Two lumber sources interviewed in the Lake States saw varying degrees of “good” in the market, while another one found a silver lining to the clouds in three species of hardwoods. The first source sees the market as “very good.” He stated: “The lumber market is great. The pallet market has picked up substantially. However, ties are down, right now.” Compared to six months earlier, he noted, “I’d say it’s more consistent right now. COVID is still there, but people have gone through that and they aren’t questioning what they’re doing.” He offers Red and White Oak in 4/4, Hickory and Cherry in 4/4, Basswood in 4/4, 5/4 and 9/4 and Hard and Soft Maple in 4/4. The best sellers, he observed, are Red and White Oak. “Maple has sold well, also.” He sells more to end users than distributors. He described the good health of the market, noting that his customers have said, “It’s pretty wild. Flooring customers are turning away customers because they can’t keep up.”
Another degree of “good” was expressed by a lumber source in Michigan. “It seems like it’s been pretty good,” he said. “We had a good September. October has been pretty good, too, pretty steady and good.
“It’s better than it was in the spring,” he noted. “We had a good turn of the year. Lately, the market is the best since the turn of the year, maybe the best it’s been all year.” This source sells Hard and Soft Maple, Red and White Oak, Hickory, Cherry- Maple. He sells to end users and distributors. “Most of them say they’re busy,” he stated. Transportation, he said, “hasn’t been too bad. You can’t always get trucks, but the rates aren’t crazy. The weather’s been decent for logging.”
A lumber source in Indiana found comfort in that “there are people looking for lumber. We have a lot of inquiries. A lot of the lumber species, we don’t have, but at least there’s people out there looking.” She sells “pretty much all species of hardwoods in all grades,” she stated. “Our big ones are Red and White Oak and Walnut. We’re trying to handle more of these because it seems to be the thing that’s moving.”
The market is better than it was six months earlier, she remarked. She sells lumber to a wide variety of customers. “We used to do a fair amount of export,” she said, “and we’re trying to do more domestic now.” Transportation is not an issue for her firm but “getting enough employees” is a problem.
