Canada raised its softwood lumber exports by 5% last year to roughly 40.2m m³. The decisive factor for the increase was higher exports to the USA, Canada’s main market. These were 11% higher than the 2013 level at around 28.5m m³. The provisional figures from Statistics Canada of Ottawa show that in contrast the exports to Asia fell again for the first time since the increases achieved in exports in the previous years. At a total of 10.9m m³, roughly 7% less softwood lumber was exported to Asia whereby 5% less was sold to China at 7.6m m³, and 20% less to Japan at 2.2m m³. A comparatively sharp decline was recorded in exports to Africa and the Middle East. At 362,000 m³ (468,000 m³), the deliveries to this regions fell roughly 23% below the figure for a year earlier. Deliveries to Europe, on the other hand, were 4% higher than the figure for 2013 at 203,000 m³.