Much has been made of the recent sharp increase in the price of lumber, with a whole crop of suddenly new commenters saying this is “price gouging”. Where were these people for the past ten years when lumber was undervalued? FULL STORY + GRAPHS: https://madisonsreport.com/2021/05/14/lumber-prices-are-high-but-is-it-gouging-though/ BIG THANKS TO https://www.soleraadvisors.com/ for the chats, insight, and graphs…

An examination of current lumber prices if paid in the current price of other commodities, IE: WTI Brent, Copper, and even Bitcoin. Comparison of current WTI Brent price if paid in Bitcoin. Much has been made of the recent sharp increase in the price of lumber, with a whole crop of suddenly new commenters saying…

A severe lack of supply along with unrelenting demand sent softwood lumber prices up once again for the week ending April 30. At the producer level, sawmill order files stretched out 4 weeks or longer, with chronic delayed deliveries adding approximately 3 weeks to that. As the home building season is just getting started for…

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported May 5 US and Canadian rail traffic volumes for April 2021. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported May 5 US and Canadian rail traffic volumes for April 2021. Down slightly after a huge rebound in March, US railroads originated 951,840 carloads in April, up +24%, or 182,060…

As April draws to a close and the usual construction season starts to come on in Canada and the US, demand for softwood lumber remains very hot. While customers are reluctant to pay these way-beyond record-breaking prices, there is little they can do to avoid buying as ongoing building projects must be completed. Builders and…

More Clean Energy Funding for Remote BC Communities Natural Resources Canada (NRC) recently announced it will award more than $7 million in funding to Indigenous communities in BC to support their transition from fossil-fuel to biomass-based heating systems. The funding will be distributed through the NRC’s Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities program as…

In an effort to make timber prices more responsive to market conditions, the latest changes to BC Timber Sales stumpage rates has that calculation based on recent lumber prices. As these changes start to take hold, the relationship between softwood lumber prices and log prices will become even more apparent. Madison’s Monthly Lumber and Forestry…

Sales of new single-family houses in the US for March 2021 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.021 million, according to estimates released jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is up +21% from the revised Feb 2021 rate of 846,000 and up an astonishing…

In the week ending April 23, 2021, the wholesaler price of Western S-P-F KD 2×4 #2&Btr was US$1,330 mfbm.

Sales of new single-family houses in the US for March 2021 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.021 million, according to estimates released jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is up +21% from the revised March 2021 rate of 846,000 and up an astonishing…

This week Madison’s was interviewed by a woodworking YouTube channel about lumber prices and what is going on in the market: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5-vauitPSwmPsiGhiXlSrw “WHY are lumber prices just out of control? “Construction wood prices just keep going up. I asked an industry expert to explain, here is what she had to say. Keta Kosman, Editor Madison’s…

April 9, 2021 — Shock and disbelief resonated throughout the North American forest products industry as solid wood construction framing building material prices surpassed expectations and just kept going up. It is a frustrating situation for sawmills as supply remains well below extremely hot, indeed unabated, demand. If anything, it looks like the home building…

Compared to March 2020 total residential starts in the US last month shot up by +37% to a 1.74 million annualized rate, from 1.27 in the same month one year ago. Permits for future homebuilding increased spectacularly compared to one year ago, up by +30% to a rate of 1.77 million units last month compared…

US Housing Total and 1-Unit Starts March & Benchmark Softwood Lumber Prices April 2021 This year started off with a very harsh winter, which kept construction and building activity down in January and February. March housing starts across North America show a significant rebound; something Madison’s expected, due to a big jump in permits in…

Total US carload traffic for the first 3 months of 2021 was 2,911,097 carloads, down -2.6%, or 77,267 carloads, from the same period last year; and 3,619,546 intermodal units, up +13.2%, or 421,513 containers and trailers, from last year. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported April 7 US and Canadian rail traffic volumes for…