High lumber demand, soaring prices turn down volume on Canada/U.S. softwood dispute

British Columbia’s major lumber producers continue to book substantial profits on near record lumber prices almost a year after the U.S. Department of Commerce first hit Canadian producers with punishing duties.
The benchmark price for 1,000 board-feet of top-quality western Canadian two-by-fours hit US$540 about a month ago, according to the trade publication Madison’s Lumber Reporter, compared with US$315 at the start of 2017 before U.S. interests re-ignited the ongoing trade dispu