Import/Export Wood Purchasing News - October/November 2023

Who's Who - Farrier - Continued from page 2
Farrier and his wife, Cory, live in Northern Indiana where they are raising two
sons. He enjoys coaching his boys in their respective sports and attending and
supporting school events.
Founded in 1985, Banks Hardwoods is an active member of National Hardwood
Lumber Association, American Hardwood Export Council, Lake States
Lumber Association and the Indiana Hardwood Lumber Association.
Please contact Brian at Brianfarrier@bankshardwoods.com or by phone at
269-483-2323. More information on Banks Hardwoods full line of products and
services can be found on our website www.bankshardwoods.com. n
Who's Who - McIlvain - Continued from page 2
National Hardwood Lumber Association, Indiana Hardwood Lumber Association,
Keystone Kiln Drying Association, International Wood Products Association,
Hardwood Distributors Association, Appalachian Lumbermen’s Club, Hardwood
Manufacturers Association and Penn York’s Lumbermen’s Club.
For more information, call 610-485-6600, email lan@alanmcilvain.com or
visit www.alanmcilvain.com. n
Who's Who - Pryor - Continued from page 2
Pryor lives with his wife Nathalie, their son Ezra, and their retired racing greyhound,
Zero, near Asheville, North Carolina.
AHEC is the leading international trade association for the U.S. hardwood
industry, representing the committed exporters among U.S. hardwood companies
and all the major hardwood product trade associations. The association is committed
to giving its members a competitive edge in meeting the growing worldwide
demand for American hardwood products. From Washington, DC and five
overseas offices, the association conducts worldwide promotion programs with
activities in more than 35 countries.
For more information, go to www.ahec.org. n
AHEC COLUMN - Continued from page 2 LAKE STATES BUSINESS TRENDS - Continued from page 7
40 percent of the elevation on a typical floor and we believe this is the largest installation
of thermally modified Tulipwood as a façade anywhere. We think it can
be very significant in helping define a viable new use for Tulipwood and Waugh
Thistleton have a number of live and pending projects in North America, so we’ll
continue to highlight the potential of the material.”
The end result is a structure comprising 1,330m3 of timber – including two
containerloads of Tulipwood – that stores 1,014.7 tonnes of C02 and delivers a
carbon emission saving over an equivalent concrete build of 37 percent. It also
works for the client – significantly it’s TOG’s first purpose-built office project
– and it should be taken on board by planners as the way to build a successful,
sustainable, safe workspace. n
IWPA COLUMN - Continued from page 3
alleged violation so that they can address it, and in some cases are even forced
to relinquish shipments rather than go on fighting for years. Despite repeated
requests to FWS, CBP, and APHIS, the agencies refuse to clarify the process,
provide timelines, or even determine a main point of contact for importers. Companies
are left trying to figure out where they have erred, and sometimes never
get to know.
As a result, the IWPA team is hard at work encouraging Congress or the Agencies
to establish and follow a reasonable timeline for making Lacey Act enforcement
decisions, inform the importer of the specific suspected violation, and
allow for a response before proceeding with legal action. We continue to support
keeping illegal wood products out of the supply chain, but IWPA also believes
in fair enforcement. Importers should know the nature of any alleged violation
and should be able to present evidence to the contrary. This will not only support
American businesses but help whole supply chains and ensure that prosecutorial
resources are spent on true bad actors.
This is a busy time for IWPA’s policy department, and we take seriously
our position as the voice for the industry. If you’re interested in our work with
Congress or the Agencies, please don’t hesitate to reach out to anyone on the
IWPA team. n
and added that they could always use skilled workers for specific positions.
In Michigan, a hardwood sales representative echoed similar feelings, describing
his business situation as okay.
“It’s not too bad. It seems like some of the lumber is starting to tighten up
with the lack of replacement coming through, but it does feel like everyone has
still got lumber though. So for the end user the price is almost secondary to how
quick can you get it to me,” he remarked.
His company sells all domestic hardwoods in thicknesses of 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4
and grades ranging from FAS/IF, Selects, No. 1 Common, 2A and 3A Common
and Framestock. His customers will include some distributors, but he mentioned
that for the most part his company tries to sell directly to the end user.
Similar to the source in Wisconsin he has been luckier than others when it
comes to labor and stated, “We have been blessed with a good group of workers.
There is always an outlier position or two that we will cycle through but for the
most part we have been lucky with a staff that wants to come to work.” n
NORTHEAST BUSINESS TRENDS - Continued from page 7
and Hard Maple, and a little bit of Ash,” she added.
Moulding, millwork, stair and flooring manufacturers make up the majority of
her customers and she commented that they seem to be steady but are struggling
with labor. “Some of the end users are busy, but they are struggling with labor.
It is taking everything they can do to keep up with orders. I think a lot of them
could be taking in more orders, but I just don’t think they have the workforce to
do it.”
As for her company’s own labor, she commented “We have not really hired
any new employees and are just working with what we got. I think if somebody
good would come in we would hire them, but we are working this way because
the demand just isn’t there.”
In Maine, a hardwood salesman had a slightly different take on the markets. He
mentioned a small uptick in activity and expressed some optimism for the future
markets.
He commented, “Things seem to have picked up a little bit. Demand is still
about the same, but supply has diminished a little so there isn’t much out there
on the market. Overall, it does feel like there is some optimism in the market and
we are getting more calls than we were, but it is still not near the levels we would
like them to be at.”
His company handles Hard and Soft Maple, Yellow Birch, and Ash in Grades
Prime FAS through pallet industrial and in thicknesses 4/4 through 8/4. “Hard
Maple is our biggest species; it’s our best species and it is also our worst species.
Some of it goes right out the door and other parts of it just sit and sit,” he added.
He said that his customers include distribution yards, kitchen cabinet manufacturers
and wholesalers.
When it comes to labor and other factors, he highlighted that electricity costs,
insurance rates, and fuel expenses have been impacting his business. He mentioned,
“It's getting increasingly challenging to turn a profit these days.”
In New York, a hardwood sawmill representative shared, "Everything is moving,
and we are steady, just at a price we don’t like.” Similarly, to what other
sources have mentioned, White Oak has proven to be a popular and well-selling
item.
His sawmill primarily deals with Red and White Oak, along with a smaller
amount of Hard and Soft Maple and Cherry, in various thicknesses ranging from
4/4 to 8/4. He mentioned, "White Oak seems to be the hot item out there at the
moment and I am hearing that from others as well."
He sells his lumber to mostly hardwood distribution yards and end-use manufacturers
and commented, “It seems like everybody is still steady and getting
orders. I think it just comes down to the price for them.”
When asked about labor and any outside factor concerns, he mentioned that he
wasn't facing any issues at the time of this writing. n
SOUTHEAST BUSINESS TRENDS - Continued from page 12
His company predominantly caters to architectural and moulding firms, as well
as distributors specializing in premium products. He noted that sales to them
have been overall good. “You know most of the sales have been decent. I have
had a few customers make comments about orders slowing down a bit, but we
are still shipping lumber out and getting orders from them.”
Labor shortage remains a challenge for his company. He mentioned that they
Continued on page 20
CLARK LUMBER COMPANY
552 Public Well Road • Red Boiling Springs, TN 37150
Office: (615) 699-3497
• 6 sawmills producing 48,000,000’ of Appalachian Hardwoods 4/4 - 8/4
• 900,000’ drying capacity
• 2,500,000’ kiln dried Lumber Inventory
• Species: Red & White Oak, Hard & Soft Maple, Poplar, Ash, Cherry, Hickory,
Walnut and Aromatic Red Cedar
• Export prep & container loading
• A team of over 130 employees manufacturing Appalachian Hardwoods
Jeff Thomas, Mill Manager, Clark Lumber Company, Lafayette, TN; Jeff
Shoulders, Procurement Manager, Joseph Draper, Sales, Brandon Clark,
Vice President, Hugh Clark, President, Tony Presley, Kiln Operator,
Parrish Wright, Log Procurement/Logistics, Scotty Dyer, Yard Foreman,
Clark Lumber Company, Red Boiling Springs, TN
“From our Forest to your Facility”
Brandon Clark
bclark@clarklumbercompany.com
Joseph Draper
jdraper@clarklumbercompany.com
www.clarklumbercompany.com
781.544.3970 sales@theAGLgroup.com www.theAGLgroup.com
Weymouth, MA Jacksonville, FL
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