UK softwood imports weaken due to difficulties in the supply chain in Northern Europe

Qfter a reasonable start to Q2, softwood market price levels started to firm up in April backed by a reduction in the availability of sawlogs. Wet and stormy weather conditions across northern Europe made the forest floor too soft for log extraction leaving the sawmills short of raw material and certain lengths in carcassing specifications. In terms of consumption, April proved to be a washout with flooding affecting UK building sites causing a continued slow-down of construction from Q1. There was an expectation in the trade that once warmer and dryer conditions prevailed in May and June, demand ...