National Hardwood Magazine - September 2020

U.S.A. TRENDS CONTINUED

U.S.A. TRENDS CONTINUED SOUTHEAST WEST COAST The Hardwood market isn’t exactly on fire in the Southeast–in fact, rainy weather is still hampering logging in parts of the region. In central Alabama, it has been a tough time to be in the market. “Pricing has been really low and sales volumes have decreased,” a sawmill manager said. “We’re having difficulty moving all grades of our products. The low grade has become really difficult to sell.” Red and White Oak (FAS) in 4/4 and 5/4 thicknesses are moving OK, he said, but prices are soft; the Commons are hard to sell. The contact also sells Poplar and Cypress, which he said has picked up. Customers are distribution yards and end users, such as moulding and cabinet manufacturers. “They’re telling me that due to the COVID pandemic, their sales are slower than normal,” the source reported. “Most of the end users say their business is getting better, but it’s still below last year’s levels.” At the time of this writing, an abundance of rain was still affecting log availability in the Southeast, he said. “We struggle weekly to keep the log inventory we need to keep the mills running,” the sawmill representative said. Rainy weather also has been problematic in North Carolina, where a lumber supplier said the market could be better. “To start off with, in this part of the country it’s been so wet that we’ve got no logs,” he said. “We’re running not quite hand-to-mouth, but pretty close. We’re down to probably 10 to 12 percent Hardwood and having to cut more pine to run our mill 40 hours a week. Red Oak is just terrible. It looks like it’s going to go back down the tubes again. Uppers in the 4/4 market are just ugly, ugly. It did move a little bit, but it has quit again. The No. 2 Common, 3A going to the flooring plants is really cheap, but you’ve got no option. The White Oak FAS is fairly good and it seems like it’s going to hold up a little bit. The Common doesn’t go anywhere, the Numbers 2 and 3 typically go to the flooring plant and again Sporadic, slow and OK are the words that kept cropping up as lumber contacts along the West Coast described how the Hardwood market was doing. The brightest spot appeared to be in California, where a wholesale distribution source in the Northern section said: “It’s OK. We’re staying pretty busy. Our trucks are going out full. We keep waiting for the other shoe to drop because of the 15 to 16 percent unemployment rate. It should affect us in some indirect way, but it hasn’t so far.” Paint-grade products such as Poplar are in greatest demand, followed by rift White Oak and Walnut (both upper grades) in mostly 4/4 through 8/4 thicknesses. The contact also sells Red Oak, Cherry, Hard and Soft Maple, Elm, Birch and Hickory. Customers are distribution yards and manufacturers of wood products, such as cabinetry and architectural millwork. “Most of the guys who are doing residential work say they’re pretty busy,” the source said. He added: “The market’s not terrific, but it’s OK. And as much as we’ve been through, I’ll take it.” In Southern California, a lumber executive said: “I’ve been very busy. I have no complaints. The market is an order-toorder thing, but the orders are still there. They’re not going to commit early. You quote four, five or six months ago, then they call and say, ‘OK. I’m ready.’ That’s how the market is.” White Oak and Walnut in upper grades and 4/4 thickness are moving the best. Customers are distribution and retail lumberyards and flooring companies. “It’s all across the board in terms of how busy they are,” the contact reported. In Washington State, the market is very sporadic, according to a lumber salesman. “We had a really good June, but it’s definitely slowing down a bit,” he said, adding he wasn’t sure what was causing the slowdown but speculated the coronavirus was to blame. White Oak in upper grades in 4/4 thickness and Poplar in all grades in 4/4 and 5/4 thicknesses are the species in Please turn to page 56 Please turn to page 57 10 SEPTEMBER 2020 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE

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