North American structural wood panel (plywood and OSB) production is expected to total 31.66 billion ft2 (3⁄8in basis) this year, down 18% from 2007 and 26% from the record 43.1 billion ft2 produced in 2005, according to the annual forecast of APA-The Engineered Wood Association.
Production in 2009 may be even less, with output falling another 3% to 30.87 billion ft2, based on the expectation that US single-family and multi-family housing starts will total just 880,000, down from about 910,000 this year.
Softwood plywood production is forecast to total 12.57 billion ft2 this year, down nearly 14% from 2007, while OSB output is expected to reach 19.1 billion ft2, a decline of 20%.
Production of both plywood and OSB next year is forecast to decline an
additional 2-3%.
APA also forecasts declines this year and next for engineered wood framing products, such as glulam timber, wood
I-joists and laminated veneer lumber (LVL); by 22, 30 and 27%, respectively.
Structural plywood and OSB offshore imports to Canada and the US are forecast this year to total 530 million ft2, down 37% from last year and 80% from 2005.
US and Canadian offshore exports of panels are expected this year to total 1.25 billion ft2, up just slightly from last year but an increase of 138% from 2005.
The longer-term forecast is for the US housing market to begin a recovery in 2010, with housing starts rising to 1.55 million in 2011 and 1.9 million two years later, APA said. That would help boost North American structural wood panel production to a record 45.4 billion ft2 in 2013.
