NELA Gathers For Annual
NELA Gathers For Annual Summer Meeting By Chris Fehr The New England Lumbermen’s Association (NELA) met at Fort William Henry Hotel in Lake George, NY recently for a summer meeting. The meeting included a roundtable discussion moderated by Bob Chase of Quabbin Timber Inc. and Chris Castano of Maine Woods Company LLC. Among the many comments offered by those in attendance during the discussion, and as identified by the segment of the wood products industry that each represents, were as follows: Distribution yards: There is concern with the quality and the availability of White Oak, given that the stave market is still strong and they tend to gobble up the nest logs. A variety of products are being offered, such as exotic woods, mouldings, sheetgoods, and primed products, which has helped them to keep things going. Smaller inventories have helped them to moderate big swings in lumber pricing and protect them from having inventory that is priced too high. Housing/Commercial Building: There is evidence that smaller starter homes are beginning to take hold with builders as they are moving away from the 3,000+ square foot homes that have been the focus in recent years. The demand appears to be stronger with millennials looking to buy their first homes vs. people looking to upgrade into bigger homes. Residential millwork projects are still heavy to painted looks and this does not appear to be changing anytime soon. Commercial demand for FSC lumber appears to be picking up again. Please turn to page 46 Bob Pope, SII Dry Kilns, Montpelier, VT; Eric Porter, Abenaki Timber Corp., Kingston, NH; and Andrew Brown, Abenaki Timber Corp., Epping, NH Jean-Francois Audet, Primewood, Drummondville, QC; Peter Irish, Woodline Lumber Co. Inc., Alburgh, VT; Richard Larocque, Cut Rite Lumber Limited, Toronto, ON; and Yvon Millette, Vexco Inc., Plessisville, QC Ryan Breen, A. Johnson Co. LLC, Bristol, VT; Chad Johnson, Baillie Lumber Group, Hamburg, NY; Marc Legros, Prolam, Cap- Saint-Ignace, QC; and Chris Breen, A. Johnson Co. LLC Justin Goulet, Marc-Andre Gaboury and Marco Tanguay, Boa- Franc G.P./Mirage Hardwood Floors, St. George, QC; and Daniel Warnett, Commonwealth Plywood Company Ltd., Montreal, QC Domestic & Drayage Trucking Domestic Intermodal Export & Import Logistics Customs Brokerage Each shipment you place in our hands is important. You can count on the AGL Group to get the job done. 781.544.3970 sales@theAGLgroup.com www.theAGLgroup.com WEYMOUTH, MA JACKSONVILLE, FL 44 AUGUST 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmericanHardwood.com/industry RealAmericanHardwood.com/industry AUGUST 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 45
