Import/Export Wood Purchasing News - February/March 2024

RED OAK
CHERRY SOFT MAPLE BASSWOOD CEDAR HICKORY HARD MAPLE POPLAR ASH WHITE OAK WALNUT
By The NAWLA Editor
Chris and Allia Schofer, JH Huscroft Ltd., Creston, BC; Terry Miller, The Softwood Forest
Products Buyer, Memphis, TN; and Shayna and Justin Storm, JH Huscroft Ltd.
This past November, the North American Wholesale Lumber Association
(NAWLA) welcomed forest products industry professionals to Columbus, Ohio,
for its 2023 Traders Market event. Featuring top-notch education, unparalleled
networking opportunities and a tradeshow like no other, the three-day annual
event was one for the books.
Continued on page 50
Doug Miller, Westwood Lumber Sales Inc., New Haven, IN; Garth Williams, Mason
Anderson, Jerrett Long, Pat Way and Kody Miller, Idaho Forest Group LLC, Coeur
d’Alene, ID
Additional photos on page 14
Photos By Chris Fehr
Jake Daniel and Bill Johnston, Culpeper Wood Preservers Inc., Culpeper, VA; Carl
Dirkes, Culpeper Wood Preservers Inc., Belchertown, MA; and Frank Halnon, Culpeper
Wood Preservers Inc., Athens, NY
The curtains have officially closed on the highly anticipated 2023 LMC Expo,
a two-day gathering of LMC Dealers and leading mills and manufacturers in
the bustling city of Philadelphia. It was a whirlwind of innovation, insights, and
strategic discussions as LMC dealers from across the nation converged to map
out a successful path for 2024.
When asked about the atmosphere at the LMC Expo, Sean Tighe, VP of
Purchasing at LMC remarked, “I had a supplier say to me, 'This is what I love
about LMC.' I knew instantly what she meant – the energy, the attendance, and
the continuing of rebuilding face-to-face meetings, left this expo with an energy
towards relationships and an outlook for 2024 that was palpable.”
Photos By Zach Miller
Additional photos on page 26
Ron Kalinowske, Joe Dalabon and George Cartullo, Cape Cod Lumber, Abington,
MA; Kevin Brockmyre, Hood Distribution, Ayer, MA; and Addison Ross and Adam
Hazelwood, San Group, Langley, BC
Continued on page 50
Additional photos on page 32
The Earth Expo & Convention Center at Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville,
CT, recently welcomed the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NRLA)
LBM Expo.
The show floor featured hundreds of vendors offering the latest products and
services in the industry. Additionally, LBM Expo provided ample networking
Continued on page 51
Business Trends U.S.A.
Southeast
Throughout the Southeast region lumber sources agreed that their markets are
rather quiet, at the time of this writing. One source noted that while his sales are
slow, he has started to receive more inquiries out of Asia than expected.
In North Carolina, a sawmill representative said that his sales have been slower
than they were six months ago aside from an uptick in inquiries from Asia. He
noted that for his domestic sales it is most likely due to the time of year that has
caused a slowdown.
His company offers Red and White Oak and Poplar, in all NHLA grades and
in thicknesses of 4/4 through 8/4. “White Oak is selling best for us right now,”
he stated. He mentioned that White Oak is likely selling better due in part to the
stave mills looking to buy lower grade logs which in turn affects the regular random
width and random length markets.
He primarily sells to flooring, furniture and millwork manufacturers. “Domestically,
everyone is getting quiet, and my customers are trying to lower their
inventories,” he said.
Continued on page 26
Hermitage
Fine Appalachian Hardwood Since 1979
Hardwood
IMPORT/EXPORT
www.woodpurchasingnews.com
Vol.50 No.4 Serving Forest Products Buyers Worldwide FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
JEFFERSON CITY, MO
PERMIT NO. 303
Exports Tumble In 2023, But 2024
Holds Promise
Michael Snow
By Graham Sweeney
Tripp Pryor
With U.S. lumber exports currently down millions of board feet in traditionally
large markets like China and Canada, members of the American Hardwood
Export Council (AHEC) remain encouraged by growth from smaller buyers like
Vietnam, the Middle East, India and Europe.
Michael Snow, executive director of AHEC, recently noted at an end-of-year
membership meeting that America’s wood industry wasn’t having “a banner year”
through the third quarter of 2023.
“I think it is important to look at where we are,” he added. “Hopefully we will
see a little claw back. The story is not an overly positive one.”
Tripp Pryor, the international program manager for AHEC, presented an “export
stat update” for those in attendance.
Continued on page 17
Import/Export Wood Purchasing News
P.O. Box 34908
Memphis, TN 38184-0908
Change Service Requested
IWPA Looks To Make 2024 The Best Year Yet
As we embark on 2024 in earnest (after what I
hope was a restful holiday break for Import/Export
Wood Purchasing News readers) IWPA is focused
on building upon the successes of 2023 and making
2024 our best year yet as an association.
As I’m writing this in early January, registrations
for IWPA’s 2024 World of Wood Convention (April
10-12 at the Hard Rock Hotel in beautiful San
Diego, California) are trending way ahead of any
convention in over a decade. Sure, some of us may
be looking forward to escaping winter for sunny
southern California, but I strongly believe that
By Ashley Amidon, some of that has to do with the way we as an association
are working to proactively address the many
CAE
Executive Director challenges our industry is facing and that folks are
excited to learn more about our efforts.
International
I visited more than 50 IWPA members in 2023
Wood Products
and what struck me most is how excited the industry
is for where the association is going.
Association
Alexandria, VA This momentum is apparent in our advocacy on
(703)820-7807 (c) behalf of our industry both in Washington, D.C. and
www.iwpawood.org around the world. As part of our end of 2023 stock
taking, we counted up our hill meetings and rang up
a total of 165! But it’s not just the quantity of meetings,
but the quality – each of these meetings had a
purpose to develop a new relationship or deepen an
existing one.
In addition to our annual Washington, D.C. Fly-
In, in 2023 we hosted IWPA members who made
specific trips to Washington to educate policymakers about how policy debates
like the ongoing lapse of the Generalized System of Preferences program impact
businesses in their states and districts. We are also exploring new ways to get
policymakers to visit member facilities when they are in their districts as part of
helping policymakers understand how our industry works.
Outside Washington, I have had the privilege of serving as an Observer to the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum’s Experts Group on Illegal Logging
and Associated Trade (APEC EGILAT) and the International Timber Trade
Organization (ITTO). My participation in these meetings has helped me deepen
relationships with policymakers around the globe and share our industry’s perspective
on policies affecting trade in wood products.
Beyond our policy work we continue to serve our members by increasing our
educational offerings through a significant APHIS grant. By the time you read
this article, we will have FREE online education for anyone impacted by the
Lacey Act, whether they are an IWPA member or not. I am proud to help share
the expertise within IWPA through our many educational offerings both online
and in-person.
All of this work would not be possible without the generosity of so many
IWPA Board and Committee members who volunteer their time and knowledge
to help us ensure our advocacy, education, and programming is as effective
as possible in addressing the challenges we all face. I hope you will consider
joining us in these efforts in 2024, and I would love to chat with you about how
you can do so.
As April approaches, we hope you will register to join us in San Diego for
World of Wood 2024. We can’t wait to see so many friends and colleagues at the
one event each year that brings the whole industry together! n
The
Forest Products
www.softwoodbuyer.com
Vol. 39 No. 1 The Softwood Industry’s Only Newspaper...Now Reaching 36,187 firms (20,000 per issue) January/February 2024
A Traders Market to Remember: 2023
Event Recap
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
DALLAS,TX
PERMIT 3886
West Coast
The Softwood Forest Products Buyer
P.O. Box 34908
Memphis, TN 38184-0908
Change Service Requested
Navigating Tomorrow: LMC Dealers Converge
For 2023 Expo In Philly
NRLA LBM Expo Offers Products,
Services, Education
Lumbermen on the West Coast recently spoke with nervous intrigue regarding
the first quarter of 2024.
At the time of this writing, three sources were slogging through a “sporadic”
December that saw many lumber suppliers selling “order-to-order.”
“Customers are concerned (with high interest rates) and everyone’s orders
have slowed down,” said a Washington source with 35 years of experience in the
business. “We have been in the black for the last 11 months. December could put
us in the red.
“The sales volume is off at least 50 percent from 2022 in December,” he added.
“So, this really stands out from previous years.”
When asked what it would take to get business back on track, he said “home
loans should be more affordable.
“We go as the interest rates go,” he noted.
A California source said despite a slow fourth quarter that lumber species like
White Oak and Poplar are “still doing well.”
However, sales for Aspen
and Basswood are “almost
nonexistent.”
Noting that White Oak has been
“popular for a while,” he said that
it “is being used for everything
right now, even siding.”
However, even wildly popular
lumber species like White Oak can
be replaced by engineered wood.
“Hardwoods are not as prominent
as they used to be,” he
expressed. “We are losing some
ground to engineered products,
which is a shame. That is just the
way of the world these days. We
have fought that battle for a long
time. Our company is also into
(engineered wood) but (real) wood
is still the biggest item we sell. We
are losing ground though.”
An Oregon source said he
believed that December’s slump
was due to the “typical holiday”
slowdown. He added that buyers
are “only going to get something if
they absolutely need it.”
The Washington source, who
sells primarily White Oak, Hard
Maple and Poplar in Numbers 1
and 2 Common, agreed that much
of the issue could be attributed to
the winter season and added that
the industry was in a “traditional
recession.”
“We’ve seen the dips and lulls
before,” he added. “This stands out
though. It is seasonal and compounded
by people being a little
nervous about paying too much on
logs.
“The first two quarters (of 2023)
were great,” he added. “Frankly,
that is where we made our money.
The last two have just been OK.”
As far as shedding the bark of
recession goes, most of the sources
remained quietly optimistic about
the first quarter of 2024.
“There is pent up demand from
the last quarter of 2023,” said the
Continued on page 26
Page 10 Import/Export Wood Purchasing News n February/March 2024