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US Housing Starts and Home Sales, November
Read more: US Housing Starts and Home Sales, NovemberBuilders broke ground on more homes in November than at any time in over five years as growing demand helped the industry overcome rising US mortgage rates. Housing starts jumped 22.7 per cent to a 1.09 million annualized rate, the most since February 2008, data from the Commerce Department showed Wednesday. Permits for future projects…
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Canfor Expands
Read more: Canfor ExpandsDue to increased global demand for southern yellow pine lumber, Canfor Southern Pine is expanding its existing operations in Darlington County, SC, the company announced Wednesday. The US$8 million investment is expected to generate 50 new jobs through the addition of a second shift at the manufacturing facility. Canfor’s Darlington facility manufactures southern yellow pine…
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Stikine Plans New Mill
Read more: Stikine Plans New MillStikine River Forest Products announced Monday evening plans to build a mill in Petersburg, AK, according to the Petersburg Pilot. Owner John Glenn said he has located a piece of property near the airport that exists within industrial zoning and has power and water connections. Construction of the mill would be done in two phases.…
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Illegal Timber Harvesting
Read more: Illegal Timber HarvestingIllegal Timber Harvesting Fast on the heels of the US Lacey Act and Europe’s EUTR legislation prohibiting the import of illegally harvested timber, this week Australia officially approved it’s own similar law. Australia’s parliament on Monday passed legislation to ban the import and trade of illegally logged timber, joining the United States and European Union…
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Madison’s Timber Preview
Read more: Madison’s Timber PreviewThis week’s issue of Madison’s Timber Preview examines the latest data on US mortgage rules, mortgage insurance, federal penalties to banks, and financial results of lender companies. Contact us any time for this worthwhile and timely information!
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CN Rail Labour Contract Talks Stall
Read more: CN Rail Labour Contract Talks StallCanada’s government is closely monitoring a dispute between the railway workers’ union and Canadian National Railway, and is urging both parties to continue talking, a spokesperson for Labour Minister Kellie Leitch said on Tuesday. The Teamsters said Monday that talks had broken down, raising the possibility of a strike or a lockout at the country’s…
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UK Timber Shortage
Read more: UK Timber ShortageThe “Grown in Britain” campaign this week launched a report detailing proposals to boost Britain’s domestic forest industry. The construction industry was hoping that the report would contain suggestions for increasing the amount of British-grown timber available for new buildings, said The Economist Thursday. But the report merely suggests that there is a need for…
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US Builder Confidence : October 2013
Read more: US Builder Confidence : October 2013The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo housing-market index fell to 55 in October, from 57 in September, the NAHB reported Wednesday. A prior September estimate pegged the level at 58, which matched the highest reading since 2005. Results above 50 signal that builders, generally, are optimistic about sales trends. “Interest rates remain near historic…
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Oregon’s Forestry Employment
Read more: Oregon’s Forestry EmploymentA recent report of labour trends on Oregon’s South Coast showed a rise in payroll employment across several industries, but one industry that’s seen a great rebound since the recession is the wood product manufacturing industry, said KCBY October 11. An Oregon Employment Department Report shows wood manufacturing jobs in Coos County have grown by…
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Large Timberland Sale
Read more: Large Timberland SaleMolpus Woodlands Group, out of Jackson, MS, has agreed on behalf of a unidentified client to buy about 73,000 acres of timberland located around Birmingham, AL. The close of the purchase is set to occur in installments starting this month. Terms were not disclosed. Dick Molpus, president of the timberland investment management firm, says the…
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North American Trade
Read more: North American TradeJust as large parts of the US government structure have gone into shutdown due to a stalemate in Congress over budget and health care legislation, officials from the US, Canada, and several Asian countries are embarking on delicate trade discussions. The Conservative government of Canada said this summer “trade is the new stimulus” and is…
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Politics and Lumber Exports
Read more: Politics and Lumber ExportsThis extended US government shutdown has begun to affect that country’s exports, while Bank of Canada economists warn that Canadian export volumes will likely drop in 4Q 2013. According to the Wall Street Journal Wednesday, “The US government’s partial shutdown is beginning to gum up trade, with companies unable to gain approval to import or export computer…
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Timber and Wood Fibre Sectors
Read more: Timber and Wood Fibre SectorsLast week Madison’s summarized speeches on macroeconomic and forest products market conditions given at the ninth annual Who Will Own the Forest? timberland investment summit in Portland, OR. Some extremely interesting presentations and thoughts came at the following session, a panel discussion, “Manufacturing Perspectives on the Timber and Wood Fibre Sectors“. Moderated by Joe Patton, Vice President of Lumber…
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Timber and the Economy
Read more: Timber and the EconomyThis week was held the ninth annual Who Will Own the Forests? timberland investment summit at the World Forestry Center in Portland, OR. Host to a sold-out crowd of 425 attendees, the event was buzzing with the latest news, information, and asset class analyses by participants from around the world. Players from the US, Europe, Asia, Oceania,…
