Author: kkosman

  • Softwood Lumber Prices Soften, January US Housing Starts Pop: March 2019

    Important data releases delayed by the US government furlough are starting to catch up to normal schedule. Because everything is related between agencies, there have been delays in Statistics Canada releases, since StatsCan works closely with US Census on North America data. This week Monday came out Canadian sawmill manufacturing sales and Canadian softwood lumber…

  • Canada Sawmill Sales, Softwood Lumber Production: Full Year 2018

    Canadian softwood lumber production in December 2018 fell -18.4% from November, to 4,319.2 thousand cubic metres in December, said Statistics Canada Monday. Production was -10.8% lower than in December 2017. Canadian sawmills shipped 4,294.1 thousand cubic metres of lumber in December, down -18.2% from November and -10% lower than in December 2017.

  • British Columbia Softwood Lumber Exports Full-Year 2018, New Sawmill Vancouver Island

    Values of British Columbia forest products exports for full-year 2018 increased by +5.2% compared to the previous year, detailed the Economic Services Branch of the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Friday. As well, Monday morning the CBC had a visit to the construction site of the new San Group…

  • US Home Equity Values Improve for 2018, Softwood Lumber Prices Equalize to Match Demand: March 2019

    After a sleepy end to last year, the manufacture, sale, and consumption of North American dimension softwood lumber in 2019 to date has bobbled to relative normalcy. The weekly lumber price newsletter Madison’s Lumber Reporter printed today on the wholesaler (producer or secondary supplier) price of benchmark softwood lumber commodity Western Spruce-Pine-Fir KD 2×4 #2&Btr…

  • US Household Wealth, Property Values: 4Q and Full-Year 2018

    Of particular interest to building materials suppliers, especially those dealing in wood products, is the latest data on the strength of the US real estate market for full-year 2018. Home buying-and-selling activity, with details like inventory and prices, are good indicators of looming construction projects. Canadian and US softwood lumber manufacturers, the sawmills, as well…