Business Trends

Lake States Business Trends January 2026 – The Lake States Settle For A Stable, Long Winter’s Nap Activity across the Lake States region continues to hold steady, even if no one would describe the current pace as booming. Most suppliers say business is moving at a manageable rate, with a familiar mix of species strengths […]

Southeast Business Trends January 2026 – A Southeast Softened By Caution Hardwood markets across the Southeast remain soft. Contacts in Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee described activity as steady in spots but generally limited, with most buyers taking a cautious approach while waiting for clearer signals from housing and downstream markets. Several suppliers said that […]

Northeast Business Trends January 2026 – New Hopes For The New Year And Concerns Carrying Over Most Northeastern hardwood lumber sources reported that the market in their regions, at the time of this writing, has improved compared to six months ago. Many also cited an increase in exporting, especially to China for Red Oak and […]

West Coast Business Trends January 2026 – Long-Term Planning An Impossibility On The West Coast? Hardwood markets across the West Coast remain uneven, with contacts in California and Oregon describing a business environment that has been difficult to predict and harder to staff. While a range of species including Walnut, Hickory, Red and White Oak […]

Ontario Business Trends January 2026 – Strengthening The Forestry Sector And Budgeting For The New Year With the holiday season behind us, and a new year begins, businesses are reviewing and taking stock of their business plans and developing new opportunities for the coming year despite the many challenges and uncertainty of global markets we […]

Quebec Business Trends January 2026 – Post Holiday Hesitation With the holiday period behind us, some contacts reported sales to be lackluster. Businesses hesitate to increase production, while suppliers delay in building their inventory as there is a lack of confidence on what prices and demand will be like in the coming months. Some report […]

Quebec Business Trends 2025 – Quebec Faces A Holiday Slowdown The beginning of fall was a very turbulent period in terms of the tariffs imposed by Trump and the changes announced by the provincial government affecting the forestry industry in Quebec. The usual downtime during the Thanksgiving holiday and the start of hunting season saw […]

Lakes States Business Trends 2025 – From Lacking And Abnormal To Fairly Decent, It’s A Mixed Region Two out of three hardwood lumber sources in the Lake States region agree on abundant transportation and a poor market, while one reported trucking troubles and another reported a decent market and stability. The market is “fairly decent,” […]

West Coast Business Trends 2025 – West Coast Appears Steady, Marked By Selective Buying, Specialty Orders, Cautious Optimism Markets across the West Coast remain active but inconsistent, with many producers describing business as “sporadic but steady.” The pattern is much like recent months, with certain specialty and high-end segments maintaining consistent demand while overall movement […]

Northeast Business Trends 2025 – Trailer Trials, Lacking Labor And Tariff Tensions Uncertainty, labor and pricing are the main concerns for lumber representatives across the Northeast in the hardwood industry. In Pennsylvania, the market is “steady but the pricing is low. I can move material,” said the lumber source. Compared to six months ago, the […]