National Hardwood Magazine - August 2018

National Hardwood Magazine Annual Survey: Industry Insiders Offer Diverse Perspectives By Rebekah Yearout and Joshua B. Smith (Editor’s note: Lumber manufacturers and suppliers across the U.S. and in Canada responded to a recent survey conducted by National Hardwood Magazine regarding current activity in Hardwood markets. Their insightful comments follow.) Jackie Kriner Carl Rosenberry & Sons Lumber Inc. Fort Loudon, PA Markets have been good so far this year and we have seen steady orders. As to demand…we are sold out of Ash and not expecting to cut much more of this species in the future as most of it has been hit with the EAB. We made a concentrated effort to cut our dead and dying timber stands of Ash in the past two years and are pretty much cleaned up. Ash is the main species that we are getting inquiries on. Our 5/4 and 4/4 White Oak is probably the second best mover at the moment. Kiln-dried lumber prices have increased slightly, but so have timber prices on the stump, so pricing is always a concern for our operation. We are experiencing very frustrating issues with finding domestic trucks to haul kiln-dried lumber, especially those who will haul into New York. Rates are being thrown out that have more than tripled and usually they are quoted just to see if you are desperate enough to agree to them. Then, even at the higher rates, the trucks are usually not available. To enhance and improve our operation this year we added a VisionTally system. This will allow us to have a quicker response time for customers as to available inventory. u Rob Paradise Devereaux Sawmill Inc. Pewamo, MI So far this year, what is selling best is 4/4 White Oak in No. 1 Common and upper grades. Also selling well is Hard Maple in No. 1 Common and No. 2A Common; Walnut in the upper grades; and Cherry in No. 1 Common and upper grades. In thicker stock, just upper grades are selling best, especially 5/4 and 8/4 White Hard Maple, 8/4 White Oak and 5/4 through 8/4 in Cherry and Walnut. When narrowed down, these are probably the strongest. Timber prices have risen, and transportation is also up, so getting the lumber prices to reflect those increases is important. We’ve experienced issues with road transportation, mainly freight. In the past year, we’ve added additional kilns to increase production to meet customer needs. u Philippe Leblanc Lumber Resources Inc. Quebec City, QC With strong economic activity, robust building starts, sales and shipments are strong. Most low-end industrial items are lacking in supply. Maples are in tight supply especially in 4/4. Thicker Birch (5/4, 6/4 and 8/4) items are moving well. 4/4 Birch is moving with slight accumulation in some short lengths. We have availability in Aspen No. 1 Common, 4/4. Availability of green lumber and the replacement of some kiln-dried items especially in common grade material due to the strong industrial market is a concern. Right now, intermodal transport is more competitive in select destinations. As for improvements we have made to our business this year, we are now HT certified for certain products and our fourth kiln is up and running. u 26 AUGUST 2018 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE

Eric Porter Abenaki Timber Corp. Epping, NH We have had good business in the first quarter. Red and White Oak, Ash and Cherry are all selling well. Soft Maple and Yellow Birch are moving slowly, while Hard Maple, Poplar, Beech and Basswood are moving moderately. Pricing is always an area of concern for our operation, and trucking is still one of our biggest issues. In order to respond to our customers’ needs, we added a new stacker to our green line in Epping last year, and we are exploring new options for importing European Beech into the U.S. u Joe Gori Lawrence Lumber Company Maiden, NC So far this year, markets have been alright. There is some unpredictability in pricing that is hard to understand. Exports of White Oak and Poplar logs are making supplies tight. We don’t see as much of an issue with Red Oak, though. Costs as a whole are a bit unpredictable, with green lumber prices being a little higher and continuing to climb, while kiln-dried lumber isn’t going up in price like it should. It’s difficult to understand the price discrepancy between green and kilndried lumber. Right now FAS Poplar is a bit slower. No. 1 and 2 Common are strong into China. Red Oak Commons are pretty good. And demand is pretty even across the thicknesses. Transportation costs have increased, and availability is slim. The trucking industry’s logging devices make some timely deliveries a large hurdle. We recently installed an automatic ripsaw and installed a new line where lumber is graded, ripped, then reintroduced to the line. These installations have greatly increased our production and our quality. u Tyler Francois Snowbelt Hardwoods Inc. Hurley, WI The markets have been very steady the past few months for us. Our biggest movers have been 4/4 Select and Better Basswood and 4/4 White Ash No. 2 and Better grades. Our slowest mover has been Brown Soft Maple. The pricing concern for us has been higher cost on logs and green lumber due to supply and foreign buyers purchasing more timber. We’ve been experiencing transportation issues across the board, both domestic transit and international freight. u Wendell Cramer W.M. Cramer Lumber Co. Connelly Springs, NC Hardwood markets are doing really well despite low capacity on logs for many sawmills due to inclement weather and log exports. Thicknesses of 4/4 through 8/4 and all grades of Walnut, Ash, Basswood, Cherry, Red and White Oak, Soft Maple and Poplar are moving well with the exception of certain length requirements by our customers on some items. Pricing is so unstable; you really don’t know how to price products. All areas of transportation are a major problem; not only increased freight rates, but availability also. Our company hasn’t made any upgrades at this time, but we continue to stock all species to accommodate our customers’ needs. u Please turn to page 38 AUGUST 2018 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 27