National Hardwood Magazine - September 2020

LAKE STATES Continued

LAKE STATES Continued from page 8 White Oak, Soft Maple, Yellow Birch, Cherry, Aspen and Basswood. “Everybody seems very busy,” he said about his customers in the Great Lakes region. “They used to be able to forecast one to two months in advance and put some extended purchasing plans in place. Now it’s maybe only a couple of weeks out. Everyone is a little bit scared of potentially another shutdown. They don’t want to get caught with their pants down and too much product in transit or too many commitments out there, so they’re being very, very smart.” Elsewhere in Michigan, a lumber salesman whose business is about 75 percent industrials said the market was running hot and cold. “I had a customer in Detroit tell me last week that the market seemed to be picking up over there, but a customer down in Toledo is still hand-to-mouth, starving,” he remarked. His best-selling species used to be Soft Maple (No. 2 Common & Better) in 4/4 thickness, “but that’s waning right now. I see the price went down this week, but who knows where it’s going to go,” the source said. “Hard Maple is neck-and-neck with it. Of course, Red Oak is still struggling like crazy. I don’t have any trouble moving it, but the price ramer REV 2018.qxp_Layout 1 8/6/18 10:13 AM Page 1 isn’t very good.” He said transportation is still a little troublesome. “We don’t have the normal supply chains that we’ve had in the past,” he explained. “We’re kind of isolated up here in northern Michigan and to get a lot of trucks up here, they’ve got to be bringing something out of here and they haven’t had a lot of that. Thankfully, we’ve got some local guys who have picked up some slack. Of course, the slack isn’t like it normally is. We’re still probably running at 75 percent of our usual production.” The lumber salesman added: “That seems all right, but sales are probably 50 percent. We’re building a little bit of inventory, but not too much. We keep trying to stay optimistic.” In southern Indiana, a sawmill owner described the market as stagnant, which he said was typical for this time of year. “It’s slow now, but I think in the next two or three weeks we might see a little pickup,” he remarked. Red and White Oak (FAS) and Hard Maple (No. 1 Common & Better) in 4/4 thickness are his best-selling products. The sawmill owner also sells Hickory, Ash, Soft Maple and Poplar. “The FAS Poplar is still moving well, and the No. 1 and 2 Common is moving, but it’s so cheap that it’s hard to make money with it,” he commented. Customers are mainly end users, such as manufactur- WORMY CHESTNUT • TROPICALS • QTR & RIFT • CYPRESS • ALDER 4 million BF KD Inventory Atlanta, GA Warehouse 770-479-9663 Headquarters, Concentration Yard & Kilns in Hickory, N.C. Phone (828) 397-7481 FAX: (828) 397-3763 www.cramerlumber.com “LIMBO” The Lumber Rule Hardwoods • White Pine • Cypress RGH • S2S • SLR1E 4/4 thru 16/4 thicknesses Export Sales 706-736-2622 HICKORY • HARD & SOFT MAPLE • POPLAR • RED & WHITE OAK • WALNUT • ASH WHITE PINE • BASSWOOD • BEECH • BIRCH • CEDAR • CHERRY 54 SEPTEMBER 2020 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE

ers of flooring, cabinets, millwork and moulding. The sawmill contact said their business is steady, though he noted that flooring manufacturers were in a downward trend because of the pressure from alternative materials. He also speculated that many of his customers used their Paycheck Protection Program money to produce as much product as possible. “I don’t think their demand was really that high,” he said. “I think the demand was kind of flat and they produced a lot of cheap inventory.” Further north in Indiana, another sawmill source said the market was starting to pick up. “We’re still down compared to where we were before COVID, but products are starting to move a little bit more,” he said. Walnut (FAS and Better, 90/50 sort) in 5/4 thickness is in greatest demand among customers, who are distribution yards and end users. His business also sells Ash, Basswood, Hard and Soft Maple, Hickory, Red and White Oak.n NORTHEAST Continued from page 8 of a wait-and-see approach,” said the contact, who also sells Soft Maple, Poplar and Cherry. He received many phone calls from customers looking for exterior grade lumber for outdoor projects. Also, the lumber source predicted that demand for such Hardwood products as cabinets, trim and moulding would pick up later in the year when the weather cools and people return indoors. Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, a sawmill executive said the market was “a little soft overall” because of the weakened economy and “blowback” from the pandemic. Hard and Soft Maple in all grades and 4/4 thickness are selling the best among his domestic customers, who are mainly cabinet manufacturers for the kitchen and bath industry. The lumber official also sells Red Oak and Ash, mainly for export to distributors in Southeast Asia. “That market is slow right now,” he commented. “Transportation has been fairly positive for us, and the weather has been very favorable,” the sawmill source added. “We’ve been fortunate.” Speaking a week earlier, a sawmill sales manager in Pennsylvania said the market has definitely improved. “A lot of the COVID shutdowns hurt for a while as far as the U.S. market goes. The Chinese market has been good for us,” he said, adding that China represents about 50 percent of his company’s business. “Most species are moving well, but I’d say the hot thing right now is Walnut in No. 2 and Better in 4/4,” the contact said. “The Chinese have an appetite for it right now.” He added that Red Oak is moving OK, and Soft Maple has Please turn the page MANUFACTURERS OF HIGH QUALITY APPALACHIAN BANDSAWN LUMBER WHITE OAK • RED OAK • WALNUT • POPLAR • HARD MAPLE • ASH • MIXED HARDWOODS 10,000,000′ ANNUAL PRODUCTION • ALL GRADES OF LUMBER • RAILROAD TIES HT BANDING GROOVED EXPORT DUNNAGE • INDUSTRIAL TIMBERS LOGS SOLD/LOADED INTO EXPORT CONTAINERS • THICKNESSES 4/4-12/4 LUMBER/LOG SALES JOSH PEACHEY 270-405-6424 Jeremy Peachey, Paul Peachey, and Josh Peachey with 4/4 FAS POPLAR Ask us about custom width and length sorts. . . EAGLE LUMBER CO. LLC GREENSBURG, KY 2195 GABE ROAD GREENSBURG KY 42743 FAX: 270-932-4451 SEPTEMBER 2020 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 55