The Japan Forestry Agency members met to discuss about the wood demand forecast for the first three quarters of 2016. They assume that the consumption tax increase would begin in 2017 and that the logs, plywood and laminated lumber imports will increase, compared to 2015. Yet, the lumber imports may decrease in the Q2 and Q3 of 2016.
Compared to the forecast made last December, the North American logs, the European lumber, the radiata pine logs and the lumber coming from New Zealand and Chile, along with the imported plywood, may decrease in the Q1 of 2016.