Import:Export Wood Purchasing News - August/September 2017

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Business Trends Canada- Continued from page 23 Even with some contacts noting lower prices on Select and Better Red Oak, the majority of recently reported transactions resulted in prices being adjusted upward. Demand for White Oak was reported as steady, with increased interest from Europe for this species for the upper grades. Contacts felt it was harder to move upper grades than the Common grade stock. Walnut sales and prices remained steady in recent weeks, commented contacts. Demand for Hickory has been better in overseas markets than in North American markets. Exports to Mexico and China were reported as brisk. Domestic cabinet manufacturers are controlling their purchases of this species, while some fl ooring manufacturers have advised they’ve increased their purchases of Hickory. ■ Business Trends U.S.A. Lake States Region Contacts among the Lake States region defi ne the hardwood market as tepid with signs of improvement. Some parts of the region are experiencing steadiness, while others are seeing the market as fair or quiet. All are in accordance that transportation has substantially improved with the help of fuel prices remaining low, but it still is a challenge to fi nd good, reliable drivers. “Right now the overall market in this area is steady. There is more demand in the market which leads to more production. I’m getting more inquiries from brokers and new customers,” commented a hardwood supplier in Michigan. This source handles 4/4 to 6/4 in Oak, Maple, Aspen and Ash with different grade variations. He noted that all grades of hardwood, including industrials, are selling the best and are up, with the exception of Ash, which has decreased. “Our customers are independent companies, wholesalers and brokers,” he mentioned. “Our customers haven’t spoken anything about the markets to us, but with the number of calls we’ve been getting from them, the market shows that demand is increasing.” This hardwood contact has noted that their inventory level for logs and lumber is adequate. “We’re good on both. We have a pretty good log deck, of course Oak is slowing us down a little bit, but we have a good enough supply,” he added. In Ohio, a lumber distributor senses that his area of the region is quiet. “Right now the lumber market is a little quiet, it doesn’t seem as upbeat as it was a couple months ago,” he expressed. “The market now shows more demand than before, which ramps up production.” This Ohio lumber manufacturer handles Yellow Poplar in No. 2 Common and Better with thicknesses ranging between 4/4, 6/4 and 8/4. He reports that White Oak in all thicknesses and grades is selling the best for him. “Our customers are mainly distribution facilities,” he commented. “Some of our distribution yards we sell to in Chicago, various cities in Virginia, and Buffalo have picked up a little bit. But for this time of the year, school is out and kids are home, so a lot of people are getting into building homes and remodeling, which is good for our customers and good for us.” Inventory levels of logs for this contact is low compared to last year; lumber inventory is staying about the same. The market from the perspective of a hardwood sales manager in Indiana is fair, and slightly better than it was six months ago. “The market has shown that it has gotten better with production and demand,” he said. “I believe that in the next few months it will stay about the same. There shouldn’t be any major changes, we’re just going to cruise by with steadiness.” This hardwood sales manager handles mainly No. 2 Common and Better in Red Oak, Yellow Poplar, Cherry and Hard Maple in 4/4 thickness. Customers for this contact are manufacturers, wholesalers and distribution yards. “The rain and mud had a signifi cant impact on us, but that has improved since the weather has gotten better. A factor that has everyone concerned until it sets in is the new Presidential administration, so I think things are going to level out a little bit, but our customers seem to be seeing overall improvements in the market,” he commented. Northeast Region Sources contacted across the Northeast all agree that the market is steady to good. Transportation – fi nding trucks and adequate drivers seems to be improving, as there are little complaints from the Northeast stating their concerns. Weather has been sporadic across the U.S., with massive amounts of rainfall being reported throughout Continued on page 25 One Success Story After Another... “I continue to advertise in The Import/Export Wood Purchasing News and The Export Directory because of the many inquiries I receive in faxes, e-mails and from visitors who tell me they’ve seen my ads. Advertising in The Import/Export Wood Purchasing News and The Export Directory has been and continues to be a good investment for Penn-Sylvan International.” Import/Export Bill Reese Penn-Sylvan International, Inc. Spartansburg, Pa Bill Reese CALL US TODAY 901-372-8280 OR email Kristina@millerwoodtradepub.com For Ad rates and marketing support services unavailable elsewhere. Penn-Sylvan International, Inc., located in Spartansburg, PA, carries Six 1/4 page Ads in The Import/Export Wood Purchasing News. They are manufacturers and exporters of fine northern Pennsylvania veneer logs and hardwoods. You can call Penn-Sylvan International, Inc. at 814-694-2311, or by fax at 814-694-2312. You can view their website at www.americanhardwoodexport.com Page 24 Import/Export Wood Purchasing News August/September 2017
Business Trends U.S.A. - Continued from page 24 the Northeast region, especially for Maryland and Vermont contacts. “Right now the biggest threat we have is the weather. It has been raining non-stop for the last two months. The market right now for lumber is doing well, it’s pretty steady even with the impeding weather,” stated a lumber representative from Maryland. “We’ve been active and we haven’t put out a stop list in nearly a month, we’re pretty much sold out in about all of our strong items,” he commented. “The market has certainly picked up and has come a long way since a year ago,” he continued. “One issue is that we’re getting a lot of pressure from exporting logs to China. They’re going to these landings and going straight to the loggers trying to buy Ash and Red Oak right from them, which is a big factor playing in Ash and Red Oak pricing.” This contact primarily handles No. 2 Common and Better in Hard Maple with thicknesses ranging between 4/4 to 8/4. His customers are primarily brokers and manufacturers. “Manufacturers are buying a lot of No. 1 Common in Red Oak, Ash and Hard Maple. Maple is our number one mover and the hottest item,” he mentioned. Inventory is sporadic for the Northeast region as Maryland and Vermont both have very tight log supplies. “Our supply for both logs and lumber is very low. If we have lumber, we can fi ll the orders,” stated a hardwood sales manager in Vermont. “The market overall is better now than it was six months ago, despite the fact that logs are pretty low in this area because of how much wetness there is on the ground. With the amount of rain that we’ve had, it’s made production slower, but the positive of it all is that we have lumber to sell and we’re selling it and seeing a demand for it,” he added. This contact handles mostly Hard and Soft Maple, Red Oak, Cherry with some Ash in all grades of lumber with an extensive variety of thicknesses. Customers for this hardwood sales manager is split between distributors and end users. Expectations for this contact remains high coming into the summer months, with hopes that rain will decrease, and demand along with production will remain steady. “Steady is good for us; steady still gives us work to complete and produce,” he expressed. Not all of the Northeast region faced terrible weather, or experienced low levels of inventory. “Weather has been very good to us,” stated a hardwood distributor in Pennsylvania. “If anything, the weather has helped with our inventory levels, which are adequate to full right now.” This Pennsylvania contact primarily handles Soft Maple in No. 2 Common and Better with thicknesses of 6/4, 8/4 and 10/4. Customers for this contact are solely manufacturers. “What’s selling the best for us right now is No. 1 Common in Maple,” he commented. “With the summer heat, this is a slow time for Maple, but it’s very steady and still doing extremely well. Low grade lumber on the other hand, seems to be moving very slow.” Southeast Region Contacts reached in the Southeast region agree that the market is satisfactory. With the summer months in full swing, the Southeast is seeing above average rain fall, making sawing much more diffi cult. Transportation remains an issue for parts of this region. For some, the cost for trucks is absurdly high. A hardwood sawmill source in North Carolina comments that the market as of now is overall stable. He states that it may not be the best, but it certainly isn’t the worst. He also notes that demand shows a split, some items have gone up while the demand on others has gone down over a six-month period, but production has always remained steady. “There are those items that are harder to move than others, you always see that trend. The market has changed a little bit from where it was a few months back. Low grade lumber has gotten really hard to move, whereas high grade lumber has gotten really hot and now it’s down a little,” he said. “Weather has played a major role in our market and in our local area. In the winter, it was too dry and there was oversupply. In the spring here, it’s been really wet which has helped with the markets some. A lot of the sawmills did run low on logs, but that never was an issue for us.” This sawmill source handles everything that comes from the woods; Yellow Poplar graded in No. 2 Common and Better with a thickness of 4/4 to 6/4, Red and White Oak in high grades, along with pallet cants, frame and fl ooring grades, with Uppers in thicknesses ranging between 4/4 to 6/4. Local Yellow Pine and Southern Yellow Pine ranges from 4x4, 4x6 and 6x6, with decking boards and mixed hardwoods usually in 4/4 thickness. “What’s selling the best species wise is White Oak, behind it would be Red Oak and Yellow Poplar,” he commented. “60 percent of our customers are wholesalers and the remaining 40 percent are domestic manufacturers.” Inventory levels for this contact is right where they need them to be. Continued on page 26 Import/Export Wood Purchasing News August/September 2017 Page 25
Page 1 and 2: IMPORT/EXPORT www.woodpurchasingnew
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Features AHEC SE
Page 5 and 6: Your SP Information Port: SouthernP
Page 7 and 8: New Oasis: Making The Most Of U.S.
Page 9 and 10: BUSINESS TRENDS ABROAD Vietnam-Acco
Page 11 and 12: IWPA-continiued from page 10 As pol
Page 13 and 14: AHEC - Continued from page 2 The re
Page 15 and 16: SURVEY- Continued from page 14 Comm
Page 17 and 18: NEW OASIS - Continued from page 7 T
Page 19 and 20: SURVEY- Continued from page 18 Joe
Page 21 and 22: Import/Export Timber Products’ St
Page 23: BUSINESS TRENDS CANADA Ontario Heav
Page 27 and 28: Business Trends U.S.A. - Continued
Page 29 and 30: HAROLD WHITE - Continued from page
Page 31 and 32: NEWSWIRES - Continued from page 30
Page 33 and 34: NEWSWIRES - Continued from page 31
Page 35 and 36: A guide to U.S./CANADIAN SOFTWOOD F

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