By Jamie Barrie I t would seem that U.S. imposed softwood lumber duties are having an impact on Canadian lumber producers, but not the impact that the Trump administration was expecting. As strong demand from rising U.S. housing starts and tight supply are expected to keep the need for Canadian softwood lumber and prices high throughout 2018 as the number of U.S. housing starts to beat expecta- tions by surpassing 1.33 million units in January. With single family starts increasing 7.6 per cent and housing permits approached 1.4 million. Market experts expect that the growth in demand is going to outstrip the increase in supply of lumber for the next 18 to 36 months in the U.S. At these expected prices, it is unlikely that harvest reduc- tions in British Columbia will happen as Canadian pro- ducers will look to accelerate production to capitalize on U.S. demand. Simply passing any duties imposed onto the consumer until a new softwood lumber agreement is nego- tiated in a year or so. This is great news for businesses in the Canadian lumber industry as they start to recover from market volatility last year and the uncertainty over imposed duties which made buyers reluctant to buy lumber from Canada. CboxQC™ At-line is a combined CO 2 and O 2 meter used for at-line operation
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FEBRUARY 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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