Throughout the Northeast lumber sources have mixed sentiments as to how the market is currently faring, with some stating that they are doing worse than they were six months ago and another stating that they are doing about the same.
In Pennsylvania, a mill owner said that his business is not doing well, at the time of this writing. “We aren’t doing as well as we were six months ago,” he continued. “With everything that is going on globally, I think that people are worried and they are going to start spending less than they already were.”
His sawmill offers Red, White and Black Oak, Cherry, Hard and Soft Maple, Beech, Hickory and Ash. “We harvest all Hardwoods that are native to Pennsylvania and saw mainly 4/4, with the occasional 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4,” he noted. “White Oak has been our best seller. It’s hot right now, between the stave mills and it being the specie of choice in the high-end homes, it has sold very well.”
He said that his company sells to end users with kilns, pallet manufacturers and stave mills. When asked if his customers have recently offered any comments as to how their business is doing, he said that they seem to be in the same boat that he is.
He mentioned that he owns a trucking company as well that hauls all of his sawmill’s lumber, from the time that the timber is cut to when it is shipped out. “The cost of fuel has affected our sales with how high the price of fuel has gotten.”
A lumberman in New York said that his market seems to be fair. “We are able to move everything that we saw,” he said. “Pallet cants have been a challenge, but as far as the grade lumber we are able to move it, even if the prices aren’t what we want them to be.”
He noted that his sales are about the same as they were six months ago, with it being a challenge then and a challenge now.
His company offers Hard and Soft Maple and Cherry in 4/4 thickness and in grades No. 2 Common and Better. “Cherry seems to be easy to sell even though the price is off,” he mentioned.
He said that he sells to a wide range of customers, including wholesalers and end users. “They haven’t said anything good about their sales to me lately,” he added.
In Connecticut a lumber representative said that his market is slow. “Our sales are worse than they were six months ago,” he added.
His company handles Red and White Oak, Poplar and Ash, and occasionally sells some Cherry and Hard Maple. “We mainly offer the upper grades, FAS and No. 1 Common and very little No. 2 Common, we offer these in 4/4 thickness and in theory we handle 4, 5, 6 and 8/4 as well,” he said.
The majority of the customers that he sells to are importers and distributors, he noted that he will occasionally sell directly to end users depending on the market. “We typically use agents in other countries and my agents in the Middle East are telling me that their sales are still slow despite the fact that they were expecting them to have picked up by now,” he said. “My agents in Europe are of course having a hard time with the war and the increase in energy costs.”
He mentioned that he is happy with his Red Oak sales. “Red Oak is a species that I have always thought of as a more domestic item, but I have noticed that it has started to sell more abroad with more countries starting to buy it.”
