Wood pellet exports from the US increased for the 12th consecutive quarter in the 4Q/14, as compared to Canadian exports which trended downward in 2014, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review.

North American log exports to Asia over the past several years have boosted profitability for timberland owners while challenging the domestic solid wood sector mainly in northwestern US and Coastal British Columbia.

Exports of wood pellets from North America to Europe reached a record of over two million tons in 2011, according to analysis reported in the North American Wood Fiber Review. Canada has long been the main exporter of pellets but in the second half of 2011, the US caught up and exported an equal volume to Canada.

North American Wood Fiber Review reports prices for woody biomass were higher in the 3Q of 2010 than the previous quarter for most of the regions throughout the United States. NAWFR looked at sawmill byproducts, forest residues and urban wood waste.