4 ms·

US: 818,814,000 acres (3,313,622 square kilometers). EU: 161,000,000 ha ha = ac / 2.4711 818,814,000 / 2.4711 = 331,356,076 Ok, the US has roughly double th

by adolph 5y ago

US: 818,814,000 acres (3,313,622 square kilometers). EU: 161,000,000 ha ha = ac / 2.4711 818,814,000 / 2.4711 = 331,356,076 Ok, the US has roughly double the forested surface area. EU pop is 448m compared to US' 328m. So with 30% more population and half the forested surface area wood does seem scarser in the EU. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=EU-US-CN https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=E...

dmichulke 5y ago
Didn't check the numbers but I'd guess including European Russia or non-EU Balkans or Norway would totally change your results. Then again, including Canada would probably as well.
- adolph 5y ago
  I just used the parent comment numbers converted to same unit with the first DDGed population result. Comparing pct land forested seemed an odd ratio to me. Population seemed to be a better proxy for housing demand. Pop density and other factors would probably confound but tree per capita seems to matter than tree per surface area.
hef19898 5y ago
And that's why the US market is eating most of Europe's construction wood supply at the moment? Which, by the way, is sourced to a significant degree from the former Soviet Union. So comparing EU forest surface with the US is somewhat misleading.
- pharke 5y ago
  If "at the moment" is the past year and a half then it's because lumber prices have tripled or quadrupled so of course it makes sense to buy far afield and ship if the price is lower.
  - hef19898 5y ago
    Prices increased because the US and China are buying up everything, not the other way round.
    - pharke 5y ago
      Yes increased demand drives increases in price if the supply is limited. Production has been constrained everywhere for the past year and a half so buyers have had to source material from further away than usual.
dsq 5y ago
Canada is right next door as well, with trees that can just float down the river

by adolph 5y ago

dmichulke 5y ago

Didn't check the numbers but I'd guess including European Russia or non-EU Balkans or Norway would totally change your results. Then again, including Canada would probably as well.

adolph 5y ago
I just used the parent comment numbers converted to same unit with the first DDGed population result. Comparing pct land forested seemed an odd ratio to me. Population seemed to be a better proxy for housing demand. Pop density and other factors would probably confound but tree per capita seems to matter than tree per surface area.

hef19898 5y ago

And that's why the US market is eating most of Europe's construction wood supply at the moment? Which, by the way, is sourced to a significant degree from the former Soviet Union. So comparing EU forest surface with the US is somewhat misleading.

pharke 5y ago
If "at the moment" is the past year and a half then it's because lumber prices have tripled or quadrupled so of course it makes sense to buy far afield and ship if the price is lower.
- hef19898 5y ago
  Prices increased because the US and China are buying up everything, not the other way round.
  - pharke 5y ago
    Yes increased demand drives increases in price if the supply is limited. Production has been constrained everywhere for the past year and a half so buyers have had to source material from further away than usual.

dsq 5y ago

Canada is right next door as well, with trees that can just float down the river