219, Sept. 1988. Because northern exports of softwood products account for only about 6% of total U.S. softwood exports, they are often neglected in discussions of forest products trade. But foreign sales of softwood products from the Annual compilations of northern softwood exports since 1985 are available from the author. North have averaged almost $130 million annually in recent years. Sales of this magnitude demonstrate that some opportunities do exist for exporting northern softwood products. However, little information has been published that would help northern softwood producers assess export opportunities. Although the Bureau of the Census, and more recently the Foreign Agricultural Service, report national statistics on forest products exports, they do not publish regional breakdowns of the data. National statistics for softwood exports are dominated by shipments from the West, and therefore can be misleading for northern softwood producers interested in developing international markets. This article describes the value and volume of softwood products exported from the northern United States for 1980 through 1985. Compilation of regional export data identifies the products and markets that are most relevant for current and potential exporters within specific regions. Information describing regional shipments of softwood products was obtained from Bureau of the Census reports, which contain U.S. export data by customs district of exportation (U.S. Department of Commerce 1981-86). These reports, available only on computer tape or microfiche, are derived from Export Declaration Forms that are filed by exporters with the U.S. Customs Service. Data for softwood products grouped under four categories-roundwood, lumber, wood-based panels, and miscellaneous manufactured products-were compiled for 17 customs districts along the Canadian border from Pembina, North Dakota, to Maine and the North Atlantic Coast from Maine down to Baltimore, Maryland (U.S. Department of Commerce 1982). NORTHERN SOFTWOOD EXPORTS The value of all solid softwood product exports from the North fluctuated while declining from $146 million in 1980 to $125 million in 1985 (Fig. 1). Annual sales have been determined mainly by the overall economic conditions prevailing in Canada and the rate of exchange between the Canadian dollar and the U.S. dollar. That is, exports s lumped du r ing the 1981 1982 recession; the decline over the whole period also reflects the sliding value of the Canadian currency against the U.S. dollar, which caused U.S. products to be more expensive. The total value of northern softwood exports and the value of the Canadian dollar both fell by 14% from 1980 to 1985. Shipments are strongly influenced by conditions in Canada because it has "Reprinted from the Northern Journal of Applied Forestry, Vol. 5, No. 3, September 1988. NJAF 5(1988) 215 198