The arrival from Russia cannot stop decreasing. The amount of Russian logs received in May was 48,400 m?, a 21.9% decrease compared to the previous month and a 77.7% decrease compared to last year.

In detail, the amount was 17,500 m? for larch (a 29.8% decrease compared to the previous month and an 85.5% decrease compared to last year), 25,000 m? for pine (a 12.5% decrease compared to the previous month and a 51.1% decrease compared to last year), and 3,400 m? for spruce (a 44.5% decrease compared to the previous month and a 89.9% decrease compared to last year). The log arrival of these all three wood species was in a bad slump in May. Log purchase for both lumber use and plywood use by Japanese end users is becoming extremely weakened.

The amount of lumber products received in May was 2,850 m? for larch, and the total for spruce and pine, which is the leading variety, was 73,900 m?. The amount of spruce and pine received increased by 9.3% compared to the previous month and by 9.7% compared to last year, and the trend of that arrival has been firm in this year. Unlike the sharp decrease in log arrival, a major change has not been seen in supply and demand trends of rough lumber. The amount of structural laminated lumber received in May was 4,400 m?. The amount received increased by 71.4% compared to the previous month and decreased by 9.7% compared to last year recording the first large arrival since May 2008 of 4,900 m?.

The CIF Japan Port price of logs in May was 11,925 yen per cubic meter for larch, 17,847 yen for pine, and 12,933 yen for spruce, and compared to the previous month, larch, pine and spruce fell 6.7%, 0.8% and 3.6% respectively. Compared to last year, the prices are a 30.0% fell for larch, a 3.5% fell for pine, and a 21.2% fell for spruce. Importing price of Russian logs showed a strong downward trend. The price of hardwood oak was 41,039 yen decreasing by 8.8% compared to the previous month.

The price of lumber products was 24,313 yen per cubic meter for larch, 33,472 yen for pine and spruce, and the price of the main items of pine and spruce was a decrease of 5.3% compared to the previous month and 2.6% compared to last year. The price of hardwood largely increased by 29.1% to 78,092 yen per cubic meter bouncing up and down the same with that of logs. The price of structural laminated wood was 33,632 yen per cubic meter with a decrease of 4.4% compared to the previous month and 27.9% compared to last year indicating downward price trend in this year.