More mills closing?

[sawguy21]

There is a huge amount of softwood lumber being shipped to China and Japan as they are being introduced them to stick built homes.

[jrdwyer]

A year sure goes by fast. Well, Kimball sold its 3 hardwood sawmills and they are still open and running. In fact, they have gotten into the kiln-dried firewood business for their low-grade and I see it for sale and bagged in plastic at the local grocery store entrance.

My guess is that red oak is finally near the bottom. As far as green lumber prices, FAS red oak is now as low as it was in Oct. '96. If new construction using oak moulding or stairs or cabinets keeps falling, then red oak uppers could drop further. On a bright note, I do see more R&Q red oak being offered for sale by mills. I know it's slower to cut, but if you have big logs, then why not cut something that can sell?

The hard maple in my area is hit or miss for the nice white sap, so we sort of missed out on the boomming prices that the north saw.

Thankfully white oak is still strong. Lots of that around here. The buyers all want walnut, but it is usually only 1% or less of marked volume on any given timber sale.

Changing species markets don't effect my timber marking criteria that much, but it sure was better for everyone when prices were climbing.

[jack]

OH  LETS THANK THE TREE HUGGERS, for this....

It is now come full circle, the little children that had their heads filled with the "Pantload"  from the EcoWaco crowds....  That trees were only ment to be standing and admired, Forget about building anything with them..  Sierra Club folks poluting the brains of future voting citizens about saving paper cause that paper means that trees were murdered... BLA BLA BLA....
Now, these children are Grown up,  heads full of junk science, and tripe... and they vote for the ENvironment (forget about JOBS and the money machine of industry)
They Miss the Real Environmentalists, who nurse the land, keep it productive, moniter the FUTURE of our industry. (What group of ppl will deficate down their own well?)  So Thank a Tree hugger, for the lose of jobs, overgrown fireladen forests, ripe for disaster.   Lord Come help us.

Just a foot note,  I have a Landscape supply years ago i was hauling a load of Monterey Bays Finest organic compost to a guy in BIG SUR......
as i was waiting for this guy to SHOW UP>>>> to pay....for the delivery.....a worker told me to not drop the material before i got paid,  HE told me that this Customer,  was the RETIRED HEAD OF SIERRA CLUB........ and had a penchent for not paying on time.   Well i waited 30  minutes or more when this BIG SUV  comes in the drive way,  and out stepped, ONE person.  It was the Owner..... in his BIG REDWOOD house, over looking the ocean.   (no expense was spared in this house. Wood flooring, paneling, marble tiles, granite counters)   After sparing with him regarding PAYING HIS BILL,   I left and made the mental note regarding his attitude.
DO as i SAY not as i DO.

Jack

[Rockn H]

Tom, those white studs are most likely Canadian spruce.  We haul alot of it down your way.  Comes in on rail cars to places like Boonville Ar and Memphis Tn. 

Kevjay, you said a mouthfull about the SYP they through at you now adays.  Of course, just for an example, when you look at the GP mill here you can see why.  The logs going into the plywood plant are plantation grown super pines with maybe two rings per inch.  The 5" cores left after peeling are then sent to the stud mill and that's where alot of our SYP studs, 4x4's, and landscape timbers are coming from.  The same is true in most places around the south.   Now, take the Eldorado Ar GP mill which is all but shut down right now, they were strickly a lumber mill taking SYP saw logs.  Most of these logs came off of old growth mixed stands.  Not many came out of plantations.  This mill put out some good lumber, but what few studs came out of this mill were trims.

Today I find out that we may lose our lumber mill here in Crossett.  For over 100 years we've had the mill here.  Now with the purchase of GP by Koch it has changed hands three times.  Due to several factors plant one has been shut down and plant two along with the stud mill are to follow next month.  We're waiting to see if a near by OSB mill that was recently converted from plywood will be included as well, it supposedly will be.  If this mill shuts down it will be interesting since alot of plywood mills here have been converted due to an oncoming shortage of logs and the cheaper availability of chip wood.  It could signal the temporary, at least, shut down of more OSB mills.

[WDH]

Wyerehaeuser just announced permanent closure of the Mt. Pine, Arkansas Plywood mill.  360 jobs.

[SwampDonkey]

Tom, those white studs are most likely Canadian spruce.  We haul alot of it down your way.  Comes in on rail cars to places like Boonville Ar and Memphis Tn. 

Any of those rail cars have NB Railroad written on them? Maybe they get reloaded in New England someplace, but Irving has it's own railroad system from Saint John to the NE states. I was just curious. 

[SYOUNG]

Specialty cuts seem to be in big demand. There is a relatively small operation near Calgary that cannot supply enough for the U.S. market. They supply wood for custom flooring, spindles, railings etc.
 My cousin in Kenora, Ontario says the big mill is closing there. They are a major employer and will really hurt the economy.

Sawguy 21,
Do you have a company name or website/contact information for the company in Calgary?  I have been trying to track them down, but have not been successful.

Thanks in advance,
Steve