22.12.2023 Views

National Hardwood Magazine - January 2024

The first National Hardwood Magazine issue of 2024 features stories about Jackel Enterprises, the NHLA Inspector Training School's latest graduating class, the challenging lumber market and much more.

The first National Hardwood Magazine issue of 2024 features stories about Jackel Enterprises, the NHLA Inspector Training School's latest graduating class, the challenging lumber market and much more.

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

<strong>National</strong><br />

Forest to Finish to Future<br />

Your sustainable source for quality hardwoods.<br />

Visit midwesthardwood.com/forest-to-finish to learn more.<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 1<br />

9540 83rd Avenue North, Maple Grove, MN 55369 | midwesthardwood.com | 763-425-8700


ONE SOFTWARE PARTNER<br />

FROM TIMBER TO CONSUMER<br />

QUARTER SAWN<br />

WHITE OAK LUMBER<br />

TIMBER, LOGGING & LUMBER<br />

Handheld & desktop software<br />

DISTRIBUTION AND RETAIL<br />

Inventory and order management<br />

Width Sorted<br />

Ready to ship!<br />

You need it,<br />

WE HAVE IT.<br />

HARDWOOD END TALLIES<br />

Mobile app with A.I.<br />

WORLD’S LARGEST<br />

MANUFACTURER<br />

of Rift & Quartered<br />

White Oak Products<br />

VISIT DMSi.COM TO LEARN MORE<br />

Graf Brothers Flooring<br />

grafbro.com sales@grafbro.com<br />

606-932-3117<br />

2 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 1


<strong>National</strong><br />

Your sustainable source for quality hardwoods.<br />

Visit midwesthardwood.com/forest-to-finish to learn more.<br />

9540 83rd Avenue North, Maple Grove, MN 55369 | midwesthardwood.com | 763-425-8700<br />

About The Cover<br />

Contents<br />

<strong>National</strong> <strong>Hardwood</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> Volume 97 No. 13<br />

MIDWEST HARDWOOD<br />

CORPORATION<br />

Midwest <strong>Hardwood</strong> is a complete forest-to-finish<br />

hardwood lumber manufacturer.<br />

All eyes are on sustainability,<br />

whether it’s carbon neutrality (choose<br />

hardwood), supply chain reliability and<br />

risk mitigation (forest to finish), or forest<br />

Forest to Finish to Future<br />

management (FSC Certified since 1995).<br />

Take the random out of your hardwood<br />

sourcing and start with us. Success in<br />

today’s world can’t be left up to chance. Our sales reps can consult<br />

with you on ripped-to-width or special sorts and programs<br />

to ensure a sustainable supply. Truly Forest to Finish to Future.<br />

www.midwesthardwood.com/forest-to-finish<br />

Features & Industry Events<br />

18<br />

Just-In-Time At<br />

Jackel Enterprises Inc.<br />

Appalachian Lumbermen Learn<br />

34 About Energy Grants<br />

Founded in 1927 by: O.L. Miller – 1894-1963<br />

Publisher: Paul J. Miller – 1963-2010<br />

• Forest Products Export Directory • Imported Wood Purchasing Guide<br />

• Import/Export Wood Purchasing News • <strong>Hardwood</strong> Purchasing Handbook<br />

• Green Books’s <strong>Hardwood</strong> Marketing Directory<br />

• Green Books’s Softwood Marketing Directory<br />

• The Softwood Forest Products Buyer<br />

21<br />

22<br />

24<br />

Class 204 Graduates From NHLA<br />

Inspector Training School<br />

New Year, New Business:<br />

How The <strong>Hardwood</strong> Industry<br />

Can Continue Growing In <strong>2024</strong><br />

Equipment And Services Providers<br />

Accept The Challenges That The<br />

Market Brings<br />

Departments<br />

37<br />

NELA Members Remain Optimistic<br />

Despite Challenging Lumber Markets<br />

19<br />

Terry Miller – President<br />

Paul J. Miller Jr. – Co-owner<br />

Zach Miller – Sales Executive<br />

Chris Fehr – Sales Executive<br />

Sue Putnam – Editor<br />

Cadance Hanson - Staff Writer<br />

Graham Sweeney - Staff Writer<br />

Dolores Buchanan - Who’s Who Coordinator<br />

Rachael Stokes – Graphic Artist<br />

Camille Campbell – Graphic Artist<br />

Tammy Daugherty – Production Manager<br />

Jennifer Trentman – Green Book Market Sales<br />

Lisa Carpenter – Circulation Manager<br />

Lexi Hardin – Subscription & List Services<br />

ADVERTISING OFFICES:<br />

5175 Elmore Rd., Suite 23, Memphis, TN 38134<br />

901-372-8280 FAX: 901-373-6180<br />

Reach us via the Internet at: www.nationalhardwoodmag.com<br />

E-mail addresses:<br />

ADVERTISING: tammy@millerwoodtradepub.com<br />

EDITORIAL: editor@millerwoodtradepub.com<br />

SUBSCRIPTIONS: circ@millerwoodtradepub.com<br />

EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENTS:<br />

Chicago, Los Angeles, High Point, Grand Rapids, Portland, Toronto<br />

Controlled circulation postage paid at Memphis, TN<br />

(USPS #917-760)<br />

5 <strong>Hardwood</strong> Calendar<br />

6 U.S.A. Trends<br />

8 Canadian Trends<br />

10 Industry News<br />

12 HMA Update<br />

14 AHEC Report<br />

15 <strong>Hardwood</strong> Federation<br />

Info<br />

16 WCMA Insights<br />

17 NHLA: Why Knot...<br />

46 In Memoriam<br />

52 Who’s Who<br />

58 Classified Profit<br />

Opportunities<br />

60 Advertisers Index<br />

The NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE (ISSN 0194-0910) is published<br />

monthly, except for two issues in December, for $55.00 per year and<br />

$65.00 (U.S. dollars) per year for Canada by <strong>National</strong> <strong>Hardwood</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>, Inc.,<br />

5175 Elmore Rd., Suite 23, Memphis, TN 38134. Periodicals Postage paid at<br />

Memphis, TN, and at additional mailing offices.<br />

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to <strong>National</strong> <strong>Hardwood</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>,<br />

P.O. Box 34908, Memphis, TN 38184.<br />

Publications mail agreement No. 40739074.<br />

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:<br />

P.O. Box 503, RPO W. Beaver Cre., Rich-Hill, ON L4B 4R6.<br />

The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject editorial<br />

content and Ads at the staff’s discretion.<br />

2 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 3


HARDWOOD CALENDAR<br />

<strong>January</strong><br />

Appalachian Lumbermen’s Club, Meeting,<br />

Embassy Suites, Greensboro, NC.<br />

www.lumberclub.org. Jan. 9.<br />

Lake States Lumber Assoc., Annual Winter Mtg.,<br />

Hilton Appleton Paper Valley Hotel, Appleton, WI.<br />

www.lsla.com. Jan. 17-19.<br />

February<br />

Indiana <strong>Hardwood</strong> Lumbermen’s Assoc.,<br />

Convention, Indianapolis Marriott Downtown,<br />

Indianapolis, IN. www.ihla.org. Feb. 5-7.<br />

Appalachian <strong>Hardwood</strong> Manufacturers Inc.,<br />

Annual Meeting, The Hammock Beach Resort,<br />

Palm Coast, FL. www.appalachianhardwood.org.<br />

Feb. 21-25.<br />

<strong>National</strong> Association of Home Builders,<br />

International Builders’ Show, Las Vegas Convention<br />

Center, Las Vegas, NV. www.buildersshow.com.<br />

Feb. 27-29. n<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> marketIng dIrectory<br />

online will give you access to over 6,000 buyers!<br />

Green Book’s<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

Marketing<br />

directory<br />

“The World’s Leading Information Source on <strong>Hardwood</strong> Markets!”<br />

71st Edition/2023<br />

The HARDWOOD PRODUCTS SALES GUIDE that te ls you the species, grades, thicknesses and quantities of<br />

HARDWOOD LUMBER, IMPORTED WOODS, PLYWOOD, DIMENSION, ETC. purchased by woodworking<br />

plants in the United States and Canada.<br />

FEBRUARY COVERS 2023.in d 1 1/16/23 10:40 AM<br />

You can get your share of this market<br />

quicker when these buyers know who you are<br />

and where you’re located!<br />

Advertising Sparks Sales!<br />

These are high grade & low grade<br />

buyers listed with their buying<br />

specifications including distribution/<br />

concentration yards that buy 100,000<br />

board feet or more throughout North<br />

America!<br />

LEASE ONLINE NOW<br />

FOR $2,100.00!<br />

Imported Buyers<br />

Red Oak .........................2535<br />

White Oak .......................1692<br />

Poplar .............................1644<br />

Ash .................................788<br />

Hard Maple .....................1810<br />

Soft Maple ......................1451<br />

Walnut ............................1203<br />

Cherry .............................1673<br />

TRUE. DEPENDABLE. RELIABLE.<br />

Consistently Exceeding Expectations<br />

and Adding Value.<br />

Mahogany .................... 746<br />

Sapele ......................... 221<br />

Teak ............................. 125<br />

These are the BIG THREE species in our Imported section<br />

of the <strong>Hardwood</strong> Marketing Directory online!<br />

Proud Manufacturer of<br />

The <strong>Hardwood</strong> Marketing Directory has 68 years of research helping firms discover new<br />

buying opportunities and contains all North American species and also Imported Woods.<br />

GREEN BOOK, INC.<br />

P.O. Box 34908 Memphis, TN 38184<br />

Phone: (901) 372-8280 FAX: (901) 373-6180<br />

4 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL<br />

www.millerwoodtradepub.com<br />

HARDWOOD MAGAZINE<br />

E-mail: greenbook@millerwoodtradepub.com<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 5<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

NOVEMBER 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE<br />

6<br />

9<br />

OCTOBER 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

(615)560-0324<br />

lewismilling.com


U.S.A. TRENDS<br />

Supplier news about<br />

sales, labor, prices, trends,<br />

expansions and inventories<br />

LAKE STATES<br />

NORTHEAST<br />

SOUTHEAST<br />

WEST COAST<br />

From mill fires to a diminishing pulp market, one Michigan<br />

lumberman recently emphasized that he has “never<br />

seen the industry this bad.”<br />

However, a source from Minnesota called the market<br />

“stable,” and added that things aren’t as “crazy as they<br />

were the last couple of years.”<br />

At the time of this writing, a third source from Wisconsin<br />

took the middle ground and noted that the market was<br />

usually “slow” during this time of year.<br />

“This is an annual trend,” she noted. “A lot of it is just<br />

our distributors who have year-end inventory coming up<br />

and don’t want to bring new inventory in,” said the Wisconsin<br />

source. “It is a trickle-down effect. So, the manufacturing<br />

plants, their customers are pushing them off<br />

orders because they want to bring new materials in.<br />

“That comes back to us,” continued the lumberwoman<br />

who primarily handles Poplar, Red Oak and Hard Maple<br />

with thickness going up to 8/4. “People really don’t want<br />

to place orders now. We’ll get going at the beginning of<br />

<strong>2024</strong>, after the holidays.”<br />

The Michigan source, who primarily handles Red Oak<br />

and Maple, acknowledged that the market was slow while<br />

emphasizing that he was also dealing with other factors.<br />

The lumber supplier said a local mill caught fire a few<br />

months ago.<br />

“So, that screwed up the local market,” he added.<br />

He also stated that the “elephant in the room is the pulp<br />

market.”<br />

“That has slowed down, too,” he said. “We have a couple<br />

of large pulp manufacturers here. They have both<br />

slowed up. That leaves a big hole in the pulp market.”<br />

He added that “loggers can’t stay profitable in the<br />

woods, and it rolls down-hill.”<br />

“The market is slow right now in all sectors,” he said. “It<br />

seems like there is less demand. Plus, interest rates are<br />

up and everything seems to be up.”<br />

At the time of this writing, the source noted that the<br />

current state of the market would further be “disrupted by<br />

the holiday season.”<br />

Lumber suppliers across the Northeast region had<br />

varied responses when asked how their sales were faring<br />

at the time of this writing.<br />

In Maryland a lumber provider noted that while his<br />

sales aren’t what they have been the past several years,<br />

he hasn’t had any trouble moving his products. “Prices<br />

aren’t what they were in 2021 or 2022, but those were<br />

radically different years.”<br />

When asked if his sales were better or worse than<br />

they were six months ago he said, “Six months ago our<br />

customers weren’t building up an inventory because we<br />

were headed into the summer, now we have customers<br />

that are willing to build up their inventories.”<br />

His company offers Poplar in 5/4, 10/4 and 12/4 thicknesses<br />

and Red and White Oak in 5/4 thickness. “We<br />

aim for Face and Better but we also cut No. 1 and 2<br />

Common and some lower grades,” he mentioned.<br />

He sells to distribution yards and pallet manufacturers.<br />

He also has some export customers.<br />

He noted that his biggest struggle has been his expenses,<br />

stating that while his prices have remained<br />

steady his bottom line has been affected.<br />

A Maine lumberman said, “We are starting to see the<br />

market tighten up on the green side. We have also seen<br />

that start to trickle into the kiln-dried side, although not<br />

with the same horsepower.”<br />

He noted that while his sales are better than they were<br />

six months ago that he expects that they will start to<br />

slow down over the next few months. “We typically see<br />

a slowdown after the holidays,” he said. “So, with the<br />

housing numbers being off and our order files are off<br />

that we have with our customers, we are going to have<br />

a pretty tough winter.”<br />

His company handles all species that are native to the<br />

Northeast region. “We have sawmills that produce Red<br />

Oak, Hard and Soft Maple, Yellow Birch and Ash. We also<br />

have a white pine mill,” he said. His company offers these<br />

species in grades Select and Better, No. 1, 2 and 3 Common<br />

in thicknesses of 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4. His company<br />

Please turn to page 40 Please turn to page 41<br />

Throughout the Southeast region lumber suppliers<br />

agreed that while the market has slowed down, they are<br />

still able to move their products.<br />

In Tennessee a lumber spokesperson said that his<br />

company’s sales were doing OK at the time of this<br />

writing, noting that, “A lot of what we are shipping<br />

is specie dependent. White Oak is continuing to be a<br />

strong item and the majority of what we are shipping,<br />

overall, however sales have slowed down.”<br />

He added that his sales are doing worse than they<br />

were six months ago, but that is expected this time of<br />

year.<br />

His company offers Red and White Oak, Poplar,<br />

Walnut, Ash, Hard and Soft Maple, Basswood, Hickory<br />

and Cherry in grades No. 2 and Better and in thicknesses<br />

4/4 through 8/4. “We offer grades No. 2 and Better but<br />

we are heavier to FAS,” he remarked.<br />

When asked if any of his customers have offered any<br />

comments as to how their sales are doing, he said that<br />

they all seem to be in the same boat with their sales<br />

having slowed down some.<br />

A sawmill representative in Arkansas said that his<br />

market seems to have slowed down a bit but not much.<br />

“We haven’t seen too many of our products sales<br />

slowdown,” he said. “Our sales are down about 10<br />

percent from where they were six months ago.”<br />

His company offers Birch, Maple, Red and White Oak,<br />

Cherry, Ash, Hickory, Poplar and Mahogany in a variety<br />

of thicknesses and grades. “Poplar is our best seller,” he<br />

noted. “We sell more of it than anything else.”<br />

His company sells to cabinet manufacturers. “Some of<br />

my customers have noted that their sales are starting<br />

to slow down as well,” he said. “People are just building<br />

less.”<br />

In North Carolina a lumberman said that his Red and<br />

White Oak sales have been stable, while his Poplar<br />

sales have not. “Whether you are selling into Asia or any<br />

other country, it’s all about the price on Poplar. You can<br />

always sell it but in a lot of cases it is going to have to be<br />

cheap,” he stated.<br />

While West Coast lumber providers fluctuated on the<br />

current state of <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, one source summed up the<br />

market in one word – “mediocre.”<br />

“We are doing OK,” he noted. “There is still some money<br />

out here from the tech industries.<br />

“But things are worse than they were six months ago,”<br />

he added.<br />

The Washington based buyer and seller handles “the<br />

usual suspects,” like Cherry, White Oak, and Maple,<br />

most of which are from Appalachia and the upper Mid-<br />

West. He noted that the company uses all thicknesses of<br />

wood, like 10/4, 12/4 and 16/4.<br />

“Everybody had a full order file a year ago,” he reflected.<br />

“That’s just not the case now.”<br />

At the time of this writing, a California lumber source<br />

reported that the market for cabinets, moulding and<br />

floors has been a “little quiet.”<br />

“Anything going into a new home is slow,” he noted.<br />

“I’d like to say that our sales are half off but it almost<br />

feels like it’s a little more than half.<br />

“The first of 2023 was good,” he continued, “but the<br />

last half was a struggle.”<br />

The lumber source said the sale of first and second<br />

grade (FAS) lumber has “been good,” along with FAS<br />

wides and rustics.<br />

The company has also been doing well with 8”-and-wider<br />

and 9”-and-wider lumber.<br />

“We’ve been doing some Walnut on the high-end stuff,”<br />

he said. “We’re doing NHLA Oak Grade Rule Walnut.”<br />

While some woods like Red Oak and Cherry are not<br />

currently being sought by buyers, the lumber provider<br />

said that White Oak sales are up.<br />

“We have been fortunate with White Oak,” he acknowledged.<br />

“That seems to be pretty dominant, except<br />

the low-grade stuff.”<br />

With the soaring demand of White Oak, the distributor<br />

said it is becoming challenging to find.<br />

The Washington lumber source echoed these sentiments.<br />

Please turn to page 41 Please turn to page 42<br />

6 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 7


CANADIAN TRENDS<br />

News from suppliers about prices, trends, sales and inventories<br />

Learn More<br />

<br />

ONTARIO<br />

QUEBEC<br />

Heading into a new year, we wonder how businesses<br />

will fare in the <strong>Hardwood</strong> sector and elsewhere. Production<br />

and demand of <strong>Hardwood</strong>s is changing, and is<br />

keeping one on their toes to make a profit, or stay afloat.<br />

As statistics have reported both in the U.S. and Canada,<br />

production has been in a downward trend since 2022<br />

and continued throughout 2023. Those producing Red<br />

and White Oak, and Hard and Soft Maple are struggling<br />

to get logs, and buyers’ needs for many grades and<br />

thicknesses are not being met. Also, secondary manufacturers<br />

who use these species are controlling their inventories<br />

as consumers curb their purchases for finished<br />

goods, and due to inflation and higher interest rates.<br />

Some contacts noted having ample supplies, however,<br />

such as for Basswood and Aspen.<br />

Certain areas contacted stated that Ash supplies are<br />

barely adequate to meet demand. Prices are firm. Some<br />

say that kiln-dried business is not strong but is keeping<br />

inventories down for many grades and thicknesses.<br />

Demand is reported as slow but steady for kiln-dried<br />

Aspen. Inventories are sufficient to meet the market’s<br />

demand for most grades and thicknesses. Green production,<br />

noted some contacts, is not very high, but demand<br />

is on the slow side as well. Some sawmills struggle<br />

to find customers for total Aspen production.<br />

It was commented that certain sawmills limited Basswood<br />

log purchases and so production for this species<br />

was down. Green Basswood supplies outpaced needs<br />

for most grades and thicknesses.<br />

Birch demand, a species often used in <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

products such as furniture, millwork and moulding, flooring<br />

and cabinets, has been down due to slower housing<br />

construction and renovation markets. Activity has slowed<br />

for businesses in these sectors and so it has affected<br />

Birch sales. Green lumber markets are not strong either.<br />

Mill output is controlled, and is closely balanced between<br />

developing supplies and market needs. Contacts noted<br />

that kiln-dried Birch inventories are sufficient to meet demand.<br />

Prices have also gone down for most grades.<br />

The U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, hunting season and<br />

Christmas holiday disrupted production and business<br />

activity for those in the <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry. Businesses<br />

were busy preparing their log decks and making operational<br />

plans as to production schedules, and planning<br />

orders of supplies needed for their particular business<br />

needs. Several contacts were seeking new sources of<br />

supply to work around species shortages of various<br />

grades and thicknesses. Items identified in short supply<br />

were Hard and Soft Maple, White Oak and upper grade<br />

Red Oak for green stocks. Some end users stated they<br />

had ample supplies of Basswood and Aspen for their<br />

needs.<br />

It is customary at this time of year for markets to soften.<br />

Wholesalers and secondary manufacturers reported<br />

weak sales as we come out of the holiday period. Their<br />

inventories were sufficient to meet current and shortterm<br />

needs. Pallet manufacturers expect sales to decline<br />

for finished goods at this time.<br />

Production was lower for Ash, but decent. Thus, demand<br />

held up well with mills shipping developing supplies.<br />

Prices edged higher for the No. 1 Common and<br />

Better grades. Kiln-dried business was also decent, but<br />

inventories were not high, with pricing steady.<br />

Depending on regions contacted, Aspen was getting<br />

mixed reviews. For some it was not doing so well with<br />

demand being weak for some time with prices responding<br />

accordingly. Sawmills processed Aspen at a reduced<br />

rate, thus prices eased pressure on green stocks to a<br />

certain extent.<br />

Basswood sales were down as this species is in less<br />

demand from secondary manufacturers whose business<br />

has also seen a slowdown, and also due to competition<br />

of other wood species and non-wood material products<br />

being substituted in finished goods rather than using<br />

Basswood. Contacts say it is hard to find new orders for<br />

this species. Sawmills are also limiting their production,<br />

however, in certain areas, supplies are outpacing market<br />

demand.<br />

The regionally important species Hard Maple is see-<br />

Boost Efficiency and Profits<br />

Heat Recovery Vents<br />

• Saves Up To 80% Of Lost Heat<br />

• Consistent Drying<br />

• Ensures Your Kiln Runs At<br />

Peak Efficiency<br />

NDKR Kiln Controls<br />

• Enhanced Sensor Technology<br />

Please turn to page 43 Please turn to page 44<br />

• Felxible Control Modes<br />

• Can Be Retrofitted To Any Kiln<br />

Regardless of Manufacturer.<br />

8 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 9


INDUSTRY NEWS<br />

AN UPDATE COVERING THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT<br />

HARDWOOD SUPPLIERS/VENDORS<br />

Clark <strong>Hardwood</strong>s LLC Makes Capital<br />

Improvements<br />

Clark <strong>Hardwood</strong>s LLC, located in Erin, TN, recently<br />

put in a Cleereman combination optimized edger. The<br />

mill is undergoing some other capital improvements regarding<br />

material handling that should be complete late<br />

spring/early summer <strong>2024</strong>, according to Brandon Clark,<br />

Vice-President of Clark Lumber Company.<br />

The mill’s annual production is 10 million board feet,<br />

producing Red and White Oak, Hard Maple, Poplar, Ash,<br />

Cherry, Hickory and Walnut. The operation provides<br />

planing services and has 125,000 board feet of drying<br />

Brandon Clark<br />

capacity. The company, headquartered<br />

in Red Boiling Springs, TN,<br />

produces 50 million board feet of Appalachian<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong>s in thicknesses<br />

ranging from 4/4-8/4.<br />

For more information, visit<br />

www.clarklumbercompany.com.<br />

link’s system while remaining with Robinson as Vice<br />

President. Tradelink is pleased to welcome Jacqueline<br />

Monteilh, a dedicated nine-year Robinson employee,<br />

who has joined the Tradelink Sales Team and is now part<br />

of the Tradelink family.<br />

Robinson Lumber Company and Tradelink Wood<br />

Products are both family-owned businesses with extensive<br />

histories in the wood products<br />

industry. The two companies have<br />

shared numerous professional relationships<br />

since the 1980s, serving<br />

as customers, suppliers and competitors<br />

across various markets.<br />

Through years of collaboration,<br />

mutual admiration has grown within<br />

both organizations and among the<br />

individuals who drive them.<br />

This strategic transaction stands<br />

as a mutually beneficial step forward<br />

for both companies and their customers<br />

and suppliers.<br />

For more information visit,<br />

www.roblumco.com.<br />

Dura Supreme’s New<br />

Manufacturing Facility<br />

Begins Production<br />

Production has officially begun<br />

at Dura Supreme Cabinetry’s new<br />

manufacturing facility in Statesville,<br />

NC.<br />

In March of this year, the company<br />

announced its plans to expand its<br />

manufacturing operations with a new<br />

multi-million dollar manufacturing facility<br />

to accommodate the increasing<br />

demand for its cabinetry products.<br />

Over the last few months, the<br />

company has been hard at work<br />

setting up all the new state-of-theart<br />

equipment, fine-tuning the layout<br />

of the building, as well as recruiting<br />

and training the first of the new North<br />

Carolina production team. The new<br />

facility is designed to mirror the same<br />

state-of-the-art cabinet-making processes<br />

and quality craftsmanship<br />

practices that are already in action at<br />

Robinson Lumber Finalizes<br />

Sale of U.S. Flooring<br />

Business to Tradelink Wood<br />

Products<br />

Robinson Lumber Company<br />

and Tradelink Wood Products are<br />

pleased to announce they have<br />

completed a transaction to sell<br />

Robinson’s U.S. Flooring Business<br />

to Tradelink including Robinson’s<br />

U.S. flooring inventory, their flooring<br />

brand, associated Goodwill and the<br />

transfer of related supplier, customer<br />

and service provider relationships.<br />

Under the terms of the agreement,<br />

Robinson will provide Transition Services<br />

to Tradelink Wood Products.<br />

Guiding the transition of Robinson’s<br />

flooring business is Dan Lennon who<br />

will ensure the integration of Robinson’s<br />

valued customers, suppliers<br />

and service providers into Tradetheir<br />

headquarters in Howard Lake, MN, while providing<br />

the ability to increase their manufacturing capabilities to<br />

keep up with the demand for their highly requested cabinets,<br />

which they offer in Cherry, Maple, Red Oak, Quarter-sawn<br />

White Oak, Knotty Alder and Hickory in grades<br />

Please turn to page 47<br />

10 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 11


HMA UPDATE<br />

What Are Your Company’s Pathways To Success?<br />

What’s in store for your business in<br />

<strong>2024</strong>? Are you looking to improve your operations<br />

with new equipment? How are you<br />

going to pay for it? Is there a generational<br />

gap in your workforce making communication<br />

difficult? And what’s going on with the<br />

economy this year?<br />

If you’re asking yourself any of these<br />

questions, then you’ll want to make plans<br />

to attend HMA’s <strong>2024</strong> <strong>National</strong> Conference and Expo,<br />

Monday–Wednesday, March 25–27, at The Charleston<br />

Place Hotel in Charleston, SC. This year’s theme<br />

is Pathways to Success and the agenda is filled with<br />

learning sessions that will help your company navigate<br />

the challenges ahead. Here’s a brief overview of a few<br />

sessions.<br />

•Funding Improvements:<br />

Grant Opportunities<br />

What exactly is the USDA Forest Service’s Wood Innovations<br />

Grant (WIG) Program? How can a grant help<br />

your company make equipment and operational upgrades?<br />

What companies are eligible? How do you apply<br />

for a grant? Marcus Taylor, Wood Innovations coordinator<br />

for the Southern Region, will be with us to provide<br />

all the details and answer questions.<br />

•Effective Communication Panel<br />

Times have changed and communicating with workers<br />

from different generations can be challenging and frustrating<br />

for all involved. This panel discussion,<br />

moderated by Steve James—president and<br />

CEO of Frank Miller Lumber Company and<br />

a certified John C. Maxwell coach, trainer,<br />

and speaker—will bring together a Millennial,<br />

a Gen Xer, and a Boomer to provide insight<br />

into how to overcome communication<br />

issues and improve your company’s culture.<br />

•Economic Predictions: Hits and Misses<br />

Every year, attendees get to hear from an experienced<br />

economist who gives an update on the U.S. economy.<br />

HMA members have asked, “What did they get right<br />

and where were they wrong?” This year, we’re welcoming<br />

back our 2023 presenter, Dr. Christopher Kuehl,<br />

co-founder of Armada Corporate Intelligence. His presentation<br />

will give an honest critique of his assessment<br />

last year, as well as a current look at the U.S. economy<br />

and a forward-looking analysis of trends to watch. We’re<br />

looking forward to what he has to say!<br />

As a reminder, this event is open to all <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry<br />

stakeholders—members, non-members, industry<br />

suppliers, etc. All of the Conference details can be found<br />

online at www.HMAmembers.org. And while you’re there,<br />

take care of your registration, book your hotel room, see<br />

the full schedule, browse the list of exhibitors, and consider<br />

adding on a sponsorship! We’re looking forward to<br />

seeing you in Charleston! n<br />

BY IAN FAIGHT,<br />

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER,<br />

HARDWOOD MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION<br />

WARRENDALE, PA<br />

412.244.0440<br />

www.HMAmembers.org<br />

Our industry has<br />

stories to tell.<br />

We’re telling them.<br />

Contribute Now to Build Your World<br />

Contribute Now to Build Your World<br />

Contribute Now to Build Your World<br />

The Real American <strong>Hardwood</strong> Coalition has launched its Build Your World<br />

campaign The Real American in partnership <strong>Hardwood</strong> with Magnolia Coalition Network. has launched The ads its Build are inspiring Your World a national<br />

audience campaign The Real American<br />

by in partnership educating <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

them with on Magnolia Coalition<br />

the benefits Network. has<br />

of launched<br />

Real The American ads its Build are inspiring <strong>Hardwood</strong>® Your World a national products.<br />

audience campaign by in partnership educating them with on Magnolia the benefits Network. of Real The American ads are inspiring <strong>Hardwood</strong>® a national products.<br />

The audience campaign by educating was made them possible on the thanks benefits to of voluntary Real American contributions <strong>Hardwood</strong>® from the<br />

products.<br />

hardwood The campaign industry. was made Your continued possible thanks support to is voluntary critical to contributions advance the from initiative the and<br />

reclaim hardwood The campaign<br />

market industry. was<br />

share made Your for the continued possible<br />

benefit thanks support of all industry to is voluntary critical stakeholders.<br />

to contributions advance the from initiative the and<br />

reclaim hardwood market industry. share Your for the continued benefit support of all industry is critical stakeholders.<br />

to advance the initiative and<br />

Help reclaim Build market Your share World. for Learn the benefit more about of all industry the RAHC’s stakeholders.<br />

promotion efforts,<br />

see Help a Build list of Your supporters, World. Learn and make more a about voluntary, the RAHC’s tax-deductible promotion contribution efforts, at<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry see Help a Build list of Your supporters, World. Learn and make more a about voluntary, the<br />

or RAHC’s<br />

scan tax-deductible the promotion<br />

QR code. contribution efforts, at<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry see a list of supporters, and make a voluntary, or scan tax-deductible the QR code.<br />

contribution at<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry or scan the QR code.<br />

Real American <strong>Hardwood</strong> is a registered trademark, and Build Your World is a trademark of the Real American <strong>Hardwood</strong> Coalition.<br />

12 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 13<br />

Real American <strong>Hardwood</strong> is a registered trademark, and Build Your World is a trademark of the Real American <strong>Hardwood</strong> Coalition.<br />

Real American <strong>Hardwood</strong> is a registered trademark, and Build Your World is a trademark of the Real American <strong>Hardwood</strong> Coalition.


AHEC REPORT<br />

AHEC Hosts European Journalists For<br />

Tour Of American <strong>Hardwood</strong> Forest<br />

HARDWOOD FEDERATION INFO<br />

Federation Advocacy 2023 –<br />

Key Federal Initiatives Impacting The <strong>Hardwood</strong> Industry<br />

American <strong>Hardwood</strong> forests stand as a<br />

compelling example of global reforestation<br />

in action, showcasing nature’s extraordinary<br />

capacity for regeneration. Over the<br />

last 50 years, the volume of standing timber<br />

in these forests has more than doubled,<br />

but unfortunately the success of forestry in<br />

America isn’t widely known outside of our<br />

industry. The American <strong>Hardwood</strong> Export<br />

Council (AHEC) hosted a week-long press<br />

trip to Pennsylvania in October 2023 to<br />

explore the relationship between the forest<br />

products industry and a healthy forest.<br />

The journalists from Germany, the UK, and<br />

Italy had an opportunity to engage directly<br />

with modern forest management and the production of<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> products and understand how our practices<br />

are continually evolving to ensure the future of this incredible<br />

resource. This collaborative project with support<br />

from local companies and the Pennsylvania Department<br />

of Agriculture has served to educate European writers,<br />

many of whom are focused on environmental policy and<br />

climate action, about the benefits of the American <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

industry from a green perspective.<br />

Pennsylvania is recognized today as one of the most<br />

forested states in the Eastern US, but that’s not always<br />

been the case. The state was the focal point for timber<br />

extraction during the industrial development of the<br />

1800s, and in fact, Williamsport was the center of the<br />

global lumber industry during this time. By the beginning<br />

of the 1900s, most of the state and others along the<br />

eastern seaboard had been heavily deforested. However,<br />

120 years later those forests have grown back naturally<br />

and are now largely healthy and well managed.<br />

That’s not to say that there are no challenges. PA is an<br />

excellent example of how the <strong>Hardwood</strong> forests of the<br />

Eastern USA have regenerated with the help of a long-<br />

term strategy to ensure that they are protected<br />

for future generations. Rural communities<br />

and the people that live and work in these<br />

forests have played a central role in what<br />

they are today - a rich source of wildlife, biodiversity,<br />

clean water, food, recreation, and<br />

of course, timber.<br />

This short and intense trip across PA from<br />

Pittsburgh to Philadelphia explored the <strong>National</strong><br />

Forest, state forest, and private timberlands,<br />

all of which make up the composition<br />

of this resource. AHEC was able to introduce<br />

the journalists to private and state foresters,<br />

scientists, educators and researchers, loggers<br />

and sawmillers, and artisans who explained<br />

their work and gave insight into the complexity<br />

and resilience of these forests.<br />

The first stop for our team of journalists was the Kane<br />

Experimental Research Forest to meet with the US Forest<br />

Service and learn about forest regeneration, management<br />

strategies like natural selection, and how they<br />

address the challenges of invasive species and climate<br />

change. With this knowledge in mind, the group visited<br />

a <strong>Hardwood</strong> logging site to see these management<br />

strategies in action. The second day itinerary focused on<br />

carbon sequestration, and featured presentations from<br />

Penn State University on how using wood products is an<br />

active way to meet human needs while fighting climate<br />

change. In the afternoon the group visited a multigenerational<br />

sawmill team who talked about the history of<br />

the area as the “lumber capital of the world” in the late<br />

1800s and how things have changed since then. The<br />

next morning had an early start with a sawmill and logging<br />

site tour, then in the afternoon the group met with a<br />

local educator, forester, and musician, Van Wagner, for<br />

Please turn to page 54<br />

Approaching the end of a calendar<br />

year is always a good time for<br />

reflection. The <strong>Hardwood</strong> Federation<br />

team did just that as we look back<br />

on an eventful legislative year where<br />

lawmakers have addressed many of<br />

the industry’s top issues. This has<br />

also helped us look forward to <strong>2024</strong>,<br />

which promises to be equally action packed. Below are<br />

highlights of key developments to help you track where<br />

industry has focused its advocacy in 2023…and an indication<br />

of where we will go in the new year.<br />

Farm Bill 2023<br />

Front and center in this year’s advocacy has been inclusion<br />

of <strong>Hardwood</strong>-friendly provisions within the context<br />

of Farm Bill legislation. Political turmoil in the House<br />

squashed hopes for an on-time for 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization,<br />

but on November 15, Congress finally<br />

passed an extension on the expired bill through September<br />

30, <strong>2024</strong>. The one-year extension will guarantee<br />

funding for key <strong>Hardwood</strong> initiatives such as the Market<br />

Access and Foreign Market Development programs. It<br />

is unclear what the exact language of current Farm Bill<br />

draft language looks like as House Ag Chair GT Thompson<br />

(R-PA) has indicated that he won’t release legislative<br />

text on the Farm Bill until leadership schedules floor<br />

time. But we are confident that as the Farm Bill moves<br />

forward in <strong>2024</strong>, it will serve as a vehicle to capture other<br />

priorities for the industry. In addition to authorizing resources<br />

that promote <strong>Hardwood</strong> exports, the Federation<br />

is also leveraging the debate to promote related industry<br />

objectives:<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> Access Program – In an important milestone<br />

for the <strong>Hardwood</strong> sector, Reps. Tom Tiffany (R-<br />

WI) and Annie Kuster (D-NH) have<br />

agreed to sponsor the <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

Access Program (HAP) bill for introduction<br />

in the House. Although fiscal<br />

constraints will make it very difficult<br />

to move HAP as part of the Farm<br />

Bill, the legislation will serve as a<br />

high-profile vehicle to educate Congress<br />

on the benefits of <strong>Hardwood</strong> products, laying the<br />

groundwork for enactment in future years. Stay tuned<br />

for updates as the industry bill moves forward.<br />

Timber Innovation for Building Rural Communities Act<br />

– This bipartisan, bicameral bill, sponsored by Senators<br />

Wyden (D-OR) and Senator Crapo (R-ID) and Reps.<br />

Salinas (D-OR), Glusenkamp-Perez (D-WA) and Duarte<br />

(R-CA) could be folded into a final Farm Bill. The<br />

proposal includes several positive provisions for the<br />

industry including establishing a USDA platform measuring,<br />

collecting and sharing data related to the carbon<br />

benefits of wood products, and recognizing the value of<br />

carbon reduction and environmental benefits of wood<br />

in building design and furnishings in USDA grant programs.<br />

Through the Federation’s work with the Forest in<br />

the Farm Bill Coalition, several recommended changes<br />

to ensure that <strong>Hardwood</strong>s are eligible for the programs<br />

were incorporated into the bill language.<br />

Jobs In the Woods Act – This fall, Senate and House<br />

members introduced the bipartisan “Jobs in the Woods<br />

Act.” (H.R. 5344, S. 3063), a bill that would provide education<br />

grants ranging in size from $500,000 to $2 million<br />

to promote jobs in the understaffed timber industry<br />

and U.S. Forest Service. Legislative champions include<br />

Reps. Chavez-Deremer (R-OR) and Gluesenkamp-Perez<br />

(D-WA) on the House side and Sens. King (I-ME)<br />

Please turn to page 51<br />

BY MICHAEL SNOW,<br />

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,<br />

AMERICAN HARDWOOD EXPORT COUNCIL,<br />

STERLING, VA<br />

703-435-2900<br />

WWW.AHEC.ORG<br />

BY DANA LEE COLE,<br />

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,<br />

HARDWOOD FEDERATION,<br />

WASHINGTON, DC<br />

202-463-5186<br />

WWW.HARDWOODFEDERATION.WILDAPRICOT.ORG<br />

14 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 15


WCMA INSIGHTS<br />

NHLA: Why Knot...<br />

WCMA Looking Ahead To A Successful New Year<br />

Looking back on 2023, I am very<br />

proud of what the WCMA accomplished.<br />

We hosted our third European<br />

Plant Tour Event in northern Italy, and<br />

the individuals that attended had very<br />

positive things to say about the event,<br />

with one saying “I will remember this<br />

one as one of WCMA’s best events<br />

and encourage everyone to consider<br />

this opportunity when it comes around<br />

again. The camaraderie that grew<br />

amongst the group was special, and we all appreciated<br />

the opportunity to see state-of-the-art manufacturing<br />

plants.” Our two sponsors were exceptionally gracious<br />

and supportive, and they were very pleased with the<br />

turnout.<br />

The association also hosted an excellent Fall Conference<br />

event in the Canton, Ohio area. We were thrilled to<br />

have a full lineup of plant tours, with an excellent mix of<br />

manufacturing facilities. The companies that we toured<br />

included wood product manufacturing, lumber processing,<br />

and machinery technology. Attendees also enjoyed<br />

the opportunity to network with their colleagues in the<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> industry.<br />

And now, I am excited to look forward to <strong>2024</strong> and the<br />

variety of benefits WCMA has to offer.<br />

Educational and Networking Opportunities<br />

We’ve already started planning our <strong>2024</strong> Fall Conference<br />

which will be held in Iowa in the fall. There are<br />

many excellent manufacturing facilities<br />

that are open for tours, and we are excited<br />

to see the advancements made since<br />

we last visited in 2008.<br />

In addition, we are exploring opportunities<br />

to host one-day events that will<br />

allow us to see state-of-the-art facilities<br />

in locations that are not amenable to a<br />

fall conference. If your company is interested<br />

in hosting a tour, or you know of<br />

a company that you would love to visit,<br />

please let us know.<br />

You will also see us at the International Woodworking<br />

Fair in Atlanta, where we will help buyers of wood components<br />

find the perfect manufacturing company for their<br />

needs.<br />

Real Industry Promotion<br />

As a founding contributor to the Real American <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

Coalition (RAHC), WCMA is invested in real promotion<br />

for domestic <strong>Hardwood</strong> manufacturers. The RAHC’s<br />

mission: “With widespread support, the Real American<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> Coalition (RAHC) unites the collective efforts<br />

and resources of the industry to advance American <strong>Hardwood</strong>s<br />

as the Naturally Authentic choice.”<br />

Because of the WCMA’s financial support, WCMA<br />

members are able and encouraged to download and<br />

use the RAH logo on all products that qualify, and help<br />

consumers start recognizing the brand and spread the<br />

word. This exciting program helps our members’ products<br />

stand out!<br />

Please turn to page 56<br />

Proselytize Employees, Family & Friends<br />

For Forestry & Wood Careers<br />

My dad was an engineer. I<br />

wanted to be an engineer. I applied<br />

to the University of British<br />

Columbia and put forestry as<br />

a backup at the last minute. I<br />

moved my family to Vancouver<br />

and started locksmithing before<br />

I knew if I was accepted. However, I ended up getting<br />

accepted to forestry but not engineering. It didn’t matter<br />

because I took prerequisites for engineering courses<br />

anyway. I wouldn’t be where I am today if a college<br />

counselor hadn’t told me there was a wood engineering<br />

program within forestry. All my credits transferred over,<br />

and I picked up Wood Products Processing like a grizzly<br />

picks up spawning salmon.<br />

Very few college students know and choose wood science<br />

and technology career paths. Very few universities<br />

offer forestry degrees and even fewer with wood tracks.<br />

Here are the university acronyms for North America: AU,<br />

CU, Laval, LSU, MSU, NCST, OSU, Purdue, UBC, UI,<br />

UK, UM, UNB, UT, UW, VT, WSU, WVU, and I am sure<br />

there are others. Some have complete wood programs;<br />

others have classes or other renewable material specialties.<br />

But no matter the studies, the point is all the same.<br />

They need more students.<br />

At the NHLA Inspector Training<br />

School graduation ceremony<br />

in November, a student’s parents<br />

asked me what was next<br />

for their teenage son. I offered<br />

two tracks. Work hard and take<br />

initiative at the plant to improve<br />

production and learn the process. A production supervisor<br />

and other roles would be available if he wants them.<br />

Apply for university, get a wood (processing, science, or<br />

engineering) degree, and advance into production supervisor<br />

and management roles. Both options are great<br />

careers.<br />

After I graduated with my Wood degree, I worked for<br />

Sauder Molding and was the production supervisor on<br />

the night shift for four months. I told them I was interested<br />

in a master’s degree, and they told me they would<br />

rather I worked there for two years. I told them I wanted<br />

them to guarantee me a day job within one year, but they<br />

didn’t want to put it in writing. I had seen sales guys get<br />

promoted over production guys and didn’t want to get<br />

stuck in 4 concrete walls, so I returned to school and<br />

received a master’s at UBC in Forests and Society. That<br />

opened even more career opportunities and put me on a<br />

course to NHLA.<br />

Please turn to page 57<br />

BY AMY K. SNELL, CAE,<br />

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,<br />

WOOD COMPONENT MANUFACTURERS ASSOC.,<br />

LINDSTROM, MN<br />

651-332-6332<br />

WWW.WCMA.COM<br />

BY DALLIN BROOKS,<br />

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,<br />

NATIONAL HARDWOOD LUMBER ASSOCIATION,<br />

MEMPHIS, TN<br />

901-377-1082<br />

WWW.NHLA.COM<br />

16 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 17


“As a lumberyard and mill, we are part of a collective stewardship in a unique supply chain,<br />

from forest to finished product. We source quality lumber, wood products and services<br />

providing a palette of materials to fulfill residential and commercial project needs catering to<br />

architects, designers, builders and craftsmen.”<br />

– Steve Jackel, owner and president of Jackel Enterprises Inc.<br />

This home received a deck made of Teak from Jackel Enterprises.<br />

Just-In-Time At Jackel Enterprises Inc.<br />

Jackel Enterprises Inc., headquartered in Watsonville,<br />

CA, distributes <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, softwoods and imported<br />

woods. The operation also handles reclaimed woods,<br />

live edge slabs, urban woods and offers milled products<br />

such as box beams, sidings, ceiling treatments, flooring,<br />

moulding and trim packages.<br />

Jackel Enterprises Inc. purchases 150,000 board feet<br />

in <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, 100,000 board feet of imported lumber<br />

and 250,000 board feet in softwoods annually. <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

species include Alder, Cherry, Maple, Red and<br />

Jackel Enterprises Inc., in Watsonville, CA, close to San Francisco,<br />

distributes <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, softwoods and imported woods. “The<br />

key word in our business is serve; we serve our customers,” said<br />

Owner and President Steve Jackel.<br />

By Michelle Keller<br />

White Oak, Poplar and Walnut (4/4, 8/4, 10/4, 20/4 FAS,<br />

Select and Better). In softwoods the operation carries<br />

and manufactures from western red cedar, redwood,<br />

Alaskan yellow cedar, ponderosa pine, sugar pine, hemlock<br />

and douglas fir (4/4, 6/4, 8/4, 10/4, Moulding and<br />

Better). Species available in imported woods include<br />

African Mahogany, Ipe, Sapele, Jatoba and Teak (FEQ,<br />

Select and Better).<br />

Owner and President Steve Jackel became involved<br />

in the forest products industry by making dulcimer instruments<br />

from Claro Walnut. The dulcimer is a fretted string<br />

instrument made from wood. It typically has three or four<br />

strings and was originally played in the Appalachian region<br />

of the United States. Jackel said after selling the instruments<br />

he began to get lumber requests. He sold both<br />

lumber and dulcimers for about 16 years before deciding<br />

to focus solely on selling lumber and manufacturing<br />

products. “I was a partner in what could only be called<br />

a folk business. We were in a barn and made dulcimers<br />

which we distributed around the United States. We were<br />

selling them mainly to music stores and, because of the<br />

nature of the wood we were purchasing, I got into selling<br />

From left, are Steve Jackel and his son Noah Jackel with<br />

live edge slabs.<br />

Sapele is one species of exotic woods handled by<br />

Jackel Enterprises.<br />

extra wood to the public. As time went on, I discovered<br />

my archetype was a merchant as opposed to an artisan.”<br />

Today the operation encompasses a two-acre,<br />

40,000-square-foot shop, mill and lumberyard purchased<br />

and expanded in 2016.<br />

“As a lumberyard and mill, we are part of a collective<br />

stewardship in a unique supply chain, from forest to finished<br />

product,” Jackel explained. “We source quality<br />

lumber, wood products and services providing a palette<br />

of materials to fulfill residential and commercial project<br />

needs catering to architects, designers, builders and<br />

craftsmen.<br />

“Our focus is on value-added production,” he continued.<br />

“We have two L200 Nyle dry kilns. So, if we have<br />

a job where we are using bigger timbers for smaller<br />

boards, we have the capacity to resaw, sticker and dry.<br />

The selling of lumber is greatly influenced by trends as<br />

opposed to actual functionality. As a consequence, western<br />

red cedar is in high demand worldwide. There is a<br />

limited supply. Our clients want it, although there might<br />

be woods that are similar in function but not in appearance.<br />

Alaskan yellow cedar is just as functional, but the<br />

appearance is significantly different along with the pricing.”<br />

Jackel Enterprises’ products and lumber have appeared<br />

in some high-profile and interesting places. However,<br />

Jackel said he’s not able to release any details.<br />

“We’ve signed non-disclosure agreements for most of<br />

these jobs. We aren’t allowed to take photos in some<br />

instances. Once we had a project that had 12,000 feet<br />

of color-selected hemlock and 25,000 square-feet of engineered<br />

8-inch wide, rift White Oak flooring in just one<br />

house.”<br />

He continued, “We did a fence that was hand-split redwood<br />

from salvaged trees for an equestrian horse ranch.<br />

That job required a lot of reclaimed redwood bridge timbers.<br />

That was also for a high-profile client. So, we get<br />

engaged in high-end projects that are architecturally demanding<br />

in the Bay Area.”<br />

When asked what sets Jackel Enterprises apart from<br />

his friendly competitors he indicated experience, quality<br />

and value-added services are at the top of the list. “I’ve<br />

been in the woodworking industry for 50 years. The primary<br />

goal at Jackel Enterprises is to supply lumber and<br />

value-added products at the highest standard. We place<br />

importance on our customers, meeting all of their needs.<br />

Please turn the page<br />

18 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 19


Jackel Enterprises encompasses a two-acre, 40,000-square-foot shop, mill and lumberyard purchased and expanded in 2016.<br />

JACKEL ENTERPRISES INC. Continued<br />

We’re not car salesmen; we’re wood people. We want<br />

the job, but we want to be sure it’s the right material for<br />

the job. We have a significant ability to assure this because<br />

of our experience. The key word in our business<br />

is serve; we serve our customers.”<br />

He also noted that while the company is small with<br />

only 12 employees, it has the ability to compete on a<br />

larger scale. “For a small company, we have capacity for<br />

high volume. We can compete with anybody in terms of<br />

capacity.”<br />

Jackel Enterprises responded to the global pandemic<br />

by growing its just-in-time operations. “We’re very<br />

nimble,” Jackel said. “We’ve lowered our inventory and<br />

strengthened our trading partnerships where we can buy<br />

and sell per job. The jobs are of a size that enables us<br />

to do that even when the supply chain has been difficult.<br />

There was a period when we were selling projects and<br />

the price of inventory doubled in a period of a year. It<br />

would take 90 days to get a smaller purchasing number<br />

than we would normally buy. At one point a full truckload<br />

of Cedar went from $90,000 to $180,000. That wasn’t<br />

practical and it was difficult to operate under those circumstances.<br />

With our trading partners, we’ve been able<br />

to make adjustments and meet the needs faster.”<br />

Jackel initially set up shop in his own home. “It was<br />

just me, a pickup truck and a phone,” he recalled. Two<br />

years into his new venture, Jackel moved the company<br />

into a warehouse, then relocated again in 1998. The<br />

company finally moved into its new location in 2016.<br />

Jackel, who runs the company with his son, Noah<br />

(vice president), sells about 95 percent of the company’s<br />

products to other businesses. “We sell to cabinet shops,<br />

product manufacturers and high-end residential and<br />

commercial contractors,” said Jackel, whose firm also<br />

encompasses an urban forestry division (West Coast<br />

Woods) and a manufacturing firm dedicated to making<br />

real wood box beams. Through the former, the company<br />

salvages street trees, urban fall-downs and institutional<br />

tree removals, and converts the logs into lumber and<br />

live-edge slabs.<br />

Jackel Enterprises Inc. is Forestry Stewardship Council<br />

(FSC)-certified. n<br />

For more information visit www.JackelEnterprises.com.<br />

Class 204 Graduates From<br />

NHLA Inspector Training School<br />

Left to Right Standing: Jeremy Prosser, Billy Joe Blackburn, Eric<br />

Osborne, Dylan Maggert, Michael Janjigian<br />

Seated: Lucian Gratz, Roman Matyushchenko (Instructor), Freddy<br />

Guevara<br />

The <strong>National</strong> <strong>Hardwood</strong> Lumber Association, headquartered<br />

in Memphis, TN, celebrated the graduation of<br />

Class 204 from the Inspector Training School (ITS) recently.<br />

Geoff Webb, Dean of NHLA Inspector Training School,<br />

kicked off the celebration, saying, “It’s an honor to welcome<br />

this class into the ranks of lumber inspectors. This<br />

is just the start of your career, and it is essential to re-<br />

Roman Matyushchenko presented the individual achievement awards.<br />

Outstanding individual awards recipients were as follows:<br />

•Jeremy R. Prosser, ITS Educational Foundation Award for Highest Overall Average<br />

•Lucian H. Gratz, Howard Hanlon Award for Second Highest Overall Average<br />

•Jeremy R. Prosser, Westside <strong>Hardwood</strong> Club Award for Highest Board Run Average<br />

•Billy Joe Blackburn IV, Milt Cole Award for Best Attitude/Citizenship<br />

Enrollment is now open for Class 205 in Memphis, TN,<br />

beginning on <strong>January</strong> 8, <strong>2024</strong>. To enroll or learn more<br />

about the Program, please visit www.nhla.com.<br />

The NHLA Inspector Training School has a proud and<br />

rich 70-year history, graduating more than 7,500 students<br />

since its conception. The Program teaches the<br />

rules and applications of the NHLA grading system and<br />

prepares students for a career in the <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry.<br />

This unique Program has earned worldwide respect,<br />

attracting students from throughout the United States,<br />

member that the lumber inspector is a key employee and<br />

a vital part of the team at the sawmill, the concentration<br />

yard and the entire <strong>Hardwood</strong> lumber operation.”<br />

Nick Thompson, President and Co-Owner of Thompson<br />

Appalachian <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, gave the graduates an<br />

energizing keynote address. As a graduate of the NHLA<br />

Inspector Training School (Class 166), he told students,<br />

“I’m emotional about this School; it has been a cornerstone<br />

of my life since childhood; graduating from Inspector<br />

Training School was a foundational point for my career<br />

and allowed me to preserve my family’s legacy.”<br />

Thompson continued, “We sent our employee, Freddy<br />

Guevara, to the school. He graduates today. We paid<br />

for Freddy’s education because we know it’s essential to<br />

continue to develop quality talent, especially talent that is<br />

part of the next generation. Trust me, you will look back<br />

when you are my age and realize this was the best eight<br />

weeks you ever spent.”<br />

Class President Jeremy R. Prosser of Ontario <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

Products spoke to his fellow students, saying,<br />

“This class has been a great experience for all of us; we<br />

all gained valuable knowledge to further our careers and<br />

have formed priceless memories at the school that will<br />

stay with us for the rest of our lives.”<br />

Graduates of the 204 class were:<br />

•Billy Joe Blackburn IV, D & T Sawmill, LLC<br />

•Lucian H. Gratz, Midwest <strong>Hardwood</strong> Company LLC<br />

•Freddy Guevara, Thompson Appalachian <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc.<br />

•Dylan J. Maggert, Hartzell <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc.<br />

•Jeremy R. Prosser, Ontario <strong>Hardwood</strong> Products, Ltd.<br />

•Eric V. Osborne, Connor Sports<br />

•Michael A. Janjigian, Independent<br />

Canada, Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia.<br />

The world’s largest and oldest <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry association,<br />

NHLA represents companies and individuals<br />

that produce, use, and sell North American <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

lumber or provide equipment, supplies, or services to the<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> industry. It was founded in 1898 to establish<br />

a uniform system of grading rules for the measurement<br />

and inspection of <strong>Hardwood</strong> lumber. Since 1979, its<br />

headquarters have been in Memphis. n<br />

To learn more about NHLA, please visit www.nhla.com.<br />

20 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 21


New Year, New Business:<br />

How The <strong>Hardwood</strong> Industry<br />

Can Continue Growing In <strong>2024</strong><br />

The remodel and repair segment of the lumber niche<br />

has boomed in recent years. This portion of the <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

space has not always been sizable, but in the past<br />

few years, the industry has seen rapid growth in the remodel<br />

and repair segment.<br />

What is driving this growth? During the pandemic, we<br />

experienced a massive societal reconsideration of home<br />

and office spaces. Remodeling became commonplace<br />

as people sought new ways to use and, in some cases,<br />

show off their homes and commercial buildings. As<br />

we have moved past the pandemic and interest rates<br />

have continued to rise, we have seen this trend continue<br />

as homeowners look to add value to their homes with<br />

wood-based products.<br />

While there is much to celebrate in the <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

space today, as we head into <strong>2024</strong>, there are a few<br />

headwinds to consider. Supply chain shortages, talent<br />

challenges and inflation still loom large as threats to<br />

business. Weather-related claims, auto claims and insure-to-value<br />

issues are rising in frequency. Heading<br />

into the new year, <strong>Hardwood</strong> businesses should take<br />

time to examine the obstacles ahead and properly prepare<br />

for the risks on the horizon.<br />

Examining The Challenges In The New Year<br />

As has been the case for several years, supply chain<br />

shortages remain. Whether renovating or replacing<br />

By Sean Briscoe,<br />

assistant vice president of underwriting at PLM<br />

equipment, the downtime to find new parts and machinery<br />

is much more extreme. What used to be a one-year<br />

turnaround now can take around two to three years.<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> businesses used to be able to turn to the<br />

refurbished market for additional options, but those resources<br />

have been largely exhausted in the wake of the<br />

pandemic.<br />

Inflation and employment issues have raised additional<br />

challenges. Due to the supply chain and talent crises,<br />

it is more expensive today to rebuild a structure than two<br />

years ago, or even six months ago. This has created<br />

some significant gaps in insurance to value. <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

businesses are finding their buildings and equipment are<br />

not valued at the proper level. This has caused some<br />

sticker shock, where insureds are often unprepared for<br />

the significant cost to replace and rebuild in the event of<br />

a loss.<br />

Talent has also impacted the claims side. We are<br />

seeing more auto claims caused by staffing issues.<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> businesses have had a hard time hiring and<br />

maintaining good drivers, leading to an increase in costly<br />

claims. Hot works safety protocols continue to be a<br />

concern in the niche too. Though the number of fire losses<br />

are down this year, ensuring that staff are properly<br />

trained and practicing sound hot works/welding safety<br />

controls is imperative to avoiding fires and other costly<br />

losses.<br />

Perhaps the largest rise in claims we have seen has<br />

involved weather-related losses. We are seeing a major<br />

uptick, most notably in areas where we do not traditionally<br />

see storms. For example, this year, a hurricane hit<br />

the coast of California while wildfires spread in New Jersey.<br />

Areas inexperienced in these types of catastrophes<br />

have suffered major losses with long rebuild times as a<br />

result.<br />

Addressing Business And Safety Concerns<br />

While these are certainly major challenges for <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

businesses, there are several safety and business<br />

planning practices business owners can take to prepare<br />

and maintain safe operations. These include:<br />

•Plan ahead: Planning equipment and part purchases<br />

far ahead of necessity is an important step to ensure<br />

downtimes are not too long in the event of an equipment<br />

breakdown. Whenever possible, staying ahead<br />

of supply chain shortages is critical.<br />

•Establish a hot works program: <strong>Hardwood</strong> businesses<br />

are a frequent source of fire related incidents with<br />

the high amount of sawdust and wood present. Establishing<br />

a comprehensive hot works program similar<br />

to what PLM requires, with strict requirements<br />

for regular cleaning, fire watch, fire extinguish placement<br />

and management of potentially combustible<br />

and flammable materials is critical. Staff should be<br />

trained regularly regarding these requirements too.<br />

•Housekeeping: Routine housekeeping is critical to<br />

limiting losses. Management should enforce a written<br />

program with routine equipment and machinery<br />

maintenance. Staff should be trained to perform daily<br />

dust clean ups across all surfaces and supervisors<br />

should conduct a weekly dust inspection to confirm<br />

staff is following the program.<br />

•Look at your coverage: Business owners should review<br />

the amount of coverage they have and ensure<br />

they have adequate limits. Consider worst case scenarios<br />

with longer wait times for replacing equipment<br />

and plan your limits accordingly. Make sure inventory<br />

and equipment have the right value as of today to<br />

avoid sticker shock when a loss occurs.<br />

•Pay attention to driver safety: Hiring the right staff and<br />

continuously monitoring their behavior behind the<br />

wheel is critical to driver safety. Thoroughly vet potential<br />

staff and implement continuous motor vehicle<br />

record (MVR) monitoring program to confirm they are<br />

practicing safe driver behavior. Consider implementing<br />

telematic devices in all vehicles to best ensure<br />

drivers are performing to the company’s standards of<br />

care behind the wheel. Using forward and rear facing<br />

cameras within that suite of telemetric controls can<br />

also help determine fault in the event of an incident.<br />

•Get back to weather basics: With claims on the<br />

rise, going back to the basics is important. Examine<br />

your roof and make sure you have practiced proper<br />

roof maintenance and upkeep. Clean any shrubs<br />

or growth on buildings as well. Keep an emergency<br />

supply kit on site as well and develop an emergency<br />

response plan in the event of a weather incident.<br />

<strong>2024</strong> could be another year of major growth for the<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> industry, provided these businesses take the<br />

right steps forward. Implementing comprehensive safety<br />

practices, considering your current coverage portfolio,<br />

and following basic housekeeping and training schedules<br />

can make a major difference. n<br />

About The Author<br />

Sean Briscoe, Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company, is assistant vice president of<br />

underwriting. Sean can be reached at sbriscoe@plmins.com or by phone at (267) 825-9262<br />

22 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 23


Equipment And Services Providers<br />

Accept The Challenges That<br />

The Market Brings<br />

Across the forest products industry, equipment and<br />

services providers that accommodate the <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry<br />

came to a general consensus that while budgets<br />

have begun to tighten, there is a growing need for advances<br />

in AI and automation technologies to meet the<br />

demand that sawmills have with the changing work force.<br />

One company leader noted, “The current trend in the<br />

sawmill industry both in <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood mills is<br />

to be as efficient as possible.”<br />

Casey Miller<br />

A.W. Stiles Contractors Inc.<br />

McMinnville, TN<br />

At A.W. Stiles we work with<br />

both the <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood<br />

industries.<br />

We have noticed that<br />

the <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry has<br />

slowed down some as far as<br />

needing repairs, while the<br />

softwood industry seemed to<br />

still need repairs and new builds on a regular basis.<br />

I anticipate that in <strong>2024</strong> both industries will be tightening<br />

their budgets even more.<br />

By Cadance Hanson<br />

Another company leader spoke to the concerns of the<br />

supply chain and the time frame in which his company<br />

is able to deliver equipment. “Lead times for delivery of<br />

support parts have shot out to three months or more.<br />

This obviously affects the uptime of a manufacturing operation.<br />

So, we have added stock and advanced orders<br />

to accommodate the problem,” he stated.<br />

.<br />

We offer new kilns for both <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood,<br />

as well as kiln reskins, kiln repair, kiln parts and chief<br />

prefabbed metal buildings.<br />

We haven’t had any real issues with parts, or any issues<br />

with transportation or labor. A lot of our customers<br />

are struggling with labor.<br />

In my opinion I believe that technology is making up<br />

for very little of the shortage of labor in the sawmills. I<br />

believe it will be hard pressed to replace the human eye<br />

and still supply a good quality product. b<br />

Kirk Forbes<br />

Brunette Machinery Co. Inc.<br />

Surrey, BC<br />

We work with both <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

and softwood lumber<br />

companies. Our wood processing<br />

machines can be<br />

configured to handle various<br />

materials, including <strong>Hardwood</strong>,<br />

softwood and wastewood.<br />

We saw an increase in capital sales in 2023. The first<br />

half of <strong>2024</strong> looks likely to continue this trend. We expect<br />

to see positive growth in the demand for size-reduction<br />

machinery as the bioenergy/biomass sector advances.<br />

While supply chain issues, transportation costs and<br />

a diminishing labor force was challenging in 2023, the<br />

impact of those concerns was lessened by diversifying<br />

our transportation providers, widening our vendor pool,<br />

increasing inventory and securing long term purchase<br />

agreements.<br />

With the global biomass power market continuing to<br />

gain momentum, we expect to see a heightened interest<br />

in products such as our Brunette BioSizer, SmartVIBE<br />

and Whole Log Chipper as demand for wood pellets and<br />

other biomass materials see an increase worldwide.<br />

Products such as our Volumetric Optical Belt Scale<br />

with Bluetooth handsets have given mills the power of<br />

accurate data. This scanner has a 99.8 percent accuracy<br />

reading, so mills will be able to definitively measure chips<br />

and hog fuel for improved returns.<br />

Advanced computer programming, software applications<br />

and the increasing development of AI processes<br />

that are aimed at automating and streamlining wood processing<br />

plants are becoming more important in the industry<br />

for maximizing profits and improving the execution<br />

of maintenance work as well as minimizing the effects of<br />

labor shortages.<br />

We are exploring new ways of implementing modern<br />

technology to complement our machinery such as AR<br />

(augmented reality) software to provide real-time 3D assistance<br />

in performing maintenance tasks and training.<br />

Other innovative trends that are making inroads in the<br />

industry in both <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood sectors are advances<br />

in wireless PLC controls that remotely attach to<br />

systems for remote monitoring, troubleshooting and upgrades.<br />

Brunette Machinery specializes in wood processing<br />

and material handling systems for the sawmill and biomass<br />

industries. Our machines can be configured for<br />

either <strong>Hardwood</strong> or softwood. Our experienced technicians<br />

provide on-site service for our machines, and we<br />

offer machine repairs in our facilities in Surrey, BC and<br />

Prince George, BC.<br />

As automation technology advances, the need for<br />

some people onsite in sawmills and machine shops will<br />

be reduced. With the implementation of AI and automated<br />

systems, the industries’ labor requirements will see<br />

a shift to workers who can complement this automation<br />

including remote operators, IT personnel, as well as machinists,<br />

advanced welders and other technicians who<br />

can maintain facility machines. b<br />

Please turn the page<br />

24 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 25


<strong>2024</strong> EQUIPMENT/SERVICES FORECASTS Continued<br />

Dan Mathews<br />

SII Dry Kilns<br />

Lexington, NC<br />

We provide equipment<br />

for <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood<br />

companies. Also, many industrial<br />

wood sectors, pallets,<br />

poles, firewood, ties,<br />

etc.<br />

As we noticed last year,<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> companies in<br />

the southern states, we have seen <strong>Hardwood</strong> mills purchasing<br />

equipment for drying yellow pine and/or utilizing<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> kilns for drying pine. In northern states,<br />

where that option doesn’t exist, we have seen projects<br />

that are replacements of antiquated kilns with modern<br />

energy efficient kilns. As the cost of energy rises in the<br />

future, many companies are finding that running older<br />

equipment with poor energy efficiency will become too<br />

costly to operate. With the volatile market this year, more<br />

and more customers are needing kilns that have extra<br />

airflow, heat and venting to have more flexibility for drying<br />

all species to take advantage of changes in the market.<br />

For softwood companies we are continuing to see<br />

strong sales in softwood kilns, Dual Path Kilns, adding<br />

Extensions to existing kilns to modify them to Dual Path<br />

from Batch Kilns. Additionally, we have seen a larger interest<br />

in Pole and “after (pressure) treatment” kilns as<br />

well.<br />

Pallet kiln sales in 2023 were strong because of the<br />

ever-increasing demand for dried pallets versus green.<br />

In <strong>2024</strong>, we expect to see the number of new <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

kilns reduce due to market demand and the availability<br />

of used kilns on the market. It would be surprising<br />

to see capital equipment purchases continue at the same<br />

rate as 2022 and 2023.<br />

We are fortunate to have gotten through most of 2023<br />

without major material or labor shortages however various<br />

electrical, gas fired burners and steam components<br />

are beginning to impact our ability to complete some new<br />

kiln orders and our parts sales are being affected as well.<br />

For kiln operations using gas or oil boilers, we offer<br />

our SII-HX heat exchanger for new or retrofit projects.<br />

According to our supplier’s data, these units can save up<br />

to 70 percent of the latent heat that is exhausted while<br />

moving all the moist air out of the kiln. SII is conducting<br />

tests to validate those efficiency numbers by utilizing<br />

these heat exchangers on actual <strong>Hardwood</strong> kilns. In conjunction<br />

with RAM Forest Products, in Shinglehouse, PA,<br />

we are testing actual steam usage in two identical kilns.<br />

The SII-HX heat exchangers are designed specifically for<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> kilns and are compatible with other dry kiln<br />

manufacturer’s controls.<br />

For Walnut producers, we have a new line of “fully<br />

welded” stainless steel steamers available in both track<br />

and package loaded models. The major benefits to the<br />

customer are the following: 1) ability to steam without<br />

using steam “spray” versus a closed loop steam system<br />

that boils a pool of water contained in a “vat” and returns<br />

all condensate to the boiler and 2) the fully welded interior<br />

keeps the “Walnut juice” inside the unit and avoids<br />

leaking out into the ground or storm water sewer.<br />

The SII Computerized Control System provides our<br />

customers with the tools for real-time kiln management<br />

utilizing in-kiln moisture measurement with “Sample<br />

Watch” our integrated weight-based platforms and/or<br />

moisture probes. “Utility Watch” as a part of the control<br />

system is a powerful tool to help manage energy loads<br />

when approaching “peak load” thereby reducing electrical<br />

costs. Operating in the background, the SII “Steam<br />

Management” system prioritizes the steam load for kilns<br />

which in turn allows for maximum drying operations when<br />

available steam drops below normal operating range.<br />

These systems combined with the support offered by SII<br />

Dry Kilns provides customers with the tools they need to<br />

improve their profitability and maximize product quality.<br />

For over 53 years we have put our experience to work<br />

for our customers while building long-term relationships.<br />

SII is a full-service dry kiln manufacturer offering custom<br />

designed kilns for all North American species.<br />

For our <strong>Hardwood</strong> customers we offer package kilns<br />

track kilns, large capacity center fan wall package kilns,<br />

cross flow and down-draft pre-dryers, fan sheds, Walnut<br />

steamers, pallet, and firewood kilns.<br />

For our softwood customers we offer Dual Path kilns<br />

and Batch track kilns. Our controls department is second<br />

to none period. The design of our control systems is<br />

based on the idea that our customers know what is best<br />

for their operation rather than assuming that we know<br />

your lumber better than you do. We utilize Wonderware<br />

software to create the “KILN DRY” system that is recognized<br />

throughout the industry. From manual to semi-automatic<br />

to fully automatic control options, we provide<br />

them all.<br />

Thermally modified wood is finally beginning to take<br />

hold in the U.S. and Canada. SII Dry Kilns have been<br />

involved with Thermal Modification since 2008 and have<br />

been representing WDE Maspell’s Thermal Vacuum kilns<br />

since 2015. WDE Maspell is the world’s most respected<br />

Eric Michaud<br />

Carbotech Group<br />

Plessisville, QC<br />

name in vacuum drying. Through a unique technology<br />

that combines attributes of vacuum drying with accelerated<br />

heating for thermal modification, WDE Maspell<br />

has developed a superior system to any other on the<br />

market. Not only does the vacuum allow the remaining<br />

moisture in the wood to be removed very quickly but also<br />

removes the odor causing “by-products” from the wood<br />

during modification and produces an odor free product.<br />

As thermally modified wood becomes more popular,<br />

the opportunities for many of our customers to produce<br />

these products for a fraction of the cost that custom treaters<br />

charge becomes a considerable improvement in their<br />

bottom line.<br />

We are selling more of our Sample Watch & Moisture<br />

Probe control systems primarily because of the automation<br />

that it provides for the kiln operators. By providing<br />

real time monitoring based either by samples or probes<br />

it allows the kiln operators a much quicker glimpse at kiln<br />

charge moisture content percentage vs. selecting and<br />

weighing a large volume of samples. b<br />

We do business in both industries,<br />

softwood and <strong>Hardwood</strong>.<br />

We have seen a decrease in requests<br />

from both industries mainly<br />

due to the poor lumber prices over<br />

the past several months now. If<br />

the prices don’t go up, <strong>2024</strong> may<br />

become a difficult year for some<br />

equipment manufacturers. The situation that the supply<br />

chain was in and the ability to get parts has improved<br />

over the last 12 months. It can be complicated sometimes<br />

with some electronic components still, but it is not<br />

as bad as it was during COVID. Transportation and labor<br />

is acceptable at this point.<br />

Discussions with customers about artificial intelligence<br />

and robotics are still hot these days. I’m convinced that<br />

we will see new developments and new offers to the market<br />

in those areas in <strong>2024</strong>. There is so much potential for<br />

sawmills.<br />

Autolog, part of the Carbotech Group, is presently<br />

working on transverse scanners with visions, using artificial<br />

intelligence, for <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood sawmills.<br />

We started offering this product for softwood at the end of<br />

2023 while the one for <strong>Hardwood</strong> should be ready at the<br />

end of <strong>2024</strong>. These products will have the power to grade<br />

softwood and <strong>Hardwood</strong> lumber on edger and trimmer<br />

lines.<br />

Carbotech manufactures material handling equipment<br />

for softwood and <strong>Hardwood</strong> mills that has a focus mainly<br />

on log and lumber handling for sawmills and planer mills.<br />

Autolog provides automation and optimization solutions<br />

for both wood types, logs, cants and lumber. We also<br />

provide installation services when our customers don’t<br />

have the resources or time to take care of the whole<br />

project. Of course, all of our equipment is installed and<br />

started up by our technicians in order to help you run the<br />

equipment at its maximum capacity, as soon as possible.<br />

We can see the elimination of at least 50 percent of<br />

workplaces in many projects as most of these workplaces<br />

are ones in which it is hard to find employees that<br />

enjoy these jobs, as they’re physically demanding and<br />

are less attractive to young people. b<br />

Please turn the page<br />

26 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 27


<strong>2024</strong> EQUIPMENT/SERVICES FORECASTS Continued<br />

Henry German<br />

DMSi<br />

Omaha, NE<br />

Frances Cooper<br />

Cooper Machine Company Inc.<br />

Wadley, GA<br />

We work with both <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

and softwood companies.<br />

The industry is still struggling<br />

to get people to come<br />

to work and we are selling<br />

more sorters/stacking systems<br />

to prove it. We expect<br />

the trend of mills automating to continue into <strong>2024</strong>. We<br />

are also seeing labor has had inflationary pressures, especially<br />

for skilled personnel.<br />

Parts have stabilized a bit in being able to get them in<br />

a more timely fashion, but prices remain high. Electrical<br />

parts, specifically Allen-Bradley still have long lead<br />

times. Importing/Exporting is getting a little better and<br />

we are not seeing the delays due to lack of trucks and<br />

drivers, like we were, but prices have remained more<br />

costly than previous years.<br />

Cooper Machine has been busy doing a good bit of<br />

work with the post and pole industry to set up new merchandising<br />

and sorting mills to get the posts and poles<br />

ready to go into a perfect peeler or through the mill with<br />

Morbark peelers. We are now offering a five saw chop<br />

saw option with or without optimization for our customers.<br />

We are also offering a pole grading system.<br />

For the pallet industry, we are offering an optimized<br />

Tandem with a special second saw to get the most out of<br />

each log. This system works well with our inline splitter.<br />

Adding a VSA and pallet trimmer to process the slabs<br />

adds the cherry on top. We’ve teamed up with Brewer<br />

and Precision Husky on a project here recently to provide<br />

a complete pallet mill.<br />

Cooper Machine has been teaming up with Automation<br />

& Electronics for a lot of our PLC controls, and it’s<br />

been a great partnership. We have found more customers<br />

wanting to optimize their equipment to get the best<br />

yield. We have an updated ultrasonic board that we are<br />

starting to roll out to our customers. We will announce<br />

when we are finished developing the updated controls<br />

system to be rolled out to our existing customers. We<br />

are also offering a simple PLC on some of our smaller<br />

machines that we are doing in house.<br />

Cooper Machine is best known for our long lasting<br />

Scraggs. These are good for both <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood<br />

customers and have different options to assist in<br />

making pallet boards, chips, lumber, cants, mats and<br />

crossties. Whether it be for small or large logs, we have<br />

options. We also build merchandising and debarking<br />

systems as well as sorting systems for both the <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

and softwood industries. We have a new version of<br />

our pole/post merchandiser/sorter system for softwood<br />

mills that is more high production, which merchandises<br />

up to six tree length logs per minute and sorts 24 posts/<br />

poles a minute. We are also adding a classifying line<br />

option to our offerings.<br />

We are seeing that even smaller mills are wanting to<br />

do more optimizing to help reduce the amount of labor<br />

needed. This is why we continue to develop and offer<br />

options for our customers to make this a reality. Merchandising<br />

and sorting lines continue to be a popular buy<br />

these days. b<br />

Arianna Giudiceandrea and Norvin Laudon<br />

MiCROTEC<br />

Corvallis, OR and Vancouver, BC<br />

We service both <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood<br />

companies.<br />

For <strong>Hardwood</strong> we observed high interest<br />

in value-based log optimization with<br />

the CT Log and expect this interest to increase<br />

in <strong>2024</strong>.<br />

For softwood, we developed our own<br />

hardware and production (e.g. cameras<br />

and critical parts.) For the next 10 years,<br />

we guarantee spare parts without any major<br />

difficulties expected.<br />

In the coming year we will offer the<br />

Goldeneye lumber scanner for green, dry<br />

and planer mills, and Lucidyne scanner<br />

upgrades to softwood companies, and for<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> companies we will offer value-based<br />

log optimization with CT Log.<br />

A new technology that we have introduced<br />

to the <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood<br />

DMSi offers a range of<br />

software products to support<br />

the building products industry,<br />

from timber to consumer.<br />

This includes a full ERP<br />

solution with an integrated<br />

CRM, log and lumber inventory<br />

products, AI <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

end tally system and a grading system.<br />

Developed specifically for <strong>Hardwood</strong>s and softwoods,<br />

our log and lumber solutions allow you to do more with<br />

less. Workers can save time searching for material or<br />

pallets when an automated system is presenting the information<br />

right away. Full ERP systems make inventory<br />

data considerably easier to track. Costing, inside sales,<br />

and other administrative tasks can be automated to eliminate<br />

manual efforts for your team. This means hours of<br />

manual work can be cut down to the click of a button.<br />

The DMSi product team is working towards incorporating<br />

AI technology to provide information that will support<br />

even faster and easier decision making to support your<br />

day-to-day operations. There’s no question that technology<br />

can ease the strain of labor shortages. For instance,<br />

our computer vision grading system uses industrial cameras<br />

and artificial intelligence to identify defects and automatically<br />

assign grades to lumber. You would no longer<br />

depend on someone to visually inspect the grade. Your<br />

work will keep flowing through a staffing crisis.<br />

At DMSi, we partner with customers to provide onsite,<br />

customized utilization reviews. Our team improves<br />

the efficiency of customers’ businesses and makes their<br />

lives easier. b<br />

industries is MiCROTEC Connect, a fingerprint<br />

system based on CT-scanned<br />

logs. Through the integrated scanner and<br />

software solutions and MiCROTEC Ai<br />

platform, logs can be traced from virtual<br />

to real boards. We also have our MiCRO-<br />

TEC Customer Care Center, a customer<br />

support service that we are working to put<br />

into place in <strong>2024</strong>.<br />

MiCROTEC offers scanning and optimization<br />

solutions for the complete wood<br />

processing industry, from logyard to secondary<br />

processing, for <strong>Hardwood</strong> and<br />

softwood - always committed to providing<br />

our customers with the most economical<br />

and sustainable wood utilization.<br />

We see technology making up for the<br />

shortage of labor through automation, digitization<br />

and optimization. b<br />

Please turn the page<br />

28 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 29


<strong>2024</strong> EQUIPMENT/SERVICES FORECASTS Continued<br />

Jerry Johnson<br />

Paw Taw John Services, Inc.<br />

Rathdrum, ID<br />

Paw Taw John Services<br />

(PTJ) is fortunate to work<br />

with both the <strong>Hardwood</strong> and<br />

softwood industries providing<br />

effective machine control<br />

systems for manufacturing<br />

equipment and distribution of<br />

high-tech measuring devices<br />

for positioning machine components. We’ve seen a continued<br />

movement toward more machine automation and<br />

technology upgrades for existing and new equipment in<br />

present manufacturing operations.<br />

Many key forces are at play right now that put pressure<br />

on mill operations capabilities. One is the challenge<br />

with work force. As many know, it’s been difficult to find<br />

qualified or motivated personnel to work in manufacturing<br />

positions and support companies. We really don’t see<br />

this changing in <strong>2024</strong> except for certain regions in the<br />

country. PTJ has secured qualified personnel that negates<br />

this.<br />

Two is the supply chain problem of parts and materials<br />

for maintaining machine centers and new machine<br />

design opportunities. Lead times for delivery of support<br />

parts have shot out to three months or more. This obviously<br />

affects the uptime of a manufacturing operation.<br />

PTJ has added stock and advanced orders to accommodate<br />

the problem. While procurement is better since<br />

2022, it still remains a factor in development and delivery<br />

of equipment and parts. We encourage our customers to<br />

add operation essential spares or materials.<br />

Third is the pressure on housing starts. With inflation<br />

and interest rates at highs and going higher, the demand<br />

for services and products will probably decline. Since the<br />

industry is so big and tied to other industries, some sections<br />

of wood products will do well.<br />

PTJ continues to add capabilities to primary and secondary<br />

log breakdown systems that enable wood products<br />

manufacturers to meet their goals. Examples are<br />

saw guide control, vertical edger closed-loop control and<br />

saw deviation monitoring. We continue to specialize in<br />

retrofitting existing equipment. Customers are surprised<br />

to see the benefits of increased fiber yield, product quality,<br />

and production by adding a more effective motion control<br />

system to their present machine. We expect this side<br />

of the business to continue to be robust.<br />

PTJ wants customers to be comfortable using the<br />

technology, so these systems are designed and manufactured<br />

with the idea of simple use and maintainability.<br />

Systems from PTJ can be accessed through the Internet<br />

per user request. By using an interface to a cloudbased<br />

station, PTJ can set up, change operational parameters,<br />

calibrate scanning systems, provide program<br />

upgrades and changes, and troubleshoot remotely via<br />

smart phones or computers. This provides the user with<br />

an effective umbrella of support and service. Old sawmill<br />

machinery and equipment, if mechanically sound,<br />

can be improved to enhance performance. PTJ systems<br />

are used on many OEM manufactured trimmers, sorters,<br />

carriages, edgers, horizontal and vertical resaws, and<br />

other special equipment in the wood products industry.<br />

They range from vision optimizing systems on head-rigs<br />

and edgers to simple setworks for line shaft carriages<br />

and single-axis controls.<br />

PTJ also has a variety of other products offered for<br />

both <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood forest products industry.<br />

PTJ has the largest stock of Temposonics in the U.S.<br />

as well as other PTJ systems parts. PTJ also is the largest<br />

distributor of Temposonics sensors in the U.S. with<br />

its territory in the Pacific Northwest. PTJ distributes robust<br />

encoders from Encoder Products, laser line generators<br />

for manual vision from CONNEXUS and it also offers<br />

hydraulic valve repair, all at affordable prices. PTJ is the<br />

only authorized repair center for Temposonics in the<br />

U.S. and will repair Temposonics legacy products as<br />

parts inventory allows.<br />

For troubleshooting a hydraulic valve problem on a<br />

machine, the PVT-02 (proportional valve tester) from<br />

PTJ is very popular, too. The user can test and troubleshoot<br />

a proportional valve in the field. This eliminates the<br />

need to swap units around in order to isolate problems.<br />

Although servo valves are less used in the industry, PTJ<br />

still provides a servo valve tester; these were commonly<br />

referred to as Diddle Boxes.<br />

PTJ gives the user a great advantage when upgrading<br />

existing machines that have old motion control setworks.<br />

Provided the machine is capable, new controls<br />

will change setting accuracies to 0.005-inch or better. Old<br />

school sawmill recovery analysis consistently shows that<br />

improving board size by 1/32-inch will yield 1.5 percent in<br />

fiber recovery, which equates to recovering dollars of the<br />

chipper and quicker return on investment. PTJ systems<br />

are affordable by today’s standards and give users an<br />

added edge in supplying quality product to their customers<br />

and establishing new clients.<br />

Some of the key features of these control systems are:<br />

• The systems have a very low electrical power<br />

requirement.<br />

• The user can purchase most system hardware<br />

directly online from product suppliers.<br />

• A cloud-based Internet access to all major sub-assemblies<br />

allows PTJ to calibrate scanning systems<br />

remotely when the user needs support. Cloud access<br />

give PTJ the ability to calibrate the position of<br />

the knees to the saw, edger saws, or resaws remotely.<br />

This gives the user a high degree of technical support.<br />

Stacy Mellott<br />

Mellott Mfg. Co. Inc.<br />

Mercersburg, PA<br />

Ease of use, weekend installation, reliable operation,<br />

cost-effectiveness, and cloud-based Internet support<br />

give sawmill operators the advantages and support they<br />

need to operate in an increasingly competitive environment.<br />

Paw Taw John Services continues to design new systems<br />

with mill owners in mind. Feedback from customers<br />

shows that its systems continue to prove their worth to<br />

the wood products industry.<br />

For more information about Paw Taw John Services,<br />

visit www.PawTaw.com, email info@pawtaw.com or<br />

call (208) 687-1478. b<br />

We provide equipment<br />

primarily for the <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

industry.<br />

New equipment sales held<br />

steady through the 1st and<br />

2nd quarter 2023 then moderating<br />

the 3rd and 4th quarter,<br />

which is understandable<br />

with the backlog of orders through <strong>2024</strong>, the higher interest<br />

rates and with an upcoming election year. Current<br />

scheduled projects are holding strong with timely deliveries.<br />

We anticipate <strong>2024</strong> inquiries will remain strong with<br />

smaller projects and retrofits. We are seeing some interest<br />

in specialized custom projects in the forest industry.<br />

The affects related to inflation and high transportation<br />

costs are slowly stabilizing. Surcharges in most cases<br />

have been incorporated into the new normal base prices.<br />

Suppliers are returning to implementing moderate increases.<br />

We continue to find some challenges in sourcing,<br />

in particular hydraulic and electronic components but<br />

overall we are able to find alternative sources. Expect<br />

purchasing power to improve as supply catches up with<br />

demand.<br />

Industrial labor is in high demand in our industry, it continues<br />

to be challenging to find and retain qualified people<br />

to fill positions, both labor and middle management<br />

type positions.<br />

Since 1965, Mellott Manufacturing has been designing<br />

and manufacturing quality log and lumber handling<br />

equipment for primarily <strong>Hardwood</strong> but will also work for<br />

softwood applications. Mellott has an onsite engineering<br />

and design team available to provide solutions for your<br />

next project and will consult and work with you to present<br />

the best options for your application. We offer material<br />

handling integration with new and existing systems. Mellott<br />

offers a full line of log and lumber handling equipment<br />

along with debarkers, log flare butt reducer, bandsaws,<br />

linebars, drop saw trimmers, tilt hoists, crane mat drilling<br />

and a full line of tie handling equipment (sorting, stacking,<br />

dapping, end plating).<br />

There has been a steady increase of machine automation<br />

replacing labor in sawmills. Some of the smaller<br />

sawmills struggle with the costs involved with the newer<br />

technologies. As the implementation of the newer automation<br />

becomes more widespread the costs of using that<br />

technology is reduced, making it affordable to smaller<br />

sawmills. b<br />

Please turn the page<br />

30 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 31


<strong>2024</strong> EQUIPMENT/SERVICES FORECASTS Continued<br />

Claus Staalner<br />

American Wood Technology LLC<br />

Jefferson, GA<br />

We work with both the <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

and softwood industries<br />

by importing and selling wood<br />

protection equipment exclusively<br />

from IWT-MOLDRUP in Denmark<br />

and Singapore. We have<br />

seen that on the softwood side<br />

there have been strong investment<br />

trends, while we are seeing the opposite on the<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> side, with them investing very little. I believe<br />

that this trend will continue throughout <strong>2024</strong> with strong<br />

investments from the softwood industry and cautious attitudes<br />

from the <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry.<br />

Our strengths for the <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry are thermal<br />

modification equipment and creosote impregnation<br />

Paul Cleereman<br />

Cleereman Industries and Cleereman Controls<br />

Newald, WI<br />

Most equipment purchases<br />

in 2023 have been for<br />

improving yield at each machine<br />

center and/or improving<br />

the workers work area itself.<br />

If you can reduce some<br />

of the mental and physical<br />

aspects of each work area, it<br />

may help keep employees and may make it work for less<br />

qualified workers. I think this trend is going to continue for<br />

years to come as the <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood industries<br />

struggle to hang on to their workforce.<br />

Cleereman Industries will be coming out with an optimized<br />

8-inch semi-combination Edger for both <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

and softwood sawmills. This will be a fixed-box unit with<br />

overhead scanning capability.<br />

Cleereman Controls offers optimization and controls<br />

packages for many different lines of equipment. Our controls<br />

company also builds custom controls packages to fit<br />

customers’ individual needs. By using different types of<br />

Moldrup<br />

Lerbaek Moellevej 2<br />

DK 7100 Vejle<br />

plants for railroad ties. We also offer thermal modification<br />

equipment to the softwood industry; although our heaviest<br />

business in 2023 and in <strong>2024</strong> are CCA and CA-C<br />

vacuum/pressure impregnation plants developed and<br />

manufactured by IWT-MOLDRUP based in Denmark and<br />

Singapore. CCA and CA-C are liquid wood preservatives<br />

that are pressed into the wood to make it last longer and<br />

are used in certain quantities and measurements, adhering<br />

to U.S. standards. IWT-MOLDRUP has developed<br />

some turnkey operations that are very low labor intensive<br />

treating plants, often able to be run by one man only, for<br />

pressure treating up to more than 40 million board feet<br />

annually, which allows us to deliver fully automatic treating<br />

plants to the industry as it is today. b<br />

automization we have been able to eliminate employees<br />

and save labor costs.<br />

Cleereman Industries offers complete sawmill solutions<br />

for both grade <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood sawmills.<br />

Whether it is a completely new sawmill or an addition to<br />

an existing sawmill, Cleereman can offer to sit down and<br />

work closely with customers to determine which equipment<br />

will be the best solution for their production goals.<br />

Cleereman can also offer controls packages for existing<br />

carriages, resaws and edgers, not to mention that we<br />

work with a wide spectrum of other equipment manufacturers<br />

like Nicholson Debarkers.<br />

The current trend in the sawmill industry both in <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

and softwood mills is to be as efficient as possible.<br />

In the last few years, we see more optimization packages<br />

being put on our equipment. Mills are having equipment<br />

manufacturers and controls companies automate different<br />

lines to replace employees. Cleereman Industries<br />

and Cleereman Controls have been focused on reducing<br />

labor costs and increasing yield for their customers. b<br />

Neill Gibson<br />

USNR<br />

Woodland, WA<br />

USNR caters to all aspects<br />

of the wood processing industry;<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong>, softwood, engineered<br />

wood, mass timber,<br />

as well as the pellet industry.<br />

USNR has manufacturing facilities<br />

located in: Eugene, OR, Hot<br />

Springs, AR, Baxley, GA, Jacksonville,<br />

FL, Plessisville and Levis, QC, Painesville, OH,<br />

Parksville & Salmon Arm, BC, as well as Soderhamn,<br />

Sweden.<br />

From <strong>Hardwood</strong> mills, we are seeing a need to automate.<br />

Because of the smaller nature of many of these<br />

mills, investments in automation have been hard to justify.<br />

The post-pandemic situation has changed the economics<br />

and the need to automate has become a priority.<br />

In terms of softwood mills, the cost of round wood is still<br />

high from price increases during the pandemic and high<br />

mortgage rates are impacting the profitability of commodity<br />

lumber. This is negatively impacting capacity to<br />

invest. Mills have long lists of investments needed and<br />

those lists are being prioritized quarterly as mill management<br />

waits for indicators to show some market positivity<br />

before moving forward.<br />

After recent acquisitions, USNR is focused on integrating<br />

new product lines. We have added a complete line<br />

of heavy-duty woodyard equipment including log cranes<br />

and drum debarkers, as well as merchandizing systems<br />

previously identified as Timber Automation, Baxley and<br />

LogPro. Working closely with our customers, we have<br />

also developed solutions for some specific needs. We<br />

recently launched a hybrid lineal optimizer acquired from<br />

VAB that is designed to grade both softwood and <strong>Hardwood</strong>.<br />

The first of its kind has been installed in Virginia<br />

and the results are very promising. We are also working<br />

on automated round table management for block recovery<br />

and our engineers are working to deliver this solution<br />

to the market in <strong>2024</strong>.<br />

For <strong>Hardwood</strong> mills with the goal of increasing quality<br />

and productivity at sites equipped with band saws, USNR<br />

has launched a USNR SawAdd solution along with our<br />

BMS (Bandsaw Monitoring System). Our team is continuously<br />

developing expertise in fine-tuned grading with<br />

USNR optimization specifically for the <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry,<br />

as well as the addition of new service team members<br />

and support staff. Softwood mills benefit from USNR’s<br />

MillGenius, the next level of optimization software that<br />

brings together all the data from sensors and optimizers<br />

throughout the mill with the goal of (a) producing the<br />

highest quality material as efficiently as is possible and,<br />

in time (b) using the data accumulated to identify trends<br />

and upstream events that impact production. This has<br />

the potential to guide maintenance teams in the pursuit<br />

of issues as they happen, not after catastrophic failure.<br />

USNR is an integral part of a much bigger picture:<br />

Wood Technologies International (WTI). WTI is the No. 1<br />

source for all products and services needed in both the<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood manufacturing industry. WTI<br />

is comprised of four related divisions: Mid-South Engineering,<br />

with offices located throughout North America<br />

providing engineering services to new and existing mills.<br />

USNR, the largest global supplier of all machines associated<br />

with sawmills, from log yards through debarking<br />

and primary breakdown, to lumber handling, kiln drying<br />

and planer mills. This includes industry-leading scanning<br />

and optimization technology for every stage of the process.<br />

USNR also supplies machinery to the Engineered<br />

Wood Products industries, including lathes lines, dryers,<br />

presses, RF generators, continuous lumber edge gluers,<br />

crowders, proof loaders and all aspects of controls associated<br />

with OSB and plywood manufacturing as well as<br />

glulam beams and cross laminated timber (CLT). Burton<br />

Mill Solutions and Global Tooling & Supply are components<br />

No. 3 and 4 in the WTI portfolio and here the focus<br />

is on cutting tools and the filing room. Burton supplies<br />

saw blades, knives, sharpening services and filing room<br />

equipment to sawmills in both <strong>Hardwood</strong> and softwood<br />

and Global Tooling & Supply is a leading millwork tooling<br />

provider creating knives, cutter heads and grinding room<br />

supplies. These four groups bring together the widest<br />

variety of products and services for the wood manufacturing<br />

industry.<br />

At USNR, we are constantly being reminded of the<br />

growing need to automate the process of manufacturing<br />

lumber. In the world of commodities, ie. high volume, this<br />

is justifiable, and investments are made accordingly. The<br />

challenge going forward is being able to bring automation<br />

and optimization to production facilities in both the<br />

softwood and <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry where volume is not<br />

the primary goal. We focus on ways that increases quality<br />

and work with customers to develop niche processes<br />

for the years to come. In other words, technologies such<br />

as robotics will absolutely help in the manufacturing process<br />

as human resources are evolving away from manual<br />

labor towards highly technical positions. b<br />

32 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 33


Appalachian Lumbermen Learn<br />

About Energy Grants<br />

The Rural Energy for America Program provides grant<br />

funding and guaranteed loan financing to rural small<br />

businesses with money available to Appalachian Lumbermen’s<br />

Club members.<br />

The program was presented at the recent ALC meeting,<br />

held at the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City, TN. The<br />

presentation was by Chase Lamb, US Department of<br />

Agriculture REAP specialist in Tennessee. He said the<br />

goal of the program is to help reduce energy costs overall<br />

for agricultural and rural small businesses.<br />

In order to be considered, the USDA REAP Grant applicants<br />

must:<br />

•Be financially solvent<br />

•Not be delinquent or have outstanding federal taxes<br />

•Be the owner of the business<br />

•Have no judgment, or debarment in order to be<br />

considered.<br />

Lamb said small businesses must be located in rural<br />

development areas, defined as an area not a city<br />

or town with 50,000 or more inhabitants as well as the<br />

urbanized areas surrounding the city or town.<br />

By Tom Inman<br />

Learn more at www.lumberclub.org.<br />

The grant terms are:<br />

•$1,500 minimum and $250,000 maximum<br />

•Projects costing more than $200,000 must have<br />

a technical report completed<br />

•Energy efficiency improvement projects require either<br />

an energy audit or assessment before the project<br />

begins.<br />

•Applicants are required to provide at least 75 percent<br />

of the cost if they are applying for a grant, or 25 percent<br />

of the project cost if they are applying for a loan or a<br />

loan/grant combination.<br />

REAP offers grants and loans for energy audits, the<br />

creation of renewable energy systems, and energy efficiency<br />

improvements. It serves farmers, rural businesses,<br />

state and local governments, tribal governments,<br />

universities, rural electric cooperatives, resource conservation<br />

and development councils, and electricity providers<br />

and transmitters.<br />

The application is submitted through regional offices<br />

in each state. Funds may be used for the purchase, installation<br />

and construction of renewable energy systems<br />

or energy efficiency improvements. n<br />

Anthony Hammond, Roy Anderson Lumber Co. Inc., Tompkinsville,<br />

KY; Brian Ballard, Tioga <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Claremont, NC; Anthony<br />

Moody, Missouri Walnut, Neosha, MO; and Joseph Hobbs,<br />

Ohio Valley Veneer, Piketon, OH<br />

Jacob Bevins, Farrow Lumber, Cairo, IN; Marty Cope, Associated<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Granite Falls, NC; Roger Watterson, Watterson<br />

Parts, Spartanburg, SC; and Rodney Lawing, Conover Lumber,<br />

Conover, NC<br />

Steve Leonard, Lawrence Lumber, Maiden, NC; Terry Robbins,<br />

TM <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Helenwood, TN; and Tony Honeycutt, Mullican<br />

Flooring, Johnson City, TN<br />

Ken Matthews, SII Dry Kilns, Lexington, NC; Andy Nuffer, RAM<br />

Forest Products Inc., Kernersville, NC; and Logan Josey, Josey<br />

Lumber Co. Inc., Scotland Neck, NC<br />

Rick McCreary and Nathan Hascher, ETT Fine Woods, Belton, SC;<br />

Bill Graban, Prime Lumber Co., Lexington, NC; and Erin Cox, GTL<br />

Lumber Inc., Ironton, OH<br />

Jay Reese, Penn-Sylvan Inc., Spartansburg, PA; Curtis Struyk,<br />

TMX Shipping, Morehead City, NC; and Steve Counts, BPM Lumber,<br />

London, KY<br />

Clark Delabar, Graf Custom <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Portsmouth, OH; Steven<br />

Hamer, Jim C. Hamer Lumber, Kenova, WV; Mark Pierce, New<br />

River <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Mountain City, TN; and Jack Hatfield, Jim C.<br />

Hamer Lumber<br />

Bud Griffith, Griffith Lumber, Woolwine, VA; and Danny Arnold,<br />

Little River Lumber, Asheville, NC<br />

Additional photos on next page<br />

34 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 35


ALC PHOTOS Continued<br />

NELA Members Remain Optimistic<br />

Despite Challenging Lumber Markets<br />

Photos By Leslie Brienza<br />

Barry Hodges, H&H <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Morganton, NC; Eric Boyd, Parton<br />

Lumber, Rutherfordton, NC; Doyle Kitchings, Corley Manufacturing,<br />

Chattanooga, TN; and Skipper Beal, Beal Lumber, Little<br />

Mountain, SC<br />

Jesse LaSon, Rossi Group, Emporium, PA; Tony Summerow,<br />

New River <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Mountain City, TN; Wayne Law, retired,<br />

Abingdon, VA; and Andy Nuffer, RAM Forest Products, Kernersville,<br />

NC<br />

Members of the New England Lumbermen’s Association<br />

(NELA) recently gathered in Fairlee, VT, for their<br />

annual fall meeting. Over 90 members attended the<br />

event at the Lake Morey Resort on the border of New<br />

Hampshire and Vermont.<br />

The day began with a coffee and registration period<br />

where members gathered to connect to new contacts<br />

and renew old acquaintances. At noon, members were<br />

treated to a sit-down buffet lunch overlooking the beautiful<br />

Lake Morey with its fall foliage in peak display.<br />

Next up, the members sat down for their popular “Business<br />

Discussion” moderated by President Bob Chase of<br />

Quabbin Timber Inc. Members shared their current market<br />

conditions experiences and made predictions about<br />

markets going forward. The mood was somber as most<br />

members have seen better times, but most remained<br />

optimistic for the future trying to find a silver lining where<br />

markets were concerned.<br />

After the spirited discussion the members listened to<br />

guest speaker Charlie Levesque of Innovative Natural<br />

Resources Solution LLC, who spoke about the current<br />

atmosphere with Carbon Sequestration and its potential<br />

impact on timber harvesting in the region. He also<br />

touched on the current biomass playing field and the potential<br />

for several plants in the region to close and the<br />

impact this would have on businesses.<br />

After a long period of business discussion, the members<br />

welcomed the planned happy hour and dinner portion<br />

of the day.<br />

After dinner some of the members retreated to the<br />

tavern to watch the Texas Rangers win their first World<br />

Series!<br />

For interest in the NELA, please reach out to Chris<br />

Castano, Secretary/Treasurer at ccastano@maine<br />

woods.net. n<br />

Justin Laws, Jeff Gowder and Jordan Amos, Southern Forest<br />

Products, Appalachia, VA; and Mark Pierce, New River <strong>Hardwood</strong>s,<br />

Mountain City, TN<br />

Seth Riggio, Prime Max Group, Greer, SC; Allison and Cliff McKittrick,<br />

McKittrick Lumber, Camden SC; and Brian Ballard, Tioga<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Claremont, NC<br />

Rob Hill, Holt & Bugbee, Tewksbury, MA; Loren Voyer, Kennebec<br />

Lumber, Solon, ME; and Anthony Raspa, Quality <strong>Hardwood</strong>s,<br />

Powassan, ON<br />

Peter Irish, Woodline Lumber Co., Alburg, VT; Guy Dollinger, DZD<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong>, Saint-Jérôme, QC; Bruce Dahn, HHP, Inc., Henniker,<br />

NH; and Hunter Dickenson, Stella-Jones, Cortland, NY<br />

Greg Pappas, Ten Oaks Flooring, Stuart, VA; Stan Jones, Koppers,<br />

Creedmoor, NC; Rick McCreary, ETT Fine Woods, Belton,<br />

SC; and Craig Albright, Messersmith Biomass Boilers, South<br />

Bloomingville, OH<br />

Shannon Garland, AHI, Waynesboro, VA; Jimmy Clay, Parton Lumber,<br />

Rutherfordton, NC; and Jay Reese, Penn-Sylvan Inc., Spartansburg,<br />

PA<br />

Mario Chicoine, Sciere Arbotek, Saint-Just-de-Bretenieres, QC;<br />

Yvon Millette, Vexco, Plessisville, QC; and Peter Veilleux, Multibois,<br />

Woburn, QC<br />

Jack English, Clear Choice <strong>Hardwood</strong>, Northville, NY; Andrew<br />

Brown, Abenaki Timber Corp., Kingston, NH; and Bob Pope, SII<br />

Dry Kilns, Montpelier, VT<br />

Additional photos on next page<br />

36 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 37


NELA PHOTOS Continued<br />

Sylvain Poirier, Stella-Jones, Delson, QC; Denis Dubé, J.D. Irving<br />

Limited, Clair, NB; and J.F Audet, Primewood, Drummondville,<br />

QC<br />

Bob Chase Jr., Quabbin Timber, Rutland, MA; Natalie Crane, HHP<br />

Inc., Henniker, NH; Eric Porter, Abenaki Timber Corp., Kingston,<br />

NH; and Brin Langmuir, Falcon Lumber, Toronto, ON<br />

David Hubbard, GMC <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Medfield, MA; Yvon Millette,<br />

Vexco, Plessisville, QC; and Marc-Andre Gaboury, Boa-Franc, St.<br />

George, QC<br />

Rémy Caron, Groupe Savoie, Saint-Quentin, NB; Sylvain Larose,<br />

Nordam <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Drummondville, QC; Peter Lovett, King City<br />

Forwarding, Montreal, QC; and Vincent Caron, Groupe Savoie<br />

Jean Blondeau, Goodfellow Inc., Delson, QC; Eric Desjardins,<br />

J.D. Irving Limited, Clair, NB; Paul-Eric Tremblay, Scierie GVL<br />

Sawmill, Wotton, QC; and Chris Dunn, Wickham <strong>Hardwood</strong>, Wickham,<br />

QC<br />

Dan Warnett and Colin Lindsay, Husky Lumber, Montreal, QC;<br />

Chris Castano, Maine Woods Company, Portage Lake, ME; Geoff<br />

Gannon, TS Manufacturing, Plymouth, NH; and Cliff Clune, Clune<br />

Lumber, Elkin, NC<br />

Bob Cafiero, Meadow River Lumber, Wassaic, NY; Russell Shamblen,<br />

Premier <strong>Hardwood</strong> Products, Syracuse, NY; Dave Williams,<br />

retired, Champlain <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Essex Junction, VT; and Roger<br />

Feltner, Atlantic Plywood Corp., Rochester, NY<br />

Rob Hill, Holt & Bugbee, Tewksbury, MA; Chad Johnson, Baillie<br />

Lumber Company, Hamburg, NY; and Andy Godzinski, Rex Lumber,<br />

Acton, MA<br />

The <strong>National</strong> Solution to Your Local Risk <br />

contund.com<br />

If you’re in the Forest<br />

Products Industry,<br />

get to know us.<br />

WE PROVIDE INSURANCE TO PROTECT<br />

THE WAY YOU DO BUSINESS.<br />

Get the insurance coverage you need<br />

and the service you deserve.<br />

To learn how, call 804.643.7800<br />

“Everything You’ll Ever Need From The Forest “<br />

MERIDIEN HARDWOODS OF PA., INC.<br />

Brandon Ferman<br />

Office: 814-563-4614<br />

Cell: 814-688-6691<br />

Email: brandonferman@hotmail.com<br />

Michael Songer<br />

Office: 814-486-1711<br />

Cell: 814-594-0827<br />

Email: mjs@zitomedia.net<br />

Dan Ferman<br />

Office: 814-563-4614<br />

Jeff Childs<br />

Office: 740-392-7727<br />

Cell: 740-398-3474<br />

Email: jeffchilds7@yahoo.com<br />

BUILD YOUR<br />

OWN LOAD<br />

n 18 Acre Concentration Yard<br />

n 2 Trim Lines (50 Sorts)<br />

n Straight Line Ripping and<br />

S2S Facilities<br />

n We Offer Export Preparations,<br />

Container Loading, Mixed<br />

Species & Thicknesses<br />

n Custom Walnut<br />

Steaming Available<br />

n 800,000’ Dry Storage<br />

Dry Kiln Capacity 250,000'<br />

n All KD lumber pick-a-pack<br />

tallied<br />

(800) 780-3187<br />

FAX: (800) 292-5773<br />

Website: www.meridienpa.com • Email: meridien@penn.com<br />

Yard Address: Old Pittsfield Rd., Pittsfield, PA 16340<br />

45,000 ft. steamer loaded with 4/4 Face &<br />

Better Walnut<br />

4/4 Face & Better Hard Maple<br />

4/4 Face & Better Walnut ready<br />

for shipment<br />

38 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 39


LAKE STATES Continued from page 6<br />

“So, there probably won’t be too much more business<br />

until the first of <strong>2024</strong>,” he noted.<br />

The source said that many members of his trade “saw<br />

the trend coming.”<br />

“But it was really accelerating here two or three weeks<br />

ago,” he noted.<br />

The Minnesota lumberman said that the market was<br />

“crazy” for the last few years but has “stabilized” in the<br />

past few months.<br />

“The housing market slowed down,” he said, noting<br />

that his main clients are builders specializing in moulding,<br />

cabinets, <strong>Hardwood</strong> floors and trims.<br />

“It is good now,” he noted, “because certain woods got<br />

crazy expensive and then when it slowed down it went<br />

ridiculously too low. So, now they’ve come back to where<br />

they should be.”<br />

Specializing in all grades of lumber species native to<br />

southeast Minnesota, the source said he could go up to<br />

8/4 in thickness.<br />

The Michigan lumberman said that Red Oak and Maple<br />

are still selling, primarily in 4/4 and 5/4. However, he<br />

added that Aspen and Basswood have “been in the tank<br />

for several months now” and that Maple “is hard to get.”<br />

“Red Oak is still good,” he continued, “and is in good<br />

demand but the price still isn’t great. At least they’ve got<br />

demand again.”<br />

While the three sources from the Lake States had different<br />

experiences regarding the current market, they all<br />

agreed that the competition for White Oak has gotten “unreal.”<br />

“White Oak is a challenge,” said the Minnesota source.<br />

“Nobody has good White Oak and it is in such high demand.”<br />

He believes that architects and designers have<br />

“specked it out.”<br />

“Then it must be rift cut because you can only get so<br />

much when you quarter (the wood). That is by far the<br />

toughest one on the market for anybody.”<br />

The Wisconsin source agreed.<br />

“White Oak is the hardest to get because it is in such<br />

high demand,” she added. “The stave mills use it for bourbon<br />

barrels. No matter what the economy is doing, bourbon<br />

is still being produced and consumed.” n<br />

nationalhardwoodmag.com<br />

NORTHEAST Continued from page 6<br />

also offers crane mats and railroad ties and has a flooring<br />

plant.<br />

He noted that his company sells to distributors and<br />

cabinet, flooring and moulding manufacturers.<br />

In Pennsylvania, a lumber spokesperson said that<br />

his sales are doing OK. “We aren’t doing any better or<br />

worse than we were six months ago,” he said. “Until the<br />

global economy can improve sales will stay flat.”<br />

His company offers Ash, Cherry, Red and White Oak,<br />

Poplar, Hickory and Soft and Hard Maple. “We mainly<br />

offer FAS and Common grades in thicknesses of 4/4-<br />

8/4,” he added, noting that he doesn’t have one species<br />

that is selling better than the others.<br />

He sells to distributors and manufacturers. “Their<br />

sales are OK, they aren’t great. A lot of our customers,<br />

especially the cabinet manufacturers have been up<br />

against competition where a lot of their customers are<br />

using competing products compared to <strong>Hardwood</strong>. They<br />

are bound to make what the customers are asking for,<br />

so they are making cheaper products.”<br />

He went on to say that one of the largest issues that<br />

the <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry is continuing to face is substitute<br />

wood products. “We are losing out in the flooring and<br />

cabinetry industries. There aren’t enough quality craftsmen<br />

that are able to make products from the materials<br />

that we produce.” n<br />

SOUTHEAST Continued from page 7<br />

When asked if he was doing better or worse than he<br />

was six months ago, he mentioned that he was doing a<br />

little worse. “Everybody is trying to survive until there is a<br />

swing in the market.”<br />

He said that his company offers Red and White Oak<br />

and Poplar in all NHLA grades and in thicknesses of 4/4<br />

through 10/4.<br />

“We sell to moulding, millwork, furniture and flooring<br />

manufacturers,” he said, adding that any of his customers<br />

that are exporting into the Asian markets are working<br />

with tight margins where it seems as if they are buying<br />

their orders as opposed to selling their products.<br />

He went on to say that the economy and the direction<br />

that it is heading is affecting business in a negative way,<br />

and the housing market continues to slow. n<br />

P.O. Box 16767<br />

Greensboro, North Carolina 27416-6767<br />

Call Us or Fax Today<br />

1-800-234-3343 • 1-336-378-1265<br />

Fax: 1-336-379-0863<br />

web site: www.beardhardwoods.com<br />

Complete export preparation at our<br />

wholesale distribution yards with<br />

milling facilities at Greensboro, NC.<br />

Distribution Warehouse in<br />

Long Beach, CA<br />

We now have a distribution<br />

warehouse in Long Beach,<br />

CA to better serve our West<br />

Coast customers.<br />

Specializing in Poplar, Red Oak, White Oak and Ash<br />

Mixed Truckloads<br />

Surfacing S2S<br />

Dry Kilns (400,000 ft cap)<br />

®<br />

SALES<br />

JOHN BEARD jbeard@beardhardwoods.com<br />

DERICK SHULAR dshular@beardhardwoods.com<br />

WALT LANCASTER wlancaster@beardhardwoods.com<br />

PURCHASING<br />

DAVID LEONARD dleonard@beardhardwoods.com<br />

AARON FOUTS afouts@beardhardwoods.com<br />

40 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 41


WEST COAST Continued from page 7<br />

“The trend in White Oak is that they have a narrower<br />

diameter,” he said. “So, it is more difficult to get.”<br />

The lumber provider said jokingly that he hopes “these<br />

architects and designers will stop using White Oak for a<br />

bit.”<br />

“It would be nice to get away from it,” he acknowledged.<br />

Another California source said the market is “still order-to-order.”<br />

“There are orders out there you just have to wait longer<br />

to get them,” he noted. “Guys just don’t want to pull the<br />

trigger until they really want it. I try to keep my customers<br />

up-to-date as to where the market is going.”<br />

He added that the market teeters from “not really busy<br />

to not too slow.”<br />

Specializing in flooring, he noted that everything the<br />

lumber company gets is “pulled to width.”<br />

He also said that the company sells all grades, FAS 1<br />

and 2.<br />

Regarding transportation, all three of the men acknowledged<br />

that it wasn’t much of an issue on the bottom line.<br />

Because there are no <strong>Hardwood</strong> forests to speak of<br />

in the west, these lumber providers must have all Hard-<br />

Church 14_Layout 1 4/17/18 3:43 PM Page 1<br />

woods shipped to the western states and provinces.<br />

“But we have so many trucking companies out here,”<br />

one source noted. “So, transportation isn’t an issue.”<br />

Another source stated that he doesn’t “have a hard<br />

time getting our inner modal containers out of the east.”<br />

“We’ve dealt with the same trucking company for about<br />

20 years,” he added.<br />

A California source said that transportation rates have<br />

been dropping.<br />

“We’re getting better rates,” he said. “There is too<br />

much capacity in the market. It’s not that the fuel is dropping,<br />

it’s the fact that the trucking companies have trucks<br />

sitting and they have to move them.”<br />

When asked for some trends that could improve the<br />

West Coast market, the Washington lumber provider<br />

simply said, “I wish I knew.”<br />

At the time of publication, an Oregon source agreed<br />

and called the market “unpredictable.”<br />

“Business is spotty,” he said. “People are buying just<br />

in time, and everybody is trying to pare their inventories<br />

down. It happens every year, but this year is a little bit<br />

more than usual.<br />

“We have come off some good years of COVID,” he<br />

continued, “so that kind of distorts things a little bit.”<br />

Specializing in Alder, the lumberman acknowledged<br />

that the market should improve by the first quarter of<br />

<strong>2024</strong>.<br />

“Everybody is in a holding pattern and trying to get<br />

through the year and start fresh.” n<br />

ONTARIO Continued from page 8<br />

Contacts reported that market conditions were versatile<br />

for kiln-dried Hard Maple, with some noting shortages<br />

for many grades and thicknesses which drove prices. Inventories<br />

were reported as not having increased for most<br />

in-demand items, and demand had slowed. Wholesalers<br />

and secondary manufacturers noted changes in their<br />

businesses compared to a short time ago. Those who<br />

are buying say they have adequate supplies on hand<br />

and only purchasing for their short-term needs, causing<br />

competition for orders. Green Hard Maple demand, on<br />

the other hand, appears to be doing well, with production<br />

noted as low relative to buyers’ needs.<br />

Soft Maple demand has been up and down these past<br />

years, and sawmill output is down, at low levels. However,<br />

there does not appear to be shortages, noted contacts.<br />

Domestic and export markets are rather quiet for<br />

orders of this species.<br />

Red Oak business appears to be fair, but not strong<br />

either on domestic or international markets. Inventories<br />

were noted to have grown in the recent past which stabilized<br />

prices.<br />

Contacts noted that upper grade White Oak is doing<br />

better, and for this species overall than other species.<br />

Relative to demand, supplies are still noted as low.<br />

The Bank of Canada (BoC) Governor Tiff Macklem<br />

stated in mid-November interest rates might be at their<br />

peak, given that excess demand had vanished and weak<br />

growth was expected to persist for many months.<br />

To control inflation, the BoC raised rates 10 times between<br />

March 2022 and July 2023, pushing them to a 22-<br />

year high of 5.00 percent. The inflation rate rose to more<br />

than 8 percent in 2022, eased to 3.1 percent in October<br />

2023, still above the bank’s 2 percent target.<br />

“This tightening of monetary policy is working, and interest<br />

rates may now be restrictive enough to get us back<br />

to price stability,” Macklem told the Saint John Region<br />

Chamber of Commerce in New Brunswick.<br />

“We expect the economy to remain weak for the next<br />

few quarters,” he added. “The excess demand in the<br />

economy that made it too easy to raise prices is now<br />

Please turn the page<br />

We at Bryant Church <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc., located in Wilkesboro, NC, are proud of our modern <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

concentration yard facility that we constantly update to better serve our customers with the finest<br />

Appalachian <strong>Hardwood</strong> and Eastern White Pine lumber available. Call us at (336) 973-3691 when we can<br />

be of service.<br />

Some facts about our company are, we:<br />

•Have a 30 acre <strong>Hardwood</strong> and Eastern White Pine lumber concentration yard<br />

that exclusively represents one sawmill.<br />

•Specialize in all thicknesses of kiln dried Eastern White Pine lumber.<br />

•Deal in Appalachian <strong>Hardwood</strong> species such as Red and White Oak, Poplar,<br />

Ash, Hard and Soft Maple, Steamed Walnut, Cherry, Basswood, Beech and<br />

mixed <strong>Hardwood</strong>s.<br />

•Market our Appalachian <strong>Hardwood</strong> lumber in 4/4 through 8/4 thicknesses that<br />

is green, air dried and/or kiln dried.<br />

•Specialize in mixed truck loads.<br />

This is an aerial view of our modern<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> concentration yard where we<br />

process quality Appalachian <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

and Eastern White Pine lumber.<br />

•Have 9 steam dry kilns that have a combined dry kiln capacity of 630,000 bd.<br />

ft. per charge.<br />

•Own a Newman 382 planer.<br />

•Usually carry about 4,000,000 bd. ft. on our air drying yard.<br />

•Usually carry about 1,500,000 bd. ft. of kiln dried lumber in inventory.<br />

•Offer export preparation, container loading and package tally.<br />

•Offer the service of sorting lumber at special lengths, widths and grades<br />

according to customer specifications.<br />

•Use our own trucks and contract trucks for prompt delivery of your orders.<br />

•Have over 75 years of combined experience in the lumber business.<br />

Tim Church<br />

Mason Church<br />

Bus.: (336) 973-3691<br />

FAX: (336) 973-7993<br />

(800) 973-3380<br />

Web site: http://BCHI.com<br />

P.O. Box 995 • Wilkesboro, NC 28697<br />

Distribution Yard: 683 Buck Road • Wilkesboro, NC 28697<br />

Because we’ve been in business since 1953, we have many years of experience that helps us to ship your orders right the first time.<br />

• Top Quality Kiln Dried <strong>Hardwood</strong> Lumber Rough/S2S<br />

• Specializing in: 4/4 thru 8/4 Red Oak<br />

4/4 thru 8/4 White Oak<br />

• Also: Cherry, Hard Maple & Soft Maple<br />

• Shipping Mixed Trucks/Containers Worldwide<br />

Sirianni <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc.<br />

912 Addison Road<br />

Painted Post, New York 14870<br />

Telephone: (607) 962-4688<br />

Fax: (607) 936-6237<br />

www.siriannihardwoods.com<br />

Sales - Tom Armentano<br />

sales@siriannihardwoods.com<br />

Purchasing - Andy Dickinson<br />

andy@siriannihardwoods.com<br />

42 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 43


ONTARIO Continued<br />

gone.” Macklem reiterated that the bank was prepared<br />

to raise rates again if needed.<br />

While Macklem stated in a late October interview rates<br />

may have peaked, his remarks of November marked the<br />

first time he said formally that borrowing costs could be<br />

high enough.<br />

His dovish comments were in line with predictions from<br />

analysts and money markets that the bank’s next move<br />

will be to cut rates by the middle of next year.<br />

In his speech of November, Macklem recognized the<br />

impact of restrictive monetary policy, “Higher interest<br />

rates are squeezing many Canadians, but these rates<br />

are relieving price pressures.”<br />

“To return to low inflation and stable growth in the<br />

years ahead, we need these higher interest rates and<br />

slow growth in the short term,” he added.<br />

On November 9, the bank said the era of super-low<br />

interest rates was likely over and warned businesses<br />

and households to plan for higher borrowing costs than<br />

they were used to in recent years. Some 60 percent of<br />

mortgage holders have yet to renew their home loans at<br />

higher rates, the BoC said. n<br />

QUEBEC Continued from page 8<br />

ing reasonable activity due to an improved U.S. and<br />

Canadian housing market that is showing decent levels<br />

of demand for this species. Housing starts that were<br />

completed and remodeling activity were holding steady.<br />

Consumers are preferring wood imitations or look alike<br />

products, and imported goods have invaded the market<br />

share of Hard and Soft Maple. Sawmills are limiting production<br />

which is keeping supplies down and prices firm<br />

to upward, therefore, many grades and thicknesses of<br />

kiln-dried inventories are not high.<br />

Activity for Soft Maple in Ontario and Quebec appears<br />

to have softened, while contacts say the U.S. border<br />

states seem to be more active. Production was noted as<br />

limited in Quebec with demand being better south of the<br />

border. Contacts noted Sap and Better and good quality<br />

Unselected Soft Maple business is good. Certain areas<br />

note green Soft Maple availability is low relative to buyers’<br />

needs.<br />

Cherry sales levels vary depending on areas contacted,<br />

as do sales to China. Businesses selling to domestic<br />

markets state business is weak for this species. Those<br />

purchasing this species were taking cautious approaches<br />

to increase their Cherry inventories.<br />

#<br />

1<br />

Kiln-dried Red Oak markets slowed for both domestic<br />

and exports to China. Prices were noted as having gone<br />

from firm to soft in a short time. Some contacts noted<br />

domestic demand was decent while export markets were<br />

slow. Inventories are low and continue to cause prices to<br />

be firm for certain items.<br />

White Oak producers are receiving more domestic<br />

orders and inquiries than they can supply, with upper<br />

grades being shortest in supply, according to certain<br />

areas contacted. Prices for green No. 1 Common and<br />

Better were rising, as were kiln-dried prices. Export sales<br />

for 2023 were noted as off compared to 2022 for certain<br />

areas.<br />

Contacts stated Poplar is moving at a decent pace,<br />

with prices for certain grades showing signs of downward<br />

pressure. Supplies of kiln-dried Poplar are meeting<br />

demand, and some contacts state they are exceeding<br />

demand.<br />

Walnut appears to remain a constant with steady interest<br />

on both domestic and international markets. As production<br />

levels were low over the past several months,<br />

kiln-dried inventories were thin due to low green Walnut<br />

production during this time. Sales and prices for various<br />

grades and thicknesses of this species vary according to<br />

areas contacted.<br />

Quebec’s forest fire prevention agency said the area<br />

burned by wildfires in 2023 was greater than the previous<br />

20 years combined.<br />

SOPFEU director general Eric Rousseau told reporters<br />

that some 45,000 square kilometers of land burned<br />

during 2023’s record-breaking fire season, including<br />

more than 11,000 in the bottom half of the province,<br />

where most people live.<br />

This was a record for all time in Quebec. The previous<br />

record for the habitable zone was under 3,900 square kilometers<br />

in 2005. Rousseau said a very dry spring meant<br />

fire indicators were near maximum level in many parts of<br />

the province by May 2023. The province, which can fight<br />

about 30 fires at a time, was already overwhelmed by<br />

the end of that month. Then on June 1 came the string<br />

of lightning storms across the province that lit 182 fires<br />

in a single day.<br />

In total, there were more than 700 fires across the<br />

province in 2023, and some 27,000 people from 27 communities<br />

were forced from their homes.<br />

With wildfires raging across Canada, other provinces<br />

were also unable to lend workers to assist Quebec.<br />

About 1,000 Canadian Armed Forces personnel and<br />

Please turn to page 51<br />

Manufacturers and Exporters of Quality Pennsylvania <strong>Hardwood</strong>s<br />

Producing 25,000,000 BF annually • 1,500,000 MBF of Kiln capacity<br />

Specializing in Ash • Red Oak • Hard Maple • Soft Maple • Cherry<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> Lumber and Logs<br />

Export Packaging and Container Loading<br />

Band Sawn Lumber at Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania (U.S.A.) location.<br />

Log Sales - Bob Mallery<br />

Phone: 814-697-6576 FAX: 814-697-6637<br />

escott@ramforestproducts.com<br />

Lumber Sales - Andy Nuffer<br />

Phone: 336-813-1512 FAX: 336-939-5414<br />

anuffer@ramforestproducts.com<br />

Forest Products, Inc.<br />

1716 Honeoye Rd.<br />

Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania 16748<br />

Lumber Sales - Rus Gustin<br />

Phone: 814-697-7185 FAX: 814-697-7190<br />

rgustin@ramforestproducts.com<br />

CRAFTMANSHIP ISN’T DEAD.<br />

IT’S HIDING IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE.<br />

615-740-5100<br />

WWW.MIDTNLUMBER.COM<br />

44 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 45


In Memoriam<br />

Don Meyer<br />

HMA recently announced the<br />

passing of Don Meyer of Orchard<br />

Park, New York, on November 28,<br />

2023.<br />

Beloved husband of 66 years to<br />

Doris C. Meyer (née Maurer); dearest<br />

father of Jeffrey (Debbie) Meyer (and late daughter-in-law<br />

Karin Meyer), Jill Meyer and Joelle (Mark)<br />

Herskind; dearest grandfather of Benjamin (Rebecca)<br />

Meyer, Jacob (Heather) Herskind, Jenna (Tyler) Heath,<br />

Seth (Kristina) Meyer, Micah Herskind, Luke Meyer, Caleb<br />

Herskind and eight great-grandchildren; dear brother<br />

of Cheryl (Dennis) Carew and the late Kenneth (late Carol)<br />

Meyer; also survived by loving nieces and nephews.<br />

The son of Kenneth and Lorraine Meyer, Don was born<br />

and raised in Chicago with his siblings, Ken and Cheryl.<br />

Growing up, Don enjoyed fast cars, baseball and stylish<br />

clothes. Don and Doris met at church and began dating<br />

in their teens. They attended Wheaton College together,<br />

where Don majored in business and played catcher for<br />

the Wheaton baseball team. They graduated, married<br />

and moved to Hamburg, NY, in 1957, when Don joined<br />

Baillie Lumber, then a three-person company. After purchasing<br />

Baillie five years later, Don grew the business<br />

into the largest North American <strong>Hardwood</strong> company,<br />

while raising three children with Doris, and later enjoying<br />

seven grandchildren & eight great-grandchildren.<br />

The funeral was held at the F.E. Brown Sons Funeral<br />

Home. Family and friends were invited to attend the funeral<br />

service.<br />

In lieu of flowers, donations in Don’s memory may be<br />

made to Jericho Road Community Health Center (184<br />

Barton Street, Buffalo, New York 14213) or www.jrchc.<br />

org/donate-form. n<br />

Want us in your email inbox?<br />

Scan to get it delivered, monthly - FREE.<br />

<strong>National</strong><br />

Forest to Finish to Future<br />

Your sustainable source for quality hardwoods.<br />

Visit midwesthardwood.com/forest-to-finish to learn more.<br />

9540 83rd Avenue North, Maple Grove, MN 55369 | midwesthardwood.com | 763-425-8700<br />

INDUSTRY NEWS Continued from page 11<br />

No. 1 and 2 Common and Select and Better.<br />

The North Carolina factory is now officially open and<br />

production has commenced. Recently, the Dura Supreme<br />

team celebrated their first cabinet produced at<br />

the new location. This milestone marks the beginning of<br />

a new era in Dura Supreme Cabinetry’s 70 years of history<br />

and establishes the company’s position as a leader<br />

in the American cabinetry industry.<br />

For more information, visit www.durasupreme.com.<br />

An IWT-MOLDRUP turn-key thermal modification plant with an<br />

annual capacity of more than 2 million board feet.<br />

IWT-MOLDRUP Seeks To Bring Thermal<br />

Wood Modification To The Forefront Of<br />

The Industry<br />

Thermal wood modification is moving to the next stage<br />

in the U.S. with the MOLDRUP process. “The MOL-<br />

DRUP plants, which is in a closed process, as opposed<br />

to the Finnish and Italian plants on the market, is a controlable<br />

process. This means that you do not have the<br />

same problems with the final piece of wood, such as<br />

brittleness etc. This is also better for the environment,<br />

as the energy consumption is half of that of other plants<br />

and is very easy to operate,” said Lone Moldrup, CEO of<br />

IWT-MOLDRUP.<br />

Thermal wood modification as a supplement and<br />

sometimes an alternative to biocide based chemical<br />

wood impregnation has been available for almost 30<br />

years around the globe. The demand and production of<br />

thermally modified wood has increased rapidly in Europe<br />

and Oceania over the past few years.<br />

The price of thermally modified timber is substantially<br />

higher than that of treatment with CCA and MCA, but<br />

with a new series of plants from IWT-MOLDRUP, the<br />

production costs have been reduced to be similar to<br />

those for biocide wood impregnation.<br />

According to a company representative, thermal modification<br />

is still being done by specialist companies, but<br />

Please turn the page<br />

For 30 years, Thompson<br />

Appalachian <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc.<br />

has manufactured and exported<br />

the highest-quality Appalachian<br />

hardwood lumber and logs.<br />

We have a firm commitment<br />

to steward our forests as well<br />

as our customers, employees,<br />

and families—and it is in this<br />

commitment that we are<br />

deeply rooted.<br />

Rooted In Commitment<br />

46 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 47<br />

Sales<br />

Todd Nelson<br />

todd@thompsonappalachian.com<br />

Chip Underwood<br />

chip@thompsonappalachian.com<br />

Juan Quintanilla<br />

juan@thompsonappalachian.com<br />

100 Harless Drive<br />

Huntland, Tennessee 37345 USA<br />

Office 931 469 7272<br />

thompsonappalachian.com


INDUSTRY NEWS Continued<br />

with the development of IWT-MOLDRUP’s new series of<br />

plants, it is moving towards being integrated into sawmill<br />

operations.<br />

More production capacity in the U.S. with these plants<br />

that have a potential annual capacity of 2 – 2.5 million<br />

board feet, is a natural development as many American<br />

wood species are very suitable for thermal modification.<br />

It is important to understand the benefits and limitations<br />

of thermal modification. The major advantage is the<br />

SYSTEMS &<br />

SOLUTIONS<br />

Mellott Solves Your<br />

Debarking Systems<br />

Log Trough with Metal Detection<br />

Lumber Conveyor Systems<br />

Mat Drilling, Tie Dapper,<br />

Sorting & Stacking Systems<br />

Mellott Manufacturing Co., Inc.<br />

13156 Long Lane<br />

Mercersburg, PA 17236<br />

FAX: 717-369-2800<br />

sales@mellottmfg.com<br />

LOG &<br />

LUMBER<br />

From Concept<br />

to Blueprint,<br />

Manufacturing<br />

to Production<br />

Handling Challenge!<br />

Band Headrig and Resaws<br />

Resaw Run-Around Systems<br />

Trimmer and Grading Systems<br />

drastically improved dimensional stability (50-80 percent<br />

improvement), the uniform brown color even through the<br />

heartwood and enhanced durability against rot and fungi<br />

use area occasionally wetted like cladding, whereas<br />

thermally modified wood for frequently wetted applications<br />

like decking will require an extra layer of protection<br />

against fungi and insects.<br />

For more information please contact the Moldrups at<br />

www.moldrup.com or our North American import- and<br />

selling agent at www.americanwoodtechnology.com.<br />

Tilt Hoist Systems<br />

717-369-3125<br />

www.mellottmfg.com<br />

Middle Tennessee Lumber<br />

Co., Inc. Hosts <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

Grading Course<br />

Middle Tennessee Lumber Co.,<br />

Inc. (MTL), headquartered in Dickson,<br />

TN, is set to host a <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

lumber grading short course with<br />

the Tennessee Forestry Association<br />

(TFA) and the <strong>National</strong> <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

Lumber Association (NHLA), <strong>January</strong><br />

29-31.<br />

Bill Joyce<br />

This short course will be a great<br />

place for lumber graders, log buyers,<br />

yardmen, sawyers, edgermen and<br />

management to learn the fundamentals<br />

of measuring and grading <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

lumber.<br />

While this is the first <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

lumber grading short course that<br />

MTL has hosted, they are not new<br />

to bringing in people throughout<br />

the industry to glean a better understanding<br />

on specialty skills that<br />

are required throughout the forest<br />

products industry. “We have a replica<br />

of a model home built inside our<br />

MTL Clarksville Distribution Lumber<br />

and Flooring warehouse specifically<br />

designed for training, primarily for<br />

proper <strong>Hardwood</strong> flooring installation,<br />

sanding and finishing, as well<br />

as demonstrating the newest flooring equipment, stains<br />

and finishes. The TFA has chosen this location to host<br />

their lumber grading short course. The facility is right on<br />

the banks of the Cumberland River and is a very scenic<br />

location,” said Bill Joyce, founder of MTL.<br />

For more information contact the TFA at 615-883-3832,<br />

or Larry Pitts at 931-572-8592 or email him at lpitts@tn<br />

forestry.com.<br />

NWFA Completes 72nd Home<br />

With Gary Sinise Foundation<br />

The <strong>National</strong> Wood Flooring Association<br />

(NWFA), located in Chesterfield,<br />

MO, has provided flooring for<br />

its 72nd home in support of the Gary<br />

Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E. program<br />

(Restoring Independence Supporting<br />

Empowerment). The R.I.S.E.<br />

program builds mortgage-free, custom,<br />

specially adapted smart homes<br />

for severely wounded veterans and<br />

first responders. The home dedication<br />

for United States Army Sergeant<br />

First Class (Ret.) Ryan Davis took<br />

place recently in Savannah, GA.<br />

Flooring for the project was donated<br />

by NWFA member Allegheny Mountain<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> Flooring. Sanding<br />

and finishing products were donated<br />

by NWFA member companies<br />

Norton Abrasives and Uzin-Utz/Pallmann.<br />

Installation services were donated<br />

by NWFA members MSC Inc./<br />

Roswell Floor Refinishing, Southern<br />

Woods Flooring and Davidson Wood<br />

Flooring.<br />

Throughout his five deployments<br />

to Afghanistan and Syria, SFC Davis<br />

was invested in leading servicemen<br />

and women on missions and enjoyed<br />

finding ways to inspire younger soldiers.<br />

In 2019, while on deployment<br />

in Afghanistan, he and his team were<br />

conducting a raid when an explosion<br />

was triggered. The blast caused severe<br />

injury, resulting in the loss of his<br />

right arm above the elbow, his right<br />

leg above the knee and his left leg<br />

below the knee.<br />

“Sergeant First Class Davis underwent<br />

28 life-saving surgeries as a result<br />

of his injuries,” says NWFA President<br />

and CEO, Michael Martin, “and<br />

continues his recovery at Brooke<br />

TELL US WHAT<br />

HARDWOOD YOU NEED<br />

AND WE’LL BRING IT<br />

TO THE TABLE.<br />

It’s essential to deliver a<br />

wide variety of the highestgrade<br />

hardwood to the entire<br />

architectural millwork, hardwood<br />

flooring, cabinetry, furniture, and<br />

dimension industries. Centrally<br />

located within the United States,<br />

our transportation network<br />

ensures quick and efficient delivery<br />

of fine Appalachian hardwood<br />

from wherever the call may<br />

arise. Extensive improvements in<br />

technology, coupled with a sharp<br />

eye for attention to detail and<br />

customer needs, has given us a<br />

reputation for quality and choice in<br />

the hardwood market.<br />

• Premier Global Provider<br />

• Wide Variety of <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

• Excellent Value<br />

• Superb Service<br />

• Ready to Deliver<br />

Army Medical Center in San Antonio. He hopes to return<br />

to the 75th Ranger Regiment following his recovery<br />

to inspire and motivate other soldiers. We’re honored<br />

to partner with Allegheny Mountain <strong>Hardwood</strong> Flooring,<br />

Norton Abrasives, Uzin-Utz/Pallmann, MSC Inc./Roswell<br />

Floor Refinishing, Southern Woods Flooring and Davidson<br />

Wood Flooring to provide beautiful wood floors for<br />

his new home.”<br />

In addition to the 72 homes already completed, NWFA<br />

currently is working with its members to source wood<br />

Fine Appalachian <strong>Hardwood</strong> Since 1979<br />

hermitagehardwood.com | 931.526.6832<br />

Please turn the page<br />

48 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 49


INDUSTRY NEWS Continued<br />

flooring for 14 additional R.I.S.E. homes in various stages<br />

of planning and construction. Currently, 153 NWFA<br />

member companies have donated product, logistics and<br />

installation services in locations throughout the United<br />

States, with a total value of more than $6.9 million. A<br />

list of all NWFA R.I.S.E. participating companies can be<br />

found at http://www.nwfa.org/giving-back.aspx.<br />

To learn more about the program, and how you and/<br />

or your company can get involved, contact the NWFA<br />

Quality Appalachian <strong>Hardwood</strong> Lumber<br />

1,200,000 B.F. Kiln Capacity<br />

Quentin Moss, KD-Lumber Sales/<br />

GR-Lumber Sales/Purchasing<br />

quentin@gfhardwoods.com<br />

9880 Clay County Hwy. Moss, TN 38575-6332<br />

PHONE: 1-800-844-3944 FAX: 1-931-258-3517<br />

www.gfhardwoods.com<br />

United States Army Sergeant First Class (Ret.) Ryan Davis and<br />

family<br />

at 800.422.4556, or e-mail them at<br />

anita.howard@nwfa.org.<br />

The <strong>National</strong> Wood Flooring Association<br />

is a not-for-profit trade<br />

organization, with more than 3,200<br />

member companies world-wide,<br />

dedicated to educating consumers,<br />

architects, designers, specifiers, and<br />

builders in the uses and benefits of<br />

wood flooring. The NWFA is located<br />

at 111 Chesterfield Industrial Boulevard,<br />

Chesterfield, MO 63005, and<br />

can be contacted at 800.422.4556<br />

(USA & Canada), 636.519.9663 (local<br />

and international), or at www.<br />

nwfa.org.<br />

<strong>National</strong> <strong>Hardwood</strong> Lumber<br />

Association Gears Up For<br />

The Year<br />

The <strong>National</strong> <strong>Hardwood</strong> Lumber<br />

Association, headquartered in Memphis,<br />

TN, gears up for the year with<br />

their Inspector Traning School’s<br />

205th class and a four-day introduction<br />

into <strong>Hardwood</strong> Lumber Grading.<br />

Their 8-week Inspector Training<br />

School program, which will be held<br />

<strong>January</strong> 8 though March 1 at their<br />

headquarters, is a mix of hands-on<br />

training, testing, in-class lecturing,<br />

sawmill site visits, one-on-one training<br />

with the instructor and more.<br />

Students who successfully fulfill all<br />

of the program requirements will receive<br />

a certificate of completion.<br />

Prospective students must have a<br />

high school diploma, GED, or pass<br />

an ‘Ability to Benefits’ test administered<br />

on the first day of class. Students<br />

must supply an official copy of<br />

their high school transcript(s) or equivalency certificate<br />

with scores that meet the state’s minimum standards for<br />

passing.<br />

Their four-day introduction into <strong>Hardwood</strong> Lumber<br />

Grading will be held <strong>January</strong> 9 through <strong>January</strong> 12, at<br />

Glenville State University, located in Glenville, WV.<br />

This 4-day workshop will be led by Mark Depp, NHLA<br />

Inspector and will include a thorough study and explanation<br />

of the NHLA Lumber Grading Rules, emphasizing<br />

the basics of <strong>Hardwood</strong> lumber inspection. It will give<br />

yardmen, sawyers, edgermen, sales and office staff and<br />

management level personnel an introduction<br />

to lumber inspection.<br />

For more information visit<br />

www.nhla.com. n<br />

QUEBEC Continued from page 45<br />

more than 1,100 firefighters from<br />

the United States, France, Portugal,<br />

South Korea and Spain helped<br />

Quebec. Fortunately, there were no<br />

deaths and no primary residences<br />

or critical infrastructure destroyed in<br />

that province.<br />

Forest Minister Maïté Blanchette<br />

Vézina said the province is providing<br />

an additional $16 million to SOP-<br />

FEU. The money will purchase new<br />

equipment like vehicles and telecommunications<br />

material, as well as fire<br />

prevention initiatives and strategies<br />

to make communities more resilient<br />

to extreme weather events.<br />

She added “major reflections”<br />

were also underway as the province<br />

reviews its forest management practices<br />

and strategies to prevent fires.<br />

Rousseau said the agency is in<br />

discussion with the province to replace<br />

some of the older water bombers<br />

of their fleet. n<br />

Scan this QR Code to Receive a<br />

Free Digital Copy of <strong>National</strong><br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - All 13 Issues!<br />

Check out our blog!<br />

nationalhardwoodmag.com<br />

Lowery Anderson<br />

landerson@ralumber.com<br />

EXPORT<br />

14.4<br />

million<br />

board feet<br />

Warehouse & Shed Capactiy<br />

1.1<br />

million<br />

board feet<br />

Kiln Capacity<br />

HARDWOOD FEDERATION INFO<br />

Continued from page15<br />

and Risch (R-ID). The bill’s champions are determined<br />

to fold this bill into Farm Bill reauthorization in <strong>2024</strong>.<br />

USDA Funding and Authorizations<br />

Although not part of Farm Bill reauthorization, the Federation<br />

also advocates for bills that directly fund USDA<br />

initiatives that will boost the sector as well as steer agency<br />

authorities toward industry priorities:<br />

More than<br />

70 Years<br />

of Producing Appalachian <strong>Hardwood</strong>s<br />

Ling Walker<br />

lwalker@ralumber.com<br />

50<br />

million<br />

board feet<br />

Annual Production<br />

14<br />

countries<br />

Lumber Shipped<br />

Anthony Hammond<br />

ahammond@ralumber.com<br />

“Our relationship with Roy Anderson Lumber has grown<br />

into a strong partnership. Because of their quality<br />

and pricing, we have certain categories we exclusively<br />

source from their operations. We always receive<br />

timely service and communication from their team.”<br />

Joe Alcathie, Branch Manager Hood Distribution – Mobile<br />

Please turn to page 54<br />

DOMESTIC<br />

Rusty Hawkins<br />

rhawkins@ralumber.com<br />

1.800.577.5576 | INFO@RALUMBER.COM<br />

FACEBOOK.COM/ROYANDERSONLUMBER<br />

50 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 51


WHO’S WHO<br />

IN HARDWOOD PURCHASING<br />

A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE LEADING<br />

PURCHASING EXECUTIVES IN<br />

THE HARDWOOD INDUSTRY<br />

EXPERIENCE QUALITY DEPENDABILITY<br />

975 Conrad Hill Mine Rd. ~ Lexington, NC 27292<br />

Phone 336-746-5419 ~ Fax 336-746-6177<br />

www.kepleyfrank.us<br />

Facilities:<br />

3 Sawmills Processing 50 Million' • 750,000' Dry Kiln<br />

Capacity • 600,000' Fan Shed Capacity<br />

2 382 Newman Planer Mills • 50 Bay Bin Sorter<br />

Products Available:<br />

4/4-8/4 Appalachian Lumber • 6/4-8/4 Ship Dry Capacity<br />

Crossties (100,000 BF per week) • Timbers up to 18'<br />

1,000,000+ Average KD Inventory • 12,000,000+<br />

Average AD Inventory<br />

Species:<br />

White Oak • Red Oak • Poplar • Ash • Hickory<br />

Elm • Beech • Gum • Hackberry • Pecan<br />

Jimmy Kepley, owner, and Bart<br />

Jenkins, lumber sales<br />

Sales:<br />

Bart Jenkins<br />

bjenkins@kepleyfrank.us<br />

Jimmy Kepley<br />

jkepley@kepleyfrank.us<br />

CHRIS NORRIS is the Director<br />

of Operations at Hood Distribution,<br />

located in Hattiesburg,<br />

MS. Hood Distribution is a distribution<br />

yard with 15 locations,<br />

where they buy 12 million board<br />

feet annually. They carry Poplar<br />

in FAS and No. 1 Common, Hard<br />

and Soft Maple in Select and<br />

Chris Norris Better and No. 1 Common, Red<br />

and White Oak in FAS, Alder in<br />

superior and premium frame, a variety of other domestic<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> species and imported <strong>Hardwood</strong>s in FAS and<br />

Select and Better, all in 4/4-12/4 thicknesses.<br />

Hood Distribution continues to add value to their operations<br />

with S2S lumber and SLR lumber, and a gang<br />

rip for lumber and moulders for running trim. Five of their<br />

locations offer custom laid-up panels, custom thickness<br />

S2S lumber, gang rip <strong>Hardwood</strong> blanks for their millwork<br />

customers and running trim that helps relieve the staff<br />

shortages in their customers’ fabrication facilities. Hood<br />

Distribution also offers a company wide internal transfer<br />

system that delivers customers products from any of<br />

their locations within two weeks.<br />

Norris has been with Hood Distribution for 17 and a<br />

half years and has been the Director of Operations for<br />

four years, and among his duties is lumber purchasing.<br />

He first started in the forest products industry 37 years<br />

ago in general labor for a moulding operation. Throughout<br />

his time in the industry he has also worked as a warehouse<br />

order picker, a machine operator, inside and outside<br />

sales, branch manager and regional manager.<br />

Norris graduated from Ruston (LA) High School, and<br />

then went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in marketing<br />

from Louisiana Tech University.<br />

Norris enjoys duck hunting and watching LSU football.<br />

He has three sons, two of which are in college and one<br />

in high school.<br />

Hood Distribution is a member of the <strong>National</strong> <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

Lumber Association, Florida Building Material Alliance,<br />

North American Building Distribution Association,<br />

Northeastern Retail Lumber Association and the American<br />

Institute of Architects of Mississippi.<br />

For more information, call 601-296-4816, email cnor<br />

ris@hooddistribution.com or visit www.hooddistri<br />

bution.com.<br />

JOSH KAHLE owns <strong>Hardwood</strong>s<br />

of Wisconsin, a flooring<br />

manufacturer based in Elkhorn,<br />

WI, that sells domestically and<br />

internationally.<br />

The company purchases<br />

300,000 board feet annually in<br />

White Oak (No. 1 and 2 Common,<br />

Select and Better) 4/4 thickness,<br />

kiln-dried and surfaced as<br />

Josh Kahle<br />

well as Black Locust, 4x4 green<br />

cant material. The firm also offers UV finishing, UV curing,<br />

wire brushing and cutting.<br />

Kahle has been with <strong>Hardwood</strong>s of Wisconsin for 12<br />

years and in his current position for five years. His first<br />

job in the forest products industry was as a laborer in<br />

a flooring warehouse. He also has been a kiln operator<br />

and worked in flooring sales. He and his wife, Jamie,<br />

have two sons. In his spare time, Kahle enjoys playing<br />

the guitar.<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong>s of Wisconsin is a member of the <strong>National</strong><br />

Wood Flooring Association.<br />

Please see www.hardwoodsofwisconsin.com for<br />

more information.<br />

LEVI SCHROCK is the lumber buyer for Lake Area<br />

Designs, which manufactures recreational vehicle furnishings<br />

in LaGrange, IN. Lake Area Designs focuses on<br />

providing furnishings for the luxury fifth-wheel and motor<br />

coach industry in the LaGrange and Elkhart County RV<br />

belt as well as some customers outside of this area.<br />

The company annually purchases 1 million board feet<br />

of Soft Maple, Cherry, Ash and Poplar in 4/4 through 8/4<br />

thicknesses (Select and Better). All staining and finishing<br />

is done in-house for better quality control and shorter<br />

turn-around times.<br />

Schrock, who has over 15 years of <strong>Hardwood</strong> lumber<br />

buying experience, joined Lake Area Designs a little over<br />

seven years ago. He has been in the forest products industry<br />

for almost 24 years, with most of his career having<br />

been involved in overseeing production of dimensional<br />

products such as edge-glued panels and moulded trims<br />

as well as cut to length furniture components.<br />

Schrock and his wife of 11 years, Clara, have three<br />

sons and two daughters. In his spare time, he likes to<br />

work on mechanical projects including servicing con-<br />

RED OAK<br />

ANOTHER SPECIES OFFERED<br />

IN A VARIETY OF WAYS<br />

PLAINSAWN<br />

4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4, 10/4 AND 12/4<br />

NORTHERN REGION<br />

COLOR SORTED<br />

70% 9’ AND LONGER<br />

DISTRIBUTION YARD QUALITY<br />

RIFT AND QUARTERED<br />

4/4, 5/4, 6/4 AND 8/4<br />

sales@devereauxsawmill.com<br />

989-593-2552<br />

devereauxsawmill.com<br />

The firm manufactures 4/4 through 8/4 thicknesses.<br />

Please turn the page<br />

52 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 53


“Looking for Premium Appalachian <strong>Hardwood</strong>?<br />

Harold White Lumber, Inc. is the supplier<br />

you can trust!”<br />

HAROLD WHITE 2016-2.indd 5<br />

HWL<br />

HAROLD WHITE LUMBER<br />

Founded in 1968 by Harold White, we offer:<br />

• Bandsawn lumber<br />

• Excellent color and texture<br />

• 500,000 b.f. kiln capacity<br />

• Planing mill facility<br />

• On-site container loading<br />

• Dimension plant specializing in paneling, flooring,<br />

casing, doors and finger-joints<br />

For lumber and prompt worldwide shipping,<br />

contact Ray White: rwhite@haroldwhitelumber.com<br />

For dimension and/or millwork requests,<br />

contact Lee White: lwhite@haroldwhitelumber.com.<br />

Harold White Lumber, Inc.<br />

2920 Flemingsburg Road<br />

Morehead, KY 40351<br />

(606) 784-7573 phone<br />

(606) 784-2624 fax<br />

www.haroldwhitelumber.com<br />

6/6/16 2:40 PM<br />

WHO’S WHO Continued<br />

struction equipment etc. He enjoys fishing, deer hunting<br />

and the great outdoors.<br />

Please see www.lakeareadesigns.com for more information.<br />

n<br />

AHEC REPORT Continued from page 14<br />

a performance and guided tour of his land. The last stop<br />

on our tour was the headquarters of the world-renowned<br />

Nakashima Woodworkers for a private tour and Q&A.<br />

Healthy forests are essential to our very existence.<br />

The better we can understand them and be more informed<br />

on how we can restore them, protect them, and<br />

use them, the better we all will be not just as an industry,<br />

but as humans. This trip educated a key group of<br />

journalists who can reach millions through their writing.<br />

As timber regulations, environmental policy, and climate<br />

action becomes a larger part of the global picture for<br />

our <strong>Hardwood</strong> export markets, having writers who can<br />

clearly communicate this message is extremely important.<br />

This press mission was a strong step in the right<br />

direction, and we look forward to planning similar press<br />

missions in <strong>2024</strong>. n<br />

HARDWOOD FEDERATION INFO<br />

Continued from page 51<br />

Promoting Effective Forest Management Act of 2023<br />

– On September 22, Senate Energy & Natural Resources<br />

(SENR) Committee heads, Chairman Joe Manchin<br />

(D-WV) and Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY),<br />

introduced the “Promoting Effective Forest Management<br />

Act of 2023,” (S. 2867), a bill to direct USDA’s <strong>National</strong><br />

Forest Service to reduce wildfire risks and create a career<br />

pipeline for loggers.<br />

Transportation<br />

Transportation is another major issue on which the<br />

Federation has been active. Notably, industry supports<br />

bills, known as the “supply chain package,” that passed<br />

out of the House Transportation Committee earlier this<br />

year. The package includes:<br />

Licensing Individual Commercial Exam-takers Now<br />

Safely and Efficiently (LICENSE) Act of 2023 (H.R.<br />

3013) - Codifies two waivers issued during the pandemic<br />

to make the process of obtaining a commercial driver’s<br />

license more streamlined and efficient.<br />

Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act of 2023<br />

(H.R. 1836) - Builds upon the Ocean Shipping Reform<br />

Act of 2022, including by allowing the Federal Maritime<br />

Commission to review complaints about market manipulation<br />

and anti-competitive operations of maritime exchanges.<br />

H.R. 3372, legislation that authorizes a pilot program<br />

whereby states may opt in to allowing 91,000-pound rigs<br />

equipped with a sixth axle to travel on their portion of the<br />

federal interstate highway system.<br />

H.R. 3318, which establishes a 10 percent axle weight<br />

variance for dry bulk materials, which we read as including<br />

wood chips.<br />

Taxes, Treasury Regs<br />

Although advocacy on USDA programs and supply<br />

chain initiatives have been especially active this year,<br />

tax policy and business disclosures continue to present<br />

opportunities and challenges for the industry:<br />

Business Tax Package – On November 2, the Federation<br />

joined the <strong>National</strong> Association of Manufacturers<br />

and allies in a letter to Capitol Hill urging action on<br />

a package of business tax benefit extensions that is<br />

currently pending on the House floor. It would extend<br />

through 2025 the 100 percent bonus depreciation benefit<br />

which began scaling down in 2023. It would also<br />

retroactively extend the research and development tax<br />

credit which was phased out in 2022 and restore more<br />

generous interest deductibility provisions. Following the<br />

election of a new Speaker of the House, we hope that<br />

Congress will act on this package by year’s end.<br />

Main Street Tax Certainty Act of 2023 – The Federation<br />

also supports H.R. 4721, making permanent the 20<br />

percent deduction for qualified business income (QBI) to<br />

benefit small businesses.<br />

Corporate Transparency Act – HF has joined allies<br />

in the small to medium sized business community to<br />

urge Congress to delay implementation of the Corporate<br />

Transparency Act (CTA), a little-known federal<br />

anti-corruption law enacted in 2021 that takes effect<br />

<strong>January</strong> 1, <strong>2024</strong>. The law will impose multiple reporting<br />

requirements on “beneficial owners” and trigger fines up<br />

to $10,000 for non-compliance. The Federation has<br />

signed a letter to congressional leaders urging Congress<br />

to delay its implementation.<br />

Federal Agency Actions<br />

EPA, Air Quality Rules – On November 16, 2023, the<br />

Federation and U.S. Chamber of Commerce met with<br />

the White House Office of Management and Budget to<br />

urge the Administration to reject EPA’s proposal to tighten<br />

standards for fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5). This<br />

follows up on formal comments submitted in the spring<br />

advocating against EPA’s plans and includes references<br />

to a study by the American Forest & Paper Association<br />

showing that EPA’s proposal would impose up to $900<br />

million in compliance costs on the wood products sector.<br />

EPA, Low Carbon Construction Materials - On September<br />

14, EPA announced that it would make grants<br />

Please turn the page<br />

MacbeathREV 12-2018.indd 1<br />

A 60+ Year Tradition of Excellence<br />

Serving architectural woodworkers, cabinet and fixture<br />

manufacturers with vast inventories of premium quality<br />

domestic and imported hardwoods, from Alder to<br />

Zebrawood, 4/4 through 16/4 in many species. When you<br />

need <strong>Hardwood</strong>, think MacBeath. . . a name synonymous<br />

with fine quality and prompt, reliable service.<br />

Corporate Office &<br />

Concentration Yard:<br />

Edinburgh, Indiana<br />

800-322-9743<br />

Arizona:<br />

Phoenix: 602-504-1931<br />

Tempe: 480-355-5090<br />

Tucson: 520-745-8301<br />

Reload:<br />

Northern California:<br />

Golden State Reload Berkeley: 800-479-9907<br />

Perris, California<br />

Stockton: 844-490-5051<br />

800-322-9743<br />

Utah: Salt Lake City: 800-255-3743<br />

macbeath.com<br />

JOSEY (JOCO) 2018 Christmas REV .qxp_Layout 1 11/19/18 2:42 PM Page 1<br />

JoCo Lumber, Inc. is a division of<br />

Josey Lumber Company, Inc.<br />

Tripp, Logan, and Joey Josey<br />

Our company offers:<br />

• 10,000,000 BF of annual production from<br />

our 6’ band headrig and 6’ band resaw.<br />

• Red and White Oak, Soft Maple, Ash,<br />

Poplar and Cypress in 4/4 through 8/4<br />

thickness.<br />

• rough, surfaced, air-dried and kiln-dried<br />

lumber in random widths and lengths.<br />

• export prepping, container loading of logs and lumber,<br />

anti-stain dipping and end coating lumber.<br />

• 500,000 BF of dry kiln capacity.<br />

• 65,000 SF of enclosed warehouse for storage and loading of<br />

kiln-dried lumber.<br />

For Quality Appalachian Lumber Contact:<br />

JOsey Lumber COmpany, InC.<br />

JoCo Lumber, InC.<br />

476 Lees meadow rd. • p.O. Drawer 447<br />

scotland neck, nC 27874<br />

TeL: (252) 826-5614 • FaX: (252) 826-3461<br />

COnTaCT:<br />

emaIL: joseylbr3@gmail.com<br />

saLes: Logan Josey<br />

54 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 55<br />

6/21/19 10:13 AM


Connecting North American<br />

Forest Products Globally<br />

LIKE AND FOLLOW US ON:<br />

@millerwoodtradepub<br />

www.millerwoodtradepub.com<br />

HARDWOOD FEDERATION INFO<br />

Continued<br />

available to parties to develop Environment Product<br />

Declarations (EPD’s) for low carbon construction materials,<br />

beginning after October 1 of this year. EPA’s action<br />

is consistent with HF comments filed in May arguing that<br />

any low-carbon construction materials program should<br />

take into account the carbon storage value of wood<br />

products.<br />

European Union Deforestation Regulations: The<br />

American <strong>Hardwood</strong> Export Council (AHEC) and the<br />

Federation have been leading the charge the past 18<br />

months to blunt the impacts of the EU’s now final deforestation<br />

rules to require geo-location of fiber included in<br />

the manufacture of wood products. HF and AHEC have<br />

met with Administration officials, including a meeting<br />

with the U.S. Trade Representative on November 28, to<br />

urge a work-around that will minimize additional red tape<br />

for <strong>Hardwood</strong> exporters to EU markets. HF and AHEC<br />

have established a working group of forest industry allies,<br />

including the AF&PA, to share information related to<br />

the rule’s implementation. n<br />

WCMA INSIGHTS Continued from page 16<br />

You can also see our advertisements on the Magnolia<br />

network, the lifestyle channel owned by household<br />

names Chip and Joanna Gaines, and entertainment<br />

conglomerate Warner Bros., to promote Real American<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong>® flooring, cabinetry, furniture, millwork, and<br />

more.<br />

WCMA Membership – If you are NOT a<br />

member, you are missing out!<br />

Below are several of the key benefits of being a member<br />

with the WCMA:<br />

•Networking/Information Exchange – One of the main<br />

reasons that members join and stay with the WCMA is<br />

because of the access that it provides to a wide range<br />

of industry experts. Your colleagues are often your<br />

best source for in-depth insight and ideas. WCMA<br />

gives you the opportunity to connect with industry professionals<br />

across the United States and into Canada.<br />

•Get New Business – Through the Member Match program,<br />

the WCMA acts as a clearing house for sales<br />

inquiries from component and dimension buyers. Inquires<br />

come in through our website, email, and calls<br />

to the office, and these are shared with all members.<br />

•Unique Events – The WCMA hosts one-of-a-kind<br />

events each year. As you can see by the outline for<br />

<strong>2024</strong> above, these events offer members a great<br />

chance to improve your knowledge of your industry<br />

and to connect with your peers.<br />

•<strong>National</strong> and International Promotion – The WCMA<br />

exhibits at trade shows on behalf of its members to<br />

promote component and dimension purchasing and<br />

generate sales leads. At these events, we distribute<br />

the Wood Component Buyer’s Guide with information<br />

on Tech Partners and Members capabilities and contact<br />

information.<br />

I would love an opportunity to discuss membership in<br />

more detail with you. Please call me at 651-332-6332<br />

or email me directly at amy@wcma.com. You can also<br />

see more about membership and all the activities that<br />

the WCMA is working on at our website, www.wcma.<br />

com. I look forward to hearing from you!<br />

MARS HILL JUNE 2014_Layout 1 5/19/14 2:24 PM Page 1<br />

Working with WCMA Members<br />

The benefits of working with WCMA member companies<br />

are clear. Manufacturers that outsource components<br />

are more profitable than those that don’t, period.<br />

All independent studies since 1970 prove it. It’s just good<br />

business to outsource.<br />

Finding a supplier that can consistently produce quality<br />

components and be responsive to your needs is easier<br />

than ever before. Just give us a call at 651-332-6332<br />

or visit our source guide at www.wcma.com/source_<br />

guide.html. You will be provided with a list of WCMA<br />

Member Companies that will meet your exact requirements<br />

for dimension and component products made<br />

from <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, softwoods, and engineered wood materials.<br />

It’s that easy! n<br />

NHLA: WHY KNOT... Continued from page 17<br />

The <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry needs more talented employees<br />

coming up through our ranks. I hear it whenever<br />

someone says they need an inspector and someone<br />

to send to the School. Many of the talented people we<br />

have in our industry today stumbled upon it somewhere<br />

in their schooling or career, as I did. For me, it was a<br />

backup that became a better reality. I am so glad I am<br />

not an engineer today. Many others will be glad of the<br />

opportunity that our industry can give them if only we can<br />

find them or help them choose this path.<br />

We all know that more people need to learn about the<br />

NHLA Inspector Training School, and the same goes for<br />

wood and forestry degrees. If we wait for others to solve<br />

this problem, we will wait in vain. We all need to start<br />

telling everyone about the opportunities within the <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

Industry, either through the ITS or university programs.<br />

We need to develop our workforce and not hope<br />

they will stumble into our industry. Put up posters at your<br />

facilities, invite connections and tours. Share it online<br />

and on social media. Why Knot proselytize employees,<br />

family, and friends for forestry and wood careers. n<br />

Wood: The Natural Choice<br />

Stay on track: www.rta.org or<br />

Mars Hill, Inc.<br />

at (866) 629-9089 for obtaining the<br />

best looking White Poplar<br />

you’ve ever seen.<br />

We like to say “It’s so white, it’ll blind you!”<br />

We offer our White Poplar in 4/4 through 8/4 thicknesses<br />

in Sap 1F & Btr, 1 Com and/or FAS/1F grades in truck<br />

load or container load quantities only.<br />

ATT: PALLET - STAKE - INDUSTRIAL MFRS!<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> Lumber Rough Green<br />

4/4xRWxRL • 4/4x6xRL • 8/4xRWxRL • 6/4xRWxRL<br />

SYP Heat Treated<br />

1x4x40 • 1x6x40 • 2x4x40 • 2x6x40<br />

2x4x48 • 1x2x12”-36” SYP KD Stakes<br />

Other sizes from can to cant! All inquiries welcome!<br />

Dense HDWD Stakes, Chisel Point<br />

1 1/8x1 1/8<br />

Truckload lots available, quoted F.O.B. your yard.<br />

(866) 629-9089<br />

Fax: 601-671-0736<br />

e-mail: mwood@marshillinc.com<br />

www.marshillinc.com<br />

We accept major credit cards<br />

56 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 57<br />

Contact


CLASSIFIED<br />

PROFIT OPPORTUNITIES<br />

To: Anyone involved in the sawmill controls industry<br />

SEEKING AN eLIMBS SPECIALIST<br />

DMSi is currently seeking a candidate to implement and support the eLIMBS inventory<br />

system. This person will use their industry and product knowledge to help customers<br />

improve their business processes with the software.<br />

Duties include<br />

-Manage implementation projects, including system set up and configuration<br />

-Train customers and other DMSi personnel on use of the system<br />

-Help resolve client cases by gathering information and researching issues<br />

-Create documentation to improve eLIMBS training resources<br />

Qualifications<br />

-Knowledge of the hardwood lumber industry and supply chain processes<br />

-Experience with training end-users (virtual and in-person) on new software procedures<br />

-Strong logical and problem-solving skills<br />

-The ability to positively represent DMSi/eLIMBS<br />

Position Details<br />

-Full-time position<br />

-Ability to work from home or Omaha office<br />

-Travel to customer locations required<br />

-Medical, dental, vision, 401(K) with match, PTO, and other benefits provided<br />

Reply to Kevin Peterson (kpeterson@dmsi.com)<br />

To: Anyone involved in the sawmill controls industry<br />

FOR SALE<br />

Dry Kiln Concentration Yard with 470,000 bdft Kiln Capacity<br />

and 400,00 bdft Predryer Capacity<br />

LOT – Western Pennsylvania<br />

26.47 – acre industrial site<br />

26.31 – acre wooded lot<br />

70,000 sqft asphalt lot<br />

100 x 80 vehicle lot<br />

Enough sq footage to openly store 2,000,000 bdft lumber.<br />

BUILDINGS:<br />

80 x 212 Steel storage building concrete floor (blue lumber storage)<br />

65 x 140 Wood frame equipment building concrete floor (green chain)<br />

60 x 130 Wood frame equipment building (stacker)<br />

60 x 80 Steel building high storage (sawdust)<br />

60 x 60 Wood frame equipment building (grading shed)<br />

130 x 80 Coe steel building (predryer)<br />

5 – 50,000 ft SII Kiln Building<br />

2 – 40,000 ft Irvington Moore Kilns<br />

2 – 80,000 ft Nardi Kilns<br />

25 x 160 Garage w/small office and wash area. Parts storage rooms.<br />

Block and wood structure.<br />

25 x 160 Open face wood storage shed, gravel floor.<br />

25 x 160 Open face steel storage shed with a 50 x 60 high overhang roof,<br />

gravel floor.<br />

104,000 sqft Asphalt lot<br />

OFFICE – Roughly 2,000 sqft working space.<br />

11 Individual offices<br />

2 large clerical offices<br />

1 large conference room<br />

Small kitchen<br />

2 Restrooms<br />

Reply to: nhm@millerwoodtradepub.com, put CMP #3578 in subject line.<br />

ALL CLASSIFIED<br />

ADS MUST BE PAID<br />

IN ADVANCE<br />

$45.00 PER INCH •<br />

Blind Box Number Fee:<br />

$10.00<br />

DEADLINE:<br />

30 Days Preceding<br />

Publication Month<br />

Classified advertising will not be<br />

accepted for <strong>Hardwood</strong> products such<br />

as lumber, dimension, turnings, veneer,<br />

carvings, new dry kilns or dry kiln<br />

equipment, etc.<br />

USED MACHINERY FOR SALE<br />

●USNR 4TA30 Top Arbor Three Shifting<br />

Saw Edger<br />

●Infeed Landing Deck<br />

●USNR – Lunden Cam Unscrambler<br />

S/N 41419<br />

●Even Ending Rolls<br />

●Queuing Hooks (2) ahead of Scanner<br />

●Queuing Hooks (2) after Scanner<br />

●Edger Infeed Model 600 Maximizer<br />

S/N 2951-A<br />

●USNR 4TA30 Edger with 200 HP Arbor<br />

Drive Motor<br />

●Outfeed Belt with Shifting Edging Shears<br />

●Specs – <strong>Hardwood</strong> 1” to 4” Thick x 4” to 24”<br />

Wide x 6’ to 16’ Long<br />

●Saw Kerf .160” x Saw Plate .120”<br />

●Two Hydraulic Units<br />

●Water Mizer Oil Mist Guide System<br />

●Set of Babbitt Guide Tools<br />

Contact: James Robbins<br />

Cell: (207) 322-3162<br />

Email: jarobbins@rlco.com<br />

Certified Lumber Grader – Job Description<br />

Cardin Forest Products is a family owned sawmill and kiln drying operation located in South<br />

Pittsburg, Tennessee. We are currently seeking a candidate to fill a hardwood lumber grading<br />

position in our kiln drying operation.<br />

The ideal candidate will have:<br />

•Been NHLA certified<br />

•2 to 3 years of experience grading kiln dried hardwoods<br />

Duties will include, but not be limited to the following:<br />

•Grade and mark all lumber to be sorted according to NHLA rules/guidelines<br />

and industry standards<br />

•Communicate effectively with your team and other departments<br />

•Adhere to all safety policies and perform tasks in a safe and responsible<br />

manner<br />

Required Qualifications:<br />

•Minimum of one (1) year experience grading green and/or kiln dried domestic<br />

lumber<br />

•Must be NHLA trained or have equivalent knowledge.<br />

•Must be physically capable of performing all duties of the job and any other<br />

duties assigned by Crew Leader<br />

Position<br />

•Full time position<br />

•Company offers medical, dental, 401(k), and other benefit offerings<br />

We are an equal opportunity employer. Employment selection and related decisions are<br />

made without regard to sexual orientation, race, color, age, disability, religion, national origin,<br />

citizenship status and creed.<br />

Salary Negotiable<br />

Reply to: Jeremy Ball<br />

Cell: (423) 619-8056<br />

Email: jball@cardinfp.com<br />

SALESMAN WANTED<br />

We’re looking to add a salesman<br />

to our team to grow our U.S. sales,<br />

and our Ontario, Canada westward<br />

sales.<br />

Knowledge of the <strong>Hardwood</strong> industry,<br />

logistics and supply chain<br />

process are important. Strong sales<br />

qualities and solutions oriented.<br />

Full-time and exclusive to our service.<br />

Location is not an issue – work<br />

remote from U.S. or in Ontario, Canada.<br />

Reply to:<br />

nhm@millerwoodtradepub.com<br />

Put CMP #3579 in subject line.<br />

national<br />

hardwood<br />

mag.com<br />

HELP WANTED<br />

SERVICES<br />

901.767.9126<br />

or visit us at<br />

www.hmr.com<br />

Benchmark pricing and market<br />

commentary on the North American<br />

hardwood lumber industry.<br />

Go online at hmr.com for a sample copy.<br />

Our Classified<br />

Advertising<br />

Works!<br />

FOR INFORMATION CALL:<br />

800-844-1280<br />

Connecting North American Forest Products Globally<br />

<strong>National</strong> <strong>Hardwood</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />

www.nationalhardwoodmag.com<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> Purchasing Handbook<br />

www.hardwoodpurchasinghdbk.com<br />

Greenbook’s <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

Marketing Directory<br />

www.millerwoodtradepub.com<br />

Greenbook’s Softwood<br />

Marketing Directory (on-line only)<br />

www.millerwoodtradepub.com<br />

Forest Products Export Directory<br />

www.forestproductsexport.com<br />

P.O. Box 34908, Memphis, TN 38184-0908<br />

(800) 844-1280 or (901) 372-8280<br />

Imported Wood Purchasing Guide<br />

www.importedwoodpurchasing.com<br />

Import/Export Wood Purchasing News<br />

www.woodpurchasingnews.com<br />

The Softwood Forest Products Buyer<br />

www.softwoodbuyer.com<br />

The Softwood Forest Products Buyer<br />

Special NAWLA Edition<br />

www.softwoodbuyer.com<br />

Forest Products Stock Exchange<br />

(on-line only)<br />

www.millerwoodtradepub.com<br />

PLEASE VISIT US ONLINE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR PUBLICATIONS<br />

www.millerwoodtradepub.com<br />

info@millerwoodtradepub.com<br />

58 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 59


ADVERTISERS<br />

INDEX<br />

INDUSTRIES<br />

CONTROLS<br />

CLEEREMAN LUMBER COMPANY 1930’s CLEEREMAN INDUSTRIES 1955 CLEEREMAN CONTROLS 2019<br />

Abenaki Timber Corporation......................<br />

AGL Group, The..........................................<br />

AHC <strong>Hardwood</strong> Group................................<br />

Air Systems Mfg. of Lenoir, Inc..................<br />

Anderson, Roy, Lumber Company, Inc...51<br />

Atlanta <strong>Hardwood</strong> Corporation..................<br />

Automation & Electronics USA..............11<br />

Bailey’s Inc.................................................<br />

Baillie Lumber Co.......................................<br />

Beard <strong>Hardwood</strong>s...................................40<br />

BID Group....................................................<br />

Bingaman & Son Lumber, Inc.....................<br />

BioLube, Inc................................................<br />

Breeze Dried Inc.........................................<br />

Brunner-Hildebrand Lumber<br />

Dry Kiln Co..................................................<br />

Carbotech-Autolog......................................<br />

Cardin Forest Products LLC.......................<br />

Church, Bryant, <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc............42<br />

Clark Lumber Co.........................................<br />

Classic American <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc.............<br />

Cleereman Controls..............................IBC<br />

Cleereman Industries...........................IBC<br />

Cole <strong>Hardwood</strong>, Inc....................................<br />

Collins.........................................................<br />

Continental Underwriters, Inc...............38<br />

Cooper Machine Co., Inc............................<br />

Corley Manufacturing Co............................<br />

Cramer, W.M., Lumber Co...........................<br />

Cummings Lumber Co., Inc......................3<br />

Deer Park Lumber, Inc................................<br />

Devereaux Sawmill, Inc..........................53<br />

DMSi Software...................................... IFC<br />

Eagle Machinery & Supply, Inc..................<br />

EXPO Richmond..........................................<br />

EZLOG Company, Inc..................................<br />

Farm Credit Mid-America...........................<br />

Fitzpatrick & Weller Inc..............................<br />

Forcey Lumber Company, Inc.....................<br />

Frank Miller Lumber Co., Inc......................<br />

GF <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc.................................50<br />

Graf Bros. Flooring & Lumber..................1<br />

Granite Valley Forest Products............. BC<br />

GTL Lumber Inc..........................................<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> Forestry Fund........................56<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong> Manufacturers Assoc ..............<br />

Hartzell <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc.............................<br />

Hermitage <strong>Hardwood</strong><br />

Lumber Sales, Inc...................................49<br />

HHP, Inc.......................................................<br />

Hurdle Machine Works Inc.........................<br />

Industrial Vision Systems, Inc...................<br />

Irving, J.D., Limited....................................<br />

ISK Biocides, Inc........................................<br />

JoCo Lumber, Inc....................................55<br />

JoeScan......................................................<br />

Jones, Ron, <strong>Hardwood</strong> Sales, Inc..............<br />

Josey Lumber Co., Inc............................55<br />

Kentucky Forest Industries Assoc.............<br />

Kendrick Forest Products......................41<br />

Kepley-Frank <strong>Hardwood</strong> Co., Inc...........52<br />

King City Forwarding USA, Inc...................<br />

King City/Northway Forwarding Ltd...........<br />

Kop-Coat Protection Products...................<br />

Kretz Lumber Co., Inc.................................<br />

Lawrence Lumber Company Inc................<br />

Lewis Controls, Inc.....................................<br />

Lewis, Dwight, Lumber Co., Inc.................<br />

Lewis Lumber & Milling............................5<br />

Limbo..........................................................<br />

Lumber Resources Inc...............................<br />

Lussier, Simon, Ltd.....................................<br />

MacBeath <strong>Hardwood</strong> Company..............55<br />

Maine Woods Company..............................<br />

Mars Hill, Inc...........................................57<br />

Matson Lumber Company...........................<br />

Maxwell <strong>Hardwood</strong> Flooring......................<br />

McDonough Manufacturing Company........<br />

Mellott Manufacturing Co., Inc...............48<br />

Meridien <strong>Hardwood</strong>s of PA., Inc.............39<br />

Merrick <strong>Hardwood</strong>s....................................<br />

Messersmith Manufacturing, Inc...............<br />

MiCROTEC...................................................<br />

Middle Tennessee Lumber Co., Inc........45<br />

Midwest <strong>Hardwood</strong> Company............... FC<br />

MO PAC Lumber Company..........................<br />

Montreal Wood Convention........................<br />

Mueller Bros. Timber, Inc...........................<br />

Note: Advertisers with no page number carry an alternating Ad schedule.<br />

Neff Lumber Mills, Inc................................<br />

New River <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc.........................<br />

North American Forest Foundation............<br />

Northern <strong>Hardwood</strong>s..................................<br />

NWH............................................................<br />

Nyle Dry Kilns...........................................9<br />

Oakcrest Lumber, Inc.................................<br />

OHC | Overseas <strong>Hardwood</strong>s Company.......<br />

O’Shea Lumber Co......................................<br />

Patrick Lumber Company...........................<br />

Paw Taw John Services, Inc......................<br />

Pennsylvania <strong>Hardwood</strong>s Co......................<br />

Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual<br />

Insurance Company....................................<br />

Peterson, Keith D., & Co., Inc................54<br />

Pike Lumber Co., Inc..................................<br />

Prime Lumber Company.............................<br />

Primewood..................................................<br />

Quality <strong>Hardwood</strong>s Ltd...............................<br />

Railway Tie Association.........................57<br />

RAM Forest Products, Inc......................44<br />

Real American <strong>Hardwood</strong> Coalition.......13<br />

Robinson Lumber Company........................<br />

Rosenberry, Carl, & Sons, Lumber, Inc......<br />

Sawmill MD.................................................<br />

SII Dry Kilns................................................<br />

Sirianni <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc.........................43<br />

Snowbelt <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc..........................<br />

Southern Forest Products Assoc...............<br />

Stiles, A.W., Contractors, Inc.....................<br />

Stoltzfus Forest Products, LLC..................<br />

Taylor Machine Works, Inc.........................<br />

Thompson Appalachian<br />

<strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc.......................................47<br />

Tigerton Lumber Co....................................<br />

TMX Shipping Co., Inc................................<br />

TS Manufacturing...................................10<br />

U-C Coatings, LLC.......................................<br />

USNR...........................................................<br />

Western <strong>Hardwood</strong> Association.................<br />

Wheeland Lumber Co., Inc.........................<br />

White, Harold, Lumber, Inc.....................54<br />

Williams, R.J., Inc.......................................<br />

Wolverine <strong>Hardwood</strong>s, Inc.........................<br />

CLEEREMAN The most trusted name in carriages<br />

n Over 1240 Carriages sold<br />

n Lowest cost of ownership<br />

n All parts in stock and reasonably priced<br />

n In-house engineering department<br />

n Everything from single piece equipment to<br />

turn-key mills<br />

60 JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry Sales<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 61<br />

STEFAN DRACOBLY<br />

President Of<br />

Controls<br />

Now, TWO ENTITIES TO SERVE YOU BETTER!<br />

PAUL CLEEREMAN<br />

VP Cleereman<br />

Industries & Controls<br />

DAN TOOKE<br />

Senior Optimization<br />

& Controls Engineer<br />

TODAY<br />

For optimal efficiency. . .<br />

knows what a sawmill needs:<br />

CLEEREMAN the newest name in sawmill controls and optimization<br />

n Simple easy to use touch<br />

screen with additional<br />

tactile buttons<br />

n Remote access for<br />

troubleshooting<br />

n No custom electrical<br />

hardware, all parts are<br />

off-the-shelf components<br />

n Industry JoeScan<br />

JS-50X6 Heads<br />

n 3D data used for<br />

opening the log and<br />

estimating the back of<br />

log profile<br />

n Realistic views of the log<br />

n Sure Grip Joystick<br />

handles<br />

n Operational statistics and<br />

reports<br />

n Over 170 systems sold<br />

Cleereman Industries<br />

and Cleereman Controls<br />

715-674-2700<br />

www.cleereman.com<br />

info@cleereman.com


The The Granite Valley Difference<br />

The Granite Valley Difference<br />

Our Sawmills<br />

Our sawmills in<br />

Wisconsin prepare<br />

raw timber for delivery<br />

to our finishing mills.<br />

Quality<br />

Processing<br />

We “rough grade” our kiln-dried<br />

woods to ensure the best appearance.<br />

Quality assurance on every load.<br />

Custom<br />

Work<br />

To help you streamline your<br />

production process, we<br />

can supply custom-cut<br />

pre-production blanks<br />

to your specs.<br />

Ready<br />

Inventory<br />

Our average on-hand<br />

kiln-dried supply is<br />

10 million board feet.<br />

Get the wood you need,<br />

with quick turnaround.<br />

Granite Valley Forest Products keeps growing as a single-source supplier to<br />

better serve you. We sell rough, S2S, straight-line ripping, and offer<br />

NHLA grades and customer-proprietary grading based on NHLA guidelines.<br />

Our Sawmills<br />

Our Sawmills<br />

Our sawmills in<br />

Our Wisconsin<br />

Sawmills<br />

in prepare<br />

Our sawmills in<br />

Our raw Our timber sawmills for in in delivery<br />

Wisconsin prepare<br />

raw to Wisconsin our for<br />

finishing<br />

Offices prepare mills.<br />

in Wisconsin, Indiana<br />

raw timber for delivery<br />

to our<br />

raw raw timber timber for to our finishing mills. & for Colorado<br />

delivery<br />

to to our our finishing mills. mills. Quality<br />

sales@granitevalley.com Quality<br />

Processing<br />

Quality<br />

Custom products are available to your exact specs for width, length and color.<br />

Visit our website to learn more or email us at sales@granitevalley.com.<br />

To help you streamline your<br />

granitevalley.com We “rough Work<br />

Processing<br />

grade” our kiln-dried<br />

production process, we<br />

To help you woods to ensure the best appearance. To help To can To help help you supply you you streamline custom-cut streamline your<br />

your<br />

We We “rough we<br />

We Quality We “rough “rough grade” assurance grade” grade” our our kiln-dried<br />

our our on every kiln-dried load. production pre-production production process, process, blanks we we we<br />

Alder | Aromatic woods Cedar can woods woods to | to Black ensure to to &<br />

ensure ensure the White the best best<br />

the the Ash<br />

best appearance.<br />

best | Aspen appearance. | Basswood can can to supply can your supply specs.<br />

custom-cut<br />

Beech | White & Quality Yellow Quality Quality assurance Birch assurance | Bitternut on on every every<br />

on on | every Butternut every load. load.<br />

load. load. | Cherry<br />

pre-production blanks<br />

blanks<br />

Grey & Red Elm | Hard Maple | Hickory | Red Oak | White Oak to to your to your to your your specs.<br />

specs.<br />

Norway<br />

Granite<br />

Pine<br />

Valley<br />

| White<br />

Forest<br />

Pine<br />

Products<br />

| Poplar<br />

keeps<br />

| Red &<br />

growing<br />

Silver Soft<br />

as a<br />

Maple<br />

single-source<br />

| Walnut<br />

supplier to<br />

Granite White better<br />

Granite Granite Valley Valley<br />

Cedar serve<br />

Valley Forest Valley | Rift you.<br />

Forest Forest<br />

&<br />

Products We Quartered sell<br />

Products Products<br />

rough,<br />

keeps Red<br />

keeps keeps<br />

S2S, &<br />

growing White straight-line growing<br />

Oak<br />

as as a as a single-source as a a<br />

ripping, single-source<br />

and<br />

supplier offer<br />

supplier to<br />

to to to<br />

NHLA<br />

better better better serve better<br />

grades serve serve you. serve you. you. We We you.<br />

and<br />

sell We sell We<br />

customer-proprietary<br />

rough, sell sell rough, rough, S2S, S2S, S2S, straight-line S2S, straight-line<br />

grading based<br />

ripping, ripping, ripping,<br />

on NHLA<br />

and and and and offer<br />

offer offer offer<br />

guidelines.<br />

Custom<br />

NHLA NHLA NHLA grades<br />

NHLA grades grades grades<br />

products<br />

and and customer-proprietary and and<br />

are customer-proprietary<br />

available to your exact<br />

grading grading grading<br />

specs<br />

based based based<br />

for width,<br />

on on NHLA on on NHLA NHLA<br />

length<br />

guidelines.<br />

guidelines.<br />

and color.<br />

Visit<br />

Custom Custom Custom Custom<br />

our<br />

products products products<br />

website to<br />

are are available are are<br />

learn<br />

available available<br />

more or<br />

to to your your to to<br />

email<br />

your your<br />

exact exact exact exact<br />

us at<br />

specs specs specs specs<br />

sales@granitevalley.com.<br />

for for width, for width, for width, width,<br />

length length length<br />

and and and and<br />

color.<br />

color.<br />

color.<br />

Visit Visit our Visit our Visit<br />

website website our<br />

Offices our website website<br />

to to learn learn to<br />

in to learn learn<br />

more more Wisconsin,<br />

more more email email or or email email<br />

us us at us at Indiana us<br />

sales@granitevalley.com.<br />

at at sales@granitevalley.com.<br />

& Offices Colorado<br />

in in in Wisconsin, Indiana<br />

Offices in Wisconsin, Indiana<br />

& Colorado<br />

& sales@granitevalley.com<br />

& Colorado<br />

sales@granitevalley.com<br />

sales@granitevalley.com<br />

granitevalley.com<br />

granitevalley.com<br />

Custom<br />

Work Custom<br />

Work<br />

Work<br />

Ready<br />

Inventory<br />

Ready<br />

Inventory<br />

Our average on-hand<br />

kiln-dried supply is<br />

Our 10 Our average million average board on-hand<br />

on-hand feet.<br />

kiln-dried Get is<br />

kiln-dried the supply wood supply you is<br />

isneed,<br />

10 10 10 with 10 million million quick board board turnaround. feet.<br />

feet.<br />

Get Get the Get the the wood wood you you need,<br />

with with quick quick turnaround.<br />

Alder | Aromatic Cedar | Black & White Ash | Aspen | Basswood<br />

granitevalley.com<br />

Beech | White & Yellow Birch | Bitternut | Butternut | Cherry<br />

Alder Grey Alder | Aromatic & | Aromatic Red Elm Cedar | Cedar Hard | Black Maple | Black & | Hickory & White<br />

White Ash | Ash Red | | Aspen Oak Aspen | | White | Basswood<br />

Basswood Oak<br />

Alder<br />

Alder<br />

| Aromatic<br />

| Aromatic Cedar | Black & White Ash Aspen | Basswood<br />

Beech Norway Beech | | White Pine White Cedar & | White & | Yellow Black<br />

Yellow Pine Birch & Birch | White Poplar | Bitternut Ash | Bitternut | Red | Aspen | Butternut & | Butternut Silver | Basswood Soft | Cherry<br />

Beech | White & Yellow Birch | Bitternut | Butternut | Cherry | Cherry Maple | Walnut<br />

Beech | Grey<br />

Grey White Grey & & Red<br />

& Red Cedar & Red Yellow Elm Elm<br />

Elm | Rift Birch | Hard | Hard<br />

| Hard & Quartered | Maple Bitternut | Maple<br />

Maple | Hickory<br />

| Hickory Red Hickory | Butternut & | Cherry<br />

| White | Red<br />

Red Oak<br />

Oak Oak Oak | White Oak<br />

| White<br />

| White Oak<br />

Oak<br />

Grey & Norway<br />

Norway<br />

Red Norway Elm Pine Pine<br />

Pine<br />

| Hard | White | White<br />

| White<br />

Maple Pine Pine<br />

Pine<br />

| | Poplar<br />

|<br />

Hickory | Poplar<br />

Poplar | |<br />

|<br />

Red | Red Silver<br />

&<br />

Oak & Silver<br />

Silver<br />

| White Soft Soft<br />

Soft Maple<br />

Maple<br />

Oak Maple | Walnut<br />

| Walnut<br />

| Walnut<br />

Norway White 62 White Pine<br />

JANUARY Cedar | Cedar White | <strong>2024</strong> | Rift Pine Rift & n NATIONAL & Quartered | Poplar Quartered | Red Red<br />

HARDWOOD Red & & Silver White MAGAZINE White Oak Soft OakMaple | Walnut<br />

White Cedar | Rift & Quartered Red & White Oak<br />

RealAmerican<strong>Hardwood</strong>.com/industry<br />

White Cedar | Rift & Quartered Red & White Oak

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!