WEST COAST Continued
WEST COAST Continued from page 7 ONTARIO Continued from page 8 people to work with. They can’t get as much done as demand requires for them because they can’t get bodies in the door that want to work.” An Oregon wholesaler said labor was also a large concern. “We are having a hard time replacing the older generation. Not a lot of people are interested in working with wood anymore. Our newer employees are sons of their dads who have worked with us for decades.” As for his market activity the source said he markets to end users and other wholesale distributors. “We are seeing a slow down right now,” he noted. “It’s typical of the season’s turn.” He commented that transportation was a bright spot. “We had some issues in the spring, but not so much right now. Along the West Coast there was so much produce and nursery stock so availability is really good.” When asked about a future forecast he said, “I don’t look for many changes. We’re heading into a slower season for everybody and with prices diving the way they did last year, I just hope we don’t see a repeat. Inventory is a little higher than this time last year so maybe we’ll see it even out before break up.” In Washington a Hardwood lumber supplier said the biggest concern for his business is lack of demand from international markets. “The lack of demand from China has hit us a bit this year,” he explained. That has an impact that directly impacts markets domestically. Prices have been pushed down as a result.” Looking at what lays ahead, sources in the region said they expect more hit or miss activity and a possible seasonal slow down. The Washington contact commented, “We took a dive in the spring. So logging suffered and there was a lot of inventory at the time. Now that this inventory has gone away there isn’t anything in the chain to replace it. The eastern species take so long to dry, up to six months depending on the species. We may not see much availability in that area until after the first of the year and prices will rise again.” n tracted for certain areas. The decline is reported as less for this species than compared to others. It is one of the better-selling species for many contacts with prices holding. On the other hand, some sawmills are not producing green Ash, while others are. Supplies match the needs and prices are stable. As Aspen is often used as an alternative to other higher priced species, demand for it is on a firm foundation for certain applications. It is, however, receiving strong competition from plywood, MDF and other non-wood products. Demand for Hardwood finished products has also dropped at this time. Sales of Hard Maple are noted as being driven by supply rather than demand. Secondary manufacturers are still struggling with sales of finished goods and so their requirements at this time have substantially declined for Hard Maple. Green Hard Maple is also not doing as well as kiln-dried stocks, it was reported, and it is not flooding the markets either, so prices are stabilized. Supplies are limited for Soft Maple, and buyers and wholesalers advise that inventories of kiln-dried Soft Maple have declined and obtaining No. 1 Common and Better grades is challenging. A better seller for this species, they noted, is Sap and Better grades which is noted as decent. Although demand is not high for Birch, said contacts, it remains relatively steady. Contacts noted that Basswood is not performing well at this time due to slow finished good sales and competition of other products taking its market share. Kiln-dried inventories are reported high relative to buyers’ needs. It is difficult to find orders for green production, with cants and low grade lumber a challenge to move. Red Oak exports are down since the beginning of the year for many regions for producers and wholesalers. Business for this species is steady, but at a slow place on domestic markets. Production of Red Oak is limited, with a tightening of kiln-dried supplies being reported, along with firming prices, particularly for upper grades. As for White Oak, competition is intense for quality logs, which is limiting the volume of sawn lumber for Please turn the page Manufacturers and Exporters of Quality Pennsylvania Hardwoods Producing 25,000,000 BF annually • 1,500,000 MBF of Kiln capacity Specializing in Ash • Red Oak • Hard Maple • Soft Maple • Cherry Hardwood Lumber and Logs Export Packaging and Container Loading Band Sawn Lumber at Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania (U.S.A.) location. Log Sales - Bob Mallery Phone: 814-697-6576 FAX: 814-697-6637 escott@ramforestproducts.com Lumber Sales - Andy Nuffer Phone: 336-813-1512 FAX: 336-939-5414 anuffer@ramforestproducts.com Forest Products, Inc. 1716 Honeoye Rd. 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