The Softwood Forest Products Buyer - March/April 2023

ONTARIO/QUEBEC Continued

ONTARIO/QUEBEC Continued from page 22 underlying demand in the marketplace, so I think people are looking positively at 2024 and thinking we just have to get through this year and then next year will be a lot better. I think people understand that, based on the demand now, there has to be a curtailment of production. There's no other way around it. There have been some quiet cutbacks in the east as well as the major announcements in the west.” Echoed an Ontario producer, “It might not be publicized in the same manner as out West, but I know that mills are curtailing production. They're trying to ease some of the pain everywhere. You know, you're coming into the busiest time of year for your product and then there is an oversupply out there. So, if they're prudent they would try to scale back a little bit, just kind of protect their markets. Their product goes to the states, just like the Western mills”. According to a Quebec producer, “Nobody wants to buy as the market's falling and people still had a lot of inventory. They're just hanging on and they want to average their prices down, so they want to make sure they're buying at the bottom. What I see out for three months, six months is we will go sideways to perhaps upwards. I think we've seen the bottom for the time being. A lot is going to depend on what happens with the demand, with the talk of possible recession that is kind of on the horizon. So sure, if we don't get a recession, I think we're going to kind of cruise through this in a moderate way. If not, I think we could see some more downward pressure again.” Noted an Ontario wholesaler, “Things seem to be firming up a little bit. I know Cedar is starting to pick up and I see that all the high grade and the merch logs are holding their own. They haven't come down in price, which is good. So that means 4x4, 6x6, 2x8, 2x10 - all the bigger stuff is holding its own and we're buying in. I see some of the smaller logs, the gang and chip and saw, they've come down. There used to be a little bit more, but there's not a lot of it out there. I think we found the floor and the magic number and with all the mill closures going on, I think we're going to see some firming in the market in the next little while.” On the Pine side, an Ontario manufacturer reported that, “Prices are still fairly firm. I would say if anything has loosened up a little bit, it might be on the industrial grades. The production is pretty much unchanged from what we can see in our region. Everybody seems to be pretty much producing about the same, so we don’t anticipate there will be an oversupply.” A Quebec wholesaler noted that “some, but not all the industrial, like the wider widths are ok. It's just some of the narrower widths that are starting to soften up a little bit. I mean you're talking about the pallet guys. Spruce plays a big part of that too, if there's a bit of economy Spruce out there, people will grab that before they use White Pine.” An Ontario wholesaler indicated that “for the most part, everything is kind of holding its own. We haven't already gone into the full swing yet of the market starting up again for spring. We usually expect to see that about the middle of February or so, but we expect things will be rolling along, there is some optimism. Our seasonal trends are November, December and January where it’s the cheapest time to buy. Then come February, March and April it picks up, for the exception of a few years in the many years I've been doing this.” Said a Quebec producer, “I don't know whether the market will be as good, there might not be quite as much demand as there was last year. I don't think it's going be a bad year. I think, there's no doubt that some things will soften up a bit, mostly in industrial grades. As far as the upper grades, for good quality materials, the price is not likely to fluctuate at all, from what I can see. And hopefully it doesn’t because the mills really need that level. There's still good demand on the selects and the upper grades. Generally something like that might fall off in the winter months cause there's not quite so much demand overall, but I think it just goes to the point that there's not a lot of product out there, so that's kind of holding price in place.” “With a bit of the slowdown that is happening in other sectors,” noted an Ontario producer, “you might see trucking slowly fall into place, to something a little bit more manageable. It certainly would help because transportation has been costly. They might be a little bit hungrier for work, as other operations are scaling back a little bit. As well, we've had a very good winter. It's been exceptionally mild. We just got over that one wicked spell, but it's quickly warming up again. I would think the Northeast states have had a tough time because it's been too mild. They just never got any frost in the ground to be able to log. This might be good in a sense because there was some production off the market and having a little extra wood off the market to try to stabilize things a bit might be helpful for everybody.” • read every issue online www.softwoodbuyer.com Floyd Billings In Memoriam Floyd (Jughead) Billings of Monroe, OR passed away recently after a brief bout of cancer. Billings was born in Newberg, OR on December 27, 1939 to Frank and Maxine Billings. Billings attended Creswell grade school and Cottage Grove and Hoopa Valley High Schools. Billings retired from Hull-Oakes Lumber as their lumber salesman; then he worked for Elk Creek Forest Products selling lumber until he passed away. Billings loved working and talking with his customers. Billings married Sue Coleman in Carson City, NV and they made their home in Monroe. They had one daughter Layle Billings McCord (Russ). Walter O. Young Walter O. Young passed away peacefully at his home in Bath, NH recently at the age of 85. Young was born on December 19, 1937, in Claremont, NH to Charles Young and Patricia Dupuis. He was a member of the United States Army and served in the 2nd Infantry. He married the love of his life, Carole Bean Young, whom he shared over 60 years of adventures with until her passing in July 2022. Young was an extremely hard worker, and through his hard work and perseverance he became a successful businessman. He owned and ran Newman Lumber Company in Woodsville, NH, H.O. Taylor Chevrolet (now Wells River Chevrolet) in Wells River, VT, and Transit Milling in Wells River, VT. He also served as President on the Board of Directors for Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank. Young and Carole were extremely passionate about supporting the community, creating the Walter & Carole Young Foundation, which provided scholarships for local students pursuing educational opportunities. They also supported the build of the Haverhill Corner Fire Department, deeding the building to the Haverhill Corner Precinct. Additional interests and philanthropic endeavors included support of Woodsville High School, St. Joseph's Hospital, Cottage Hospital and establishing the Walter & Carole Young Pancreas Center at Billings is survived by his wife, Sue, daughters Layle of Monroe and Debra Baldy of Sacramento, sons Oscar (Lori) and Richard (Janice) of Hoopa, CA, 18 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son Floyd Jr., his parents, and his sister Sharon Agee. A celebration of Billings' life was held at the Monroe High School gym. In lieu of flowers, donate to Monroe Fire Department or Monroe Arts Association. Published by Albany (OR) Democrat-Herald Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. Young loved to talk about life, whether it was work, travel or his beloved pets. He enjoyed sharing stories and spending time with friends and family. He lived life to the fullest and his infectious laugh and bright spark in our lives will forever be remembered and cherished. Young is survived by his sisters Marie and Bernice; his brothers Gary and Bob; his sons Walter Jr. of Sabattus, ME and Richard of Bath, NH; his grandchildren Loren, Courtney and Noah; his great grandsons Cameron and Benjamin; several nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents and brothers Roger and Stanley. Young is also survived by his sister-in-law Beverly Dole and nieces Kimberly Sawyer and Heather Tinker who lovingly cared for him and Carole in their final years. A special thank you to Comfort Keepers caregivers of Plymouth, NH A service was held at Ricker Funeral Home in Woodsville, NH. For more information, or to offer an online condolence, please visit www.rickerfh.com. Published by Valley News (West Lebanon, NH) on Jan. 22, 2023. S4S & Architectural Mouldings Cabinet & Furniture Components Siding & Exterior Trim Shiplap & Nickle-gap Paneling 1,000+ Finished Profiles The Latest Technology. Expanded Capacity. No Supply Chain Issues. Your Partner in Meeting Record-breaking Market Demand. Atlanta, GA Cleveland, GA Crystal Spring, PA Clarksville, TN www.hardwoodweb.com 800.476.5393 Page 54 Softwood Forest Products Buyer • March/April 2023 Softwood Forest Products Buyer • March/April 2023 Page 55