4 Aug 2013

Big surge in building in China lifts NZ log sales

7:27 am on 4 August 2013

New Zealand is expected to benefit from a large rise in demand for building wood in China.

The latest edition of Wood Resource Quarterly, a trade publication, shows imports for lumber and logs in China have soared by 30% in the past year.

Much of that increase arose from the June quarter, after demand sagged last year and in the first quarter of this year.

The publication cites a surge in housing construction in China. It notes New Zealand has overtaken Russia as the country's main supplier of logs, also outstripping other importers including the United States and Canada.