The Alberta Forest Products Association is reporting that its member companies accumulated nearly $2.2 billion in sales during 2011. That’s down $152 million, or 6.6 per cent, from the more than $2.3 billion recorded in 2010.
The products tallied consist of lumber, panelboard, pulp and paper.
“While we had hoped for a year-to-year increase, there is reason to believe that 2012 will be a better year than 2011,” said Brady Whittaker, the association’s president and CEO. “Lumber prices in the last couple of months have been noticeably stronger. While the pulp and paper market has continued to soften, prices remain above historical averages.
“We are hopeful that a turnaround in the global economy will spur higher pulp and paper prices in the future.”
In the final quarter of 2011, production values from AFPA members declined to $484 million from $548 million in the third quarter and $579 million for the same period of 2010.
During the year, association members produced lumber valued at $702 million, down $37 million from 2010; panelboard worth $268 million, down $36 million; and pulp and paper valued at $1.2 billion, a decline of $80 million.