US lumber imports and housing starts rise and fall together

Since 1989, federal data shows that trends in lumber imports – the vast majority of which are from Canada – track closely with construction of new housing.

Lumber imports data in cubic meters, using Harmonized System classification 4407.
Chart: The Conversation, CC-BY-NDSource: Lumber imports: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Global Agricultural Trade System; Housing starts: Federal Reserve Bank of St. LouisGet the data Download imageCreated with Datawrapper