Photos by Gary Miller
Richmond, VA–The 2022 Expo Richmond welcomed more than 300 exhibitors recently to the Richmond Raceway Complex, located here.
More than 6,000 attendees were expected for this event, which featured an array of companies representing respective industries, such as sawmill, pallet, logging, biomass and related machinery, supplies and services. Their exhibits and services were on display during the 38th East Coast Sawmill & Logging Exposition, which is held every two years.
Expo Richmond also hosted the Forest Products Innovation Technology Summit, which featured technologies in the primary wood products sector that can benefit forest products industry operations in various ways. These included robotics, optimization, grading, management and distribution. This Summit included presentations by industry leaders in technology, discussion panels and networking opportunities.
Expo Richmond 2022 has enjoyed over five decades of providing the forest products industry the opportunity to keep their operations running efficiently and cost-effectively. Since the first Expo in 1960 was hosted in Crozet, VA, the event has grown larger and larger. Over the years, Expo moved around the Commonwealth to Petersburg, VA, then to the Richmond Arena (next to the Diamond), and finally, in 1976, it moved to its current home at the Richmond Raceway Complex.
Tens of thousands of forest products industry personnel have visited the Expo site over the years.
Sawmill attendees at the 2022 Expo offered insights into the industry. One from Tennessee said, “For the last year and a half, we sawmillers have had the best and highest prices for our Hardwood lumber than ever before. However, I believe inflation is at least 10 percent for this year on many items that the American consumer needs to have, like gas, oil, tires, groceries, restaurants, etc. Even though I’m getting the best prices I’ve ever received for my lumber in 2021 and 2022, I’ve had to pay the highest prices I’ve ever seen to get the timber logged and delivered to my mill.”
This sawmiller cuts mostly White and Red Oak lumber in 4/4 thickness, but he does cut 8/4 and 12/4 thicknesses, mostly in specialty items.
His “green” sawmill can cut between 25,000 to 30,000 BF per day, counting the grade lumber he manufactures, as well as the pallet and flooring lumber, cants and railroad ties.
Another large Hardwood sawmill spokesman explained, “Our mill cuts 4/4 through 8/4 thicknesses and we sell our lumber green and kiln-dried. I anticipate that Soft Maple lumber will pass Hard Maple in prices shortly, and both of these species are very hot today. Red Oak is plateauing for us presently and Cherry still stays in high demand, but mostly in the export market. Our industry is struggling horrendously with logistic issues whether it be finding reliable contract trucking companies or dealing with trying to get containers and have the shipping companies deliver our containers of export-bound logs and/or lumber to their overseas destinations as we specify.”
He commented further, “We could hire 20 people to work at our sawmill/dry kiln operation right now, if we could find them. We can always hire more truck drivers. Lastly, a great concern of ours right now is with the COVID restrictions in Canada and China. We hope they will not be shutting down different factories that need our lumber.”
Sawmill equipment manufacturers and dry kiln manufacturers who were in attendance stated they are approximately two years out on completion of current orders.
Learn more at www.exporichmond.com.
