In the Northeast, in contrast to the colder climate there, the markets for lumber companies contacted recently were hot.
A Massachusetts lumber provider said her market is “red hot, super, super busy. We have never seen so much demand as we have seen for this time of year, and I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years. We’ve never seen demand like this.” Not surprisingly, her market is better than it was a few months ago.
She sells Eastern White Pine and Western Red Cedar, all in common and clear grades.
“We sell nationwide to industrial manufacturers, independent lumberyards and large general contractors,” she stated. “I just got off the phone with a client of mine who typically doesn’t work at all this time of year, and they have been going nonstop. I haven’t spoken with anyone whose business is down.”
Asked to address challenges, she replied, “The biggest issues are availability of product and freight cost. If we were able to get everything that everyone was looking for, that would be great. Freight is a very volatile industry right now. It’s changing from week to week. Trying to manage those costs is a bit difficult right now.”
A Maine lumber spokesman said his market is “very good, very strong. The contractor base is still very busy.” His market is “about the same” as it was several months ago.
He sells Eastern White Pine in grades that range from industrial all the way up to select.
“I personally sell to retail lumberyards,” he stated, “but we also sell to wholesale distributors. Their business is very good. From everything we’ve heard, we’re looking at a very strong 2022.”
Like many companies, his business is hampered by transportation problems. “Transportation is hurting the wholesale end of our business,” he stated. “We have our own trucks, and that works fine. We’re not getting loads out as quickly as we’d like in the wholesale end of the business. But they’re still moving. It’s affecting our work, but it’s not a huge detriment yet.”
A New Hampshire lumber spokesman categorized his market as “pretty busy. It’s pretty strong.” The market is “about the same,” he said, as it was six months before.
He sells Eastern White Pine in all NeLMA grades to wholesale distribution yards around the country and to lumber brokers. His customers’ sales “seem like they’re pretty busy and steady,” he observed. Transportation slowed his business down recently. “Ice storms in the Northeast don’t help,” he said. “The last week or so has been a little bit better as loads have been leaving at a better rate than they were.”
