Import/Export Wood Purchasing News December 2023/January 2024

AHEC/NHLA – Continued from page 12
Business Trends U.S.A.
Phil LeBlanc, Lumber Resources Inc., Quebec City, QC; Laura
Townsend and Mike Penner, Breeze Dried Inc. Tillsonburg,
ON; and Javan Mallery, Wolverine Hardwoods Inc., Allegan,
MI
Andrew Johnson and Michael Yates, The AGL Group, Weymouth,
MA; and Stephen A. Zambo and Jeffrey Dougherty, The
AGL Group, Jacksonville, FL
Ray Wheeland, Wheeland Lumber Company Inc., Liberty, PA;
Jack Monnoyer, Deer Park Lumber Inc., Tunkhannock, PA; Eric
Porter, Abenaki Timber Corp., Kingston, NH; and Steve Stoufflet,
Robinson Lumber Company, New Orleans, LA
Mark and Tammy Miller, Frank Miller Lumber Co. Inc., Union City, IN;
Jeffrey Dougherty and Stephen A. Zambo, The AGL Group, Jacksonville,
FL
Wally Klubek and Vincent Catarella, Baillie Lumber Co., Hamburg,
NY; Dave Leonard, Hardwoods Specialty Products, Toronto,
ON; and Joe Zona, Deer Park Lumber Inc., Tunkhannock,
PA
Chris Fehr, Import/Export Wood Purchasing News,
Memphis, TN; Eric Porter, Abenaki Timber Corp.,
Kingston, NH; Chris Bingaman, Bingaman & Son
Lumber Inc., Kreamer, PA; and Burt Craig, Matson
Lumber Company, Brookville, PA
Troy Jamieson, Merrick Hardwoods Inc., Burnside, KY; Michael
Snow, AHEC, Sterling, VA; Steve Merrick, Merrick Hardwoods
Inc.; and Chris Norris, Hood Industries Inc., Hattiesburg, MS
Daniel Taapken, Seamus Bowles, Mark Stevenhaagen and Reinier
Taapken, Salamanca Lumber Co. Inc., Salamanca, NY
Steve and Dani Jones, Ron Jones Hardwood Sales Inc., Union City,
PA; and Alex Smith and Bill Buchanan, Buchanan Hardwoods Inc.,
Aliceville, AL
Judd Johnson, HMR, Memphis, TN; John
Beard, Beard Hardwoods Inc., Greensboro,
NC; and Jesper Bach, Baillie Lumber Co., Hamburg,
NY
Hud Caldwell III and Ted Rossi, Rossi Group, Cromwell,
CT; Mary Claire and Nordeck Thompson, Thompson Appalachian
Hardwoods Inc., Huntland, TN
Paul and Annette Eastman, Collins Kane
Hardwood, Kane, PA; and Bo Hammond,
Kop-Coat Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
Robert Matson, Matson Lumber Company,
Brookville, PA; Darwin Murray, McClain
Forest Products LLC/Legacy Wood Products
LLC, West Plains, MO; and Jeff Wirkkala,
Hardwood Industries Inc., Sherwood,
OR
Mark Vollinger, W.M. Cramer Lumber Co.
Inc., Hickory, NC; Jon Cox, Frank Miller
Lumber Co. Inc., Union City, IN; and Andy
Nuffer, Ram Forest Products Inc., Shinglehouse,
PA
Bill Rogers, Newman Lumber Company, Gulfport, MS; Jeff Dougherty, The
AGL Group, Jacksonville, FL; Steve Leonard, Lawrence Lumber Company
Inc., Maiden, NC; and Gail and Kevin Gillette, Tioga Hardwoods Inc.,
Berkshire, NY
Lake States
Four lumber suppliers from the Lake States region recently agreed that market
conditions have been “sluggish” overall in the last six months.
According to one Wisconsin based lumber provider at the time of this writing,
“Everyone is just buying what they need and not buying anything ahead.
“It has been that way for the last 4-to-5 months,” he noted. “The buying part is
the same as six months ago but the supply is not. No one is really caring about it
as much because they don’t need much.
“No one knows what to do,” he continued. “So, everyone is sitting on their
hands because they don’t want to get stuck with the wrong materials.”
His company, which deals with Poplar (typically 4/4, 5/4 and 6/4), Red Oak
and Aspen (4/4 and Select Commons) and Soft and Hard Maples (4/4 and Upper
Commons), primarily provides materials to moulding, cabinet and RV companies.
He added that recent mill closures have already begun to affect the industry.
“There are going to be some problems coming down the road up here in
Wisconsin,” he said. “People have nowhere to take their pulp. They are not going
to cut up lumber not knowing what they’re going to do with the majority of their
pulp.”
A lumber provider in Indiana
agreed that the “market is not as
good as we wish.”
“It has been pretty quiet,” she
said. “Transportation doesn’t
seem to be a problem like it was
in the past. I assume that all of the
matters overseas have affected
(sales).”
Noting that her company handles
Red and White Oak, Walnut,
Hard and Soft Maple, Cherry and
Poplar, she said that it specializes
in 4/4 – 16/4 and 8/4 – 16/4.
A “worldwide” dealer in Ohio
said that the market has been “upand-down”
recently.
Noting that domestic lumber sales
have been stronger than the European
market, he said that the industry
is “a little on the downside.”
He added that transportation
expenses have gotten “crazy.”
The provider offers “almost all
domestic species and around 80
exotic species” that are primarily
sold to office furniture manufacturers,
architectural, woodworking
and plywood customers.
One Michigan based provider
said that the market for Red Oak
and Maple has been “picking up a
little bit.”
“Basswood and Aspen are in the
tank now,” he added. “Those have
been really slow on the grade side.
I think a lot of it is just demand to
be honest. There just isn’t enough
out there.”
Noting that Red Oak is his best
seller, he said that Maple has
“picked up, surprisingly.”
Regarding the overall timber market,
he said that “customers have
seen the downtrend as well.
“They’ve seen a little more competition
out there,” he noted.
He agreed that higher fuel costs
have been challenging for the
Continued on page 29
Northeast
Throughout the Northeast lumber sources have mixed sentiments as to how the
market is currently faring, with some stating that they are doing worse than they
were six months ago and another stating that they are doing about the same.
In Pennsylvania, a sawyer said that his business is not doing well, at the time
of this writing. “We aren’t doing as well as we were six months ago,” he continued.
“With everything that is going on globally, I think that people are worried
and they are going to start spending less than they already were.”
His sawmill offers Red, White and Black Oak, Cherry, Hard and Soft Maple,
Beech, Hickory and Ash. “We harvest all hardwoods that are native to Pennsylvania
and saw mainly 4/4, with the occasional 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4,” he noted. “White
Oak has been our best seller. It’s hot right now, between the stave mills and it
being the specie of choice in the high-end homes, it has sold very well.”
He said that his company sells to kiln-dryers, pallet manufacturers and stave
mills. When asked if his customers have recently offered any comments as to
how their business is doing, he said that they seem to be in the same boat that he
is.
Continued on page 29
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