U.S.A. TRENDS Supplier U.S.A. TRENDS Supplier news about sales, labor, prices, trends, expansions and inventories LAKE STATES NORTHEAST SOUTHEAST WEST COAST In the Lake States region, sources expressed relatively consistent opinions, describing the overall market conditions as either “okay” or “pretty good.” “I’m going to call it okay. Not bad not great. At the end of the month the numbers have been coming in satisfactory” is how one lumber provider in Illinois described his situation at the time of this writing. He mentioned that the fourth quarter of last year and the initial months of this year were notably sluggish but is currently doing better than he was six months ago and has been stable overall. His company handles Red Oak and White Oak, Ash, Poplar, and a little bit of Walnut. “Poplar is still moving decently in the upper grades and the 1 Common. White Oak has been pretty steady. Red Oak is the dog again. The way to move Red Oak is niche markets, specialty Opinions within the Northeast region are mixed regarding the state of the market. While one source expressed better conditions with his business activity, another source reported a recent slowdown in their operations. A lumber supplier in New York expressed that the market has been challenging. “It’s a very tough market. We are trying to not make any extra material and just limping along until things get better. We do a fair amount of log exports and that’s been busy for the first half of the year, but some of that is starting to cool off now. I see the volume of production especially in Maple dropping off rapidly,” he added. Hard and Soft Maple are his two biggest production species and he’ll also do some Red and White Oak. Within the Southeast region, some sources have noted improvements in the market compared to several months ago, but others continue to face ongoing problems in their operations. In Georgia, a sawmill representative reported that their sales were doing well. However, he added that their biggest challenges were from other factors. “It’s not bad, we’ve had a sudden nice uptick on lowgrade. The pallet cant business has picked back up here in recent weeks and it’s doing very well,” he commented. Additionally, he mentioned that some of his higher grades of Hardwood were selling well. “My first and seconds FAS markets continue to be good, and orders continue to be available. Prices are still holding on at a nice level,” he added. At the time of this writing, sources from the West Coast recently reported a trend of slower business conditions with some also anticipating an upcoming slow season for the remainder of the year. According to a supplier based in Washington, the market presents its fair share of challenges. “We are struggling to keep our production sold let’s say that.” When asked how they were doing compared to several months ago, he noted, “It’s worse no doubt.” His company handles mostly Alder and is limited on the variety of wood they carry but they’ll occasionally market Maple and Ash. They sell to cabinet and moulding manufacturers across the country and internationally. “Transportation costs are down but you want it to be a balance of how bad you beat up your freight vendors Please turn to page 54 Please turn to page 55 Please turn to page 56 Please turn to page 57 ALL SYSTEMS G O ! MR6000 GANG SAW MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT Nelson Wood Shims, the largest shim manufacturer in North America, recently invested in this Wood- Mizer sawmill system to maximize log yield, while minimizing investment and operational costs. TV6000 TWIN VERTICAL SAW “Wood-Mizer continues to help us further streamline and increase production without losing our reputation for high quality.” — Brian Peterson, President Nelson Wood Shims From economic narrowband sawmill systems to high-throughput commercial sawing lines, Wood-Mizer designs the ideal system to reduce labor costs, meet your requirements and achieve results. © 2023 Wood-Mizer LLC STAND ALONE OR SYSTEM? WE CAN DO THAT. Contact your Wood-Mizer INDUSTRIAL specialists today. 866.878.9101 | woodmizer.com W11143 Cty Hwy G • P.O. Box 160 • Antigo, WI 54409 • EMAIL kretz@kretzlumber.com TOLL-FREE (800) 352-1438 • FAX (715) 627-4399 • www.kretzlumber.com INTERNATIONAL PHONE 00 + 1 + 715 + 6235410 • INTERNATIONAL FAX 00 + 1 + 715 + 6274399 8 SEPTEMBER 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmericanHardwood .com/industry RealAmericanHardwood .com/industry SEPTEMBER 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 9
