Business Trends North America

Forest products industry contacts in the Northeast were divided on the state of the market in their region. Each source acknowledged an increase in demand, while comments regarding the supply necessary to meet that demand varied by state. Although available inventory is spotty in certain regions of the Northeast, sawmill contacts in Connecticut reported an […]

Hardwood suppliers in the Southeast, at the time of this writing, have varied reviews on the market but the majority said that business is slow. In Tennessee, a lumber salesman said that half of the market is excellent, while the other half falls short. As for the difference in the market compared to six months […]

At the time of this writing, lumber suppliers across the West Coast reported mixed reviews about the market. In California, a lumber supplier that said the company keeps their “operation lean and mean” noted, that “it’s still order to order. It’s not slow and it’s not real fast. It’s kind of right in the middle.” […]

The first two weeks of summer kicked off with a heat wave in Eastern Ontario and parts of the province of Quebec, reaching into the high 40 degrees Celsius during this time. The extreme heat and dry conditions, with the possibility of forest fires and poor air quality due to smoke were also challenges businesses […]

Across the Lake States region lumber sources varied, with one source stating that while his sales are average, it does depend heavily on which species is being sold. In Michigan a lumber spokesperson said that his sales were doing OK at the time of this writing. “We were doing well six months ago, but I […]

In the Northeast market, forest products industry contacts we spoke with all agreed that their business was steady but were split on whether they expect the market to improve or suffer over the next six months. Optimism about the health of the market can be credited to a steady growth in demand, while each industry […]

Throughout the Southeast region lumber sources that were contacted, at the time of this writing, agreed that their sales are heavily dependent on the species being sold. In Louisiana a lumberman said that overall, his sales are tough. “It’s hard to make money on Red Oak right now, but of course White Oak is moving […]

Hardwood suppliers on the West Coast mostly accounted for positive activity. One contact in California mentioned activity was back to pre-covid “normal” levels. “Our business along with our customers is back to a steady pace,” he explained. “The customers that we had that were steady are back to that pace and the ones that were […]

Contacts noted prices had risen for kiln-dried lumber as recently as March compared to a year ago for Basswood, Red Oak, Hard and Soft Maple. The species that were reported to be doing well during early spring were Hard and Soft Maple, White Oak and Walnut. Aspen, Basswood, Beech, and to a latter extent Birch […]

Heading into summer, businesses are busy ramping up their inventories for the anticipated season. There were concerns of lower log decks in late spring for certain areas, as well as along the U.S. border states, and also of potential lost production during that time. Some sawmill contacts stated getting Ash logs was a challenge at […]