As with the middle of 4Q last year, North American construction framing softwood lumber prices for the week of April 1, 2022 hit almost exactly the level of one year ago. However, last year prices were starting a major crest upward to previous impossible record-level highs. While this year they are dropping. Demand remains quite…

North America Lumber Production, Sawmill Capacity Utilization: Full-Year 2021 Full-year 2021 softwood lumber production in the US rose by +0.7% from the previous year, says the latest issue of the Western Wood Products Association’s monthly Lumber Track. Due to the British Columbia railway and highway washouts and mudslides in November, Canadian lumber production and capacity utilization rates…

Comparison of Pellet Export Trends: US and Canada As governments around the world rush to implement policies that address the topic of climate change, Canada and the United States continue to emerge as two of the most prominent producers and exporters of high-quality industrial grade biomass for use in global energy markets. In terms of…

Western S-P-F producers in the United States reduced asking prices on some of their more commonly-traded commodities in an effort to entice circumspect customers. And in Canada, while prices remained wildly variable and confusing to buyers, downward pressure was evident for Western S-P-F lumber items. As we approach the time of year when most of…

In Canada and the US, the interplay between timber harvest, log availability, log costs, and lumber production is as murky — and fascinating — as the interplay between lumber manufacturing and sales / prices, and construction activity. Full-year 2021 data is out for the supply side of the lumber industry. This data clearly demonstrates why…

Softwood lumber buyers and sellers wrestled with price levels. While inventories in the field remained light, many customers were still waiting for wood they had ordered weeks ago, so were reluctant to buy given ongoing higher prices. Some secondary suppliers, at reloads and wholesalers, were offering wood at a discount to producers. Sawmill order files…

North America softwood lumber production volumes and sawmill capacity utilization rates released by Western Wood Products Association (www.wwpa.org) show: For full-year 2021 softwood lumber production in the US was flat compared to 2020, at 37,153 mmfbm. Softwood lumber production in Canada for 2021 it was up +3%, to 23,711 mmfbm, compared to 2020. British Columbia,…

After dropping last month, February starts of single-family housing, the largest share of the market and construction method which uses the most wood, was 1.215 million annualized, up by +5.7% compared to January. Building permits are generally submitted two months before the home building is begun, so the expectation is that April single-family starts will…

Much-welcomed stability in lumber pricing arrived for the week ending March 18, 2022 Check back with the Madison’s website www.madisonsreport.com often for the latest updates for the latest developments and updates. Much-welcomed stability in pricing arrived for the week ending March 18, 2022, when the price of benchmark softwood lumber item Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 #2&Btr…

This week Madison’s Lumber Reporter had a great chat with Timber Exchange about the North American lumber market, current situation as well as expectation for lumber prices during this coming year. Link to my great conversation with Timber Exchange this week (simply input your name and email as registration to view): https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/play/25sx9kFPYrfQ_EYMlVZePljB_ksyL7Bu8M7qD-a7eD1G181tKPR5mPz8RzlTtzAqD4CZS0FvGVjloOVM.Vr7Z8oPRcntyTnV_ To receive the…

Shipping delays continued to be the main word as inventories in the field were waning and deliveries were frustratingly slow. Sawmills were able to keep strong order files of up to 4 weeks so prices remained flat. Lumber yards at suppliers were choked due to sheer lack of rails cars coming in as well as…

The past two years have been fraught with change, both for society at large and for the manufactured forest products industry. Sawmills and lumber producers across North America have had to make a series of significant adjustments to their business, both due to changes to society and due to market conditions. Each of these circumstances…

Get the word on North American sawmill downtime, curtailments, labour issues, fires, and restarts! Delivered monthly directly to your inbox every month: FULL ISSUE: https://madisonsreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/MadisonsSawmillLookout_2022-march.pdf This brand-new product will be distributed monthly to subscribers. For three months (until June) we will be sending it out for free. CONTACT our office now to be added to…

Here is a SNEAK PEAK at tomorrow’s Madison’s Lumber Reporter print for North American construction framing softwood lumber prices: Madison’s is your premiere source for North America home building construction framing softwood lumber news, prices, industry insight, and industry contacts. We have a variety of products to meet your information needs. The full Madison’s Lumber…

Some crazy weeks on the Futures Board created uncertainty but as March carried on cash (or print) prices flattened out. Industry players hoped a balance of supply and demand has been reached, so price volatility settles down and true volumes of lumber are sold into this spring. The inventory of homes on the market continued…