BEIJING: Four timber groups dominated China’s sawn softwood imports in 2016, korean and Scots pine (8.3 million cu.m, 47%), spruce and fir (8.11 million cu.m, 45%), radiata pine (1.19 million cu.m, 7%) and Douglas fir (0.23 million cu.m, 1%). The volume of korean and scots pine, spruce and fir, douglas fir and radiata pine imports rose 41%, 11%, 9%, and 1% respectively year on year.
The main sawn hardwood species imported into China in 2016 were oak (1,380,000 cu.m, 10%), American ash (508,000 cu.m, 3.54%), beech (503 000 cu.m, 3.51%), cherry (150,000 cu.m, 1.06%) and merbau (130,000 cu.m, 0.93%). The volumes of cherry, ash, oak and merbau rose 55%, 14%, 11%, and 3% respectively, but, overall, North America hardwoods and beech imports fell 11% and 1% year on year respectively.
