Productivity growth and price trends in the North American sawmilling industries: an inter-regional comparison

This paper applies nonparametric superlative index techniques to measure productivity growth in the sawmilling industries of the US and Canada. Six geographic regions are examined: British Columbia (Coast and Interior), Ontario, Quebec, US South, and US West. Over the long-term, labor has been the input that has experienced the highest growth in productivity: 3-4% per annum in the commodity-oriented regions. From 1980 to 1988 there have been significant differences in the annualized growth rates in total factor productivity across regions: US West (3.3%), BC Interior (2.7%), Quebec (1.9%), US South (1.4%), BC Coast (1.3%), and Ontario (1.1%). Growth in total factor productivity over the 24-yr period from 1965 to 1988 is relatively uniform across most regions (1.2% PA) . -from Authors

Duke Scholars

Author Brian Murray Environmental Sciences and Policy