The Hardwood lumber market in the Northeast is good, according to four lumber providers. “It’s very good, actually,” said a lumberman in Pennsylvania, “but most of the product is going overseas, and it’s very hard to get green lumber.” Compared to six months earlier, “It’s probably better right now,” the source stated. He provides Ash, Hard and Soft Maple, Cherry, Red Oak, Poplar and Walnut. “Walnut is our best seller,” he remarked. He sells to end users and distribution yards. His customers’ business is “good right now,” he observed. Transportation, he stated, is not a problem. “It’s pretty good, I guess.”
A Massachusetts representative noted that the market is good. “White Oak is crazy, and Soft Maple continues to be a good mover,” he remarked. “It’s probably better right now” than six months ago, he stated. Customers include end users and distribution yards, and their business, too, is good. He noted that transportation is not a problem.
“Lumber’s moving very well,” observed a source in Connecticut. “The market is very active.” Business is “definitely better, no question, across the species,” than it was six months previously, he stated. “Some species are more active than others, but everything’s up. It’s a supply matter. Supply is down, and I think everybody’s trying to fill the pipe. Nobody has logs, and it’s the first time I’ve seen it so uniformly across the East. Nobody has logs. I think that COVID and general labor being tight anyway are factors.
“In the previous year and a half, lumber prices were in the tank and some lumber mills closed down,” he continued. “Now, the market needs lumber, and it will be very difficult to get it. I think the supply is going to remain tight for several months.” Species sold include Red and White Oak, Hard and Soft Maple and Birch in No. 3 and Better and dry No. 1 and Better. “White Oak FAS is totally on fire,” he stated. “I would say that specie, singularly, is the best. Hard Maple is OK. We sell Red Oak domestically and to China. Prices of Red Oak are working their way up. The lumber we produce has really good markets right now.”
Customers include distribution yards, end users and wholesalers. “I think their business is going pretty well,” he observed. “Their sales are up now from what we’re seeing in the market. I think sales-wise, they’re doing pretty well.” Companies have worked their inventories down low, he noted, “and now they’re trying to refill the pipeline and the lumber’s not there. So, the scramble’s on.” Transportation isn’t a problem, he commented, but “it’s more expensive. Truck availability seems to be OK. However, the bulk of our customers do their own trucking.”
In New York State, a lumber supplier stated that business is “good.” Also, business is better than it was six months ago. Species he sells include Red and White Oak, Hard Maple and Cherry, with White Oak being the best seller. He sells to end users and distribution yards. His customers don’t mention to him how the market is for their products. “We just go by whether they’re buying or not.” Transportation isn’t problematic at this time, he observed.
