Wood chip prices fell in Canada in the 1Q/09 as pulpmills reduced their operating rates substantially, reports WRI.

Press release – For Immediate Release Seattle, USA. March 28, 2009 Wood chip prices fell in Canada in the 1Q/09 as pulpmills reduced their operating rates substantially, reports WRI. Many Canadian pulpmills run at operating rates of less than 70 percent... More

Press release – For Immediate Release Seattle, USA. March 28, 2009 Wood chip prices fell in Canada in the 1Q/09 as pulpmills reduced their operating rates substantially, reports WRI. Many Canadian pulpmills run at operating rates of less than 70 percent in the 1Q/09. As a result, wood chip prices fell in most provinces with the biggest declines occurring in British Columbia and Alberta. The western provinces had the lowest wood chip prices in North America in the 1Q, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review. Canadian pulpmills and sawmills reduced production in the 1Q as demand for pulp, paper and lumber continued to slump both domestically and in the U. S. , a key market for Canada. No province was spared; even pulp-producing companies in the low-cost province of Alberta reduced operating rates this quarter, a clear sign that prices for market softwood and hardwood pulp have reached unprecedented low levels. The biggest drop in lumber production occurred in British Col Less