European lumber exporters have expanded their sales overseas from 30% to 45% over the past ten years, with Asia receiving a fifth of total exports in 2020
Sawmills in several European countries have long been exporting large volumes of softwood lumber outside their domestic markets. Historically, most of the shipments were to neighboring countries on the continent, and only about 20% were shipped overseas to the Middle East/Northern Africa (MENA), the US, and Japan. In 2020, this share had grown to 45%, with shipments to China having expanded the most. A combination of stagnant wood demand in Europe, readily available log supply in Northern and Central Europe, and a lack of forest resources available to supply domestic lumber manufacturers