There are many developments on so many fronts for the North American forest products industry. Below is a small recap.
KEY POINTS:
• Softwood lumber prices moderate to levels reasonable when compared to cost-of-production, but the threat of reduced timber supply rushed to the forefront as 230 unloaded logging trucks arrived in convoy directly to downtown Vancouver this week, where was held the annual Union of BC Municipalities meeting.
• US housing starts were not terrible but home sales of all kinds, and prices, rocketed higher in July after a lag in June. The mix of housing starts became even more weighed to multi-family.
• At the same time, yet more jurisdictions worldwide authorized higher wood-frame building and the use of cross-laminated timber and other engineered wood products.
• An absolutely incomprehensible lumber market became no clearer as another major Canadian operator invested in US lumber manufacturing. The cry to adjust forest resource pricing in British Columbia could not be louder.