Business Trends USA

Contacts in the Lake States region accounted for average hardwood activity, with many stating they expect supply shortages in the coming months. An Indiana hardwood supplier said, “Business activity for us and our customers has been slow. Market conditions are better than last quarter, but things are still slow.” The source specializes in the production […]

Throughout the Northeast region lumber sources weren’t able to come to a consensus as to how the market was faring, with one source noting that “some products are up, while other products are down.” In Maryland a sawmill representative noted that when it comes to how his grade lumber is selling, White Oak continues to […]

Lumber sources that were contacted throughout the Southeast region seemed to be a bit of a mixed bag as two sources noted that their marketplaces were tougher to sell in, causing their sales to be slow, while the third stated that how well his sales were doing, was strictly dependent on the specie. A sawyer […]

Hardwood lumber suppliers on the West Coast accounted for stable to stagnant market conditions, at the time of this writing. For most in the region, transportation has been fine but order files for their customers are experiencing a slowdown. In California, a source said his markets are stable. “Things are okay, it’s not as good […]

The winter weather was milder with less snowfall in certain areas, thus affecting logging activity levels. Markets have contracted, causing limited timber sales and putting a strain on logging operations to operate efficiently and make a profit. Finding adequate logs to process was another factor. With the low sawmill production and steady demand we see […]

With a quieter start to 2024, business continues at a slower pace for many businesses. With spring thaw reducing access to logs, obtaining required inventories is a challenge. With the continued economic global uncertainty and the Bank of Canada keeping its lending rate at 5 percent, business owners are cautious in their dealings, yet remain […]

While lumbermen in the Lake States continued to steadily “move wood” through the fourth quarter of 2023, they agreed that “something must change” in order to hit the ground running in 2024. A Wisconsin source called the 2023 fourth quarter market “steady” but added that nothing is “booming.” “We are still moving most species except […]

Overall, lumber sources in the Northeast region said that their sales were better than they were six months ago. A lumberman in Maryland said that aside from White Oak remaining strong and with prices rising, he has noticed that Poplar and Red Oak have gotten harder to move. “Some species are easier to move and […]

Throughout the Southeast region lumber sources agreed that their markets are rather quiet, at the time of this writing. One source noted that while his sales are slow, he has started to receive more inquiries out of Asia than expected. In North Carolina, a sawmill representative said that his sales have been slower than they […]

Lumbermen on the West Coast recently spoke with nervous intrigue regarding the first quarter of 2024. At the time of this writing, three sources were slogging through a “sporadic” December that saw many lumber suppliers selling “order-to-order.” “Customers are concerned (with high interest rates) and everyone’s orders have slowed down,” said a Washington source with […]