British Columbia lumber shipments to China reached a new plateau in 2010, hitting 2.8 billion board feet and a value of $687 million, supplanting Japan as the province's No. 2 export destination.
The lumber shipped to China is equal to the production of about one dozen sawmills, which has helped restart plants in north-central B.C. still suffering the impacts of a U.S. housing collapse. For example, Canfor Corp. re-opened its Quesnel sawmill to deliver lumber exclusively to China.
The United States still remains the No. 1 destination for the province's softwood lumber, but B.C. Forests Minister Pat Bell said Tuesday he believes the unprecedented growth could see China eventually surpass the United States.
The U.S. was the destination for 7 billion board feet of lumber from B.C. in 2010, but Bell said he believes shipping 6 billion board feet to China by 2013 is very achievable.
"This market continues to grow unbelievably," Bell told reporters when he released the year-end export numbers.
"I believe in the next couple of years, we can reach a time when China is receiving more lumber than the United States," said the Prince George-Mackenzie MLA.
The growth into China has been exponential.
Just seven years ago, lumber shipments to China were below 60 million board feet and accounted for less than one per cent of B.C.'s exports by volume.
