National Hardwood Magazine - June 2022

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SOUTHEAST Continued from page 9
some inventories fill, at the time of this writing, they
have not seen drops in prices and don’t anticipate
them any time soon. They are, however, noticing
changes in customer demand that are subtle and
growing, and could be a by-product of the higher
prices. “If anything,” he explained, “we are probably
seeing grading getting a tad stiffer. Customers are a
little more particular on what they’re purchasing today
than they were six months ago. They’re paying
higher prices and supply is no longer a problem, so
they expect a better product.”
Even as prior pandemic-related supply shortages
seem to be stabilizing amidst continued high demand
for Hardwood products, transportation hurdles
remain a top concern among all lumber sources
contacted. They expressed common obstacles
involved with moving products—from rising fuel
costs to economic uncertainty to labor shortages.
Specifically, the president of a lumber distributor
in Georgia revealed that his greatest present challenge
is meeting transportation demands, despite
having his own trucks. “Transportation is an issue
for me,” he stated. “We have our own trucks but
finding qualified drivers has been a problem. I have
two trucks sitting idle now because I don’t have
qualified drivers. I mean…I can hire drivers but finding
qualified ones that won’t wreck the vehicles is
another thing.” As for current market conditions, he
noted, “The market is strong but seems to be softening.
Right now, we’re seeing the highest sales in
White Oak, across all grades and thicknesses.”
Another lumber source agreed, expressing gratitude
for the added benefit of company-owned
trucks. Even still, it isn’t always enough to satisfy his
customers’ needs. “We are moving everything that
we can,” he noted, “probably our biggest problem is
trucking. When we try to pick up an outside truck, it
is tough. Thank goodness we have our own trucks
right now, which helps, but there are times when we
don’t get everything delivered so we utilize outside
trucking. When it comes to the point of picking up
outside truckers, that is always a challenge.” n
WEST COAST Continued from page 9
tions, trying to absorb truck drivers. It’s very competitive.
We strictly do business in Portland, Seattle
and Eugene, OR. They give us about as much business
as we can handle. Business is good. What is
affected is our ability to grow. Finding employees is
a challenge; if you open another location, you need
employees. Between trucking and dramatically increased
wages, everything costs more.”
In Washington, a lumber provider said the market
was “not bad. The last quarter was pretty good. On
the front end of this quarter, the market seems like
it’s still pretty active. Last week was a little quiet.
That’s typical after pushing product out the door for
the end of the quarter. However, we’ve got orders
we’ve got to ship that people had ordered and anticipated
needing, so that’s a good thing. We’ve still
got a decent order file and we’re anticipating we’ll
build the order files up.”
Asked to compare his market with that of several
months ago, he said, “Last quarter was pretty dang
strong. I don’t know if that was a peak or not. Six
months ago, that was pretty solid, too. We’re still
maintaining.”
The main species of lumber he handles are Poplar,
Hard and Soft Maple and Red and White Oak.
Poplar and the Maples are his best sellers. “We’re
moving mostly No. 1 and Better in mainly 4/4 and
some 5/4,” he noted.
He sells mostly to end users and some to distribution
yards. His customers’ sales seem to be good,
he observed. As for transportation, he termed it
“horrible.”
In California, a Hardwood lumber provider commented
that his market was “not as busy. I think
that people are distracted by the Ukraine situation,
and interest rates may be going up a little. It’s only
temporary.”
Compared to a few months ago, he said the market
was the same.
He handles Walnut, Hickory, White Oak and Poplar
in uppers No. 1 and 2 and FAS. All his lumber is
in 4/4 thickness.
He sells lumber to flooring manufacturers and retail
lumberyards. “They’ve been very busy,” he stat-
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