After being idled indefinitely by Georgia-Pacific Corp. in May 2020 (and only purchased in July of 2021 by Interfor Corporation) the first truckloads of Interfor lumber from its Dequincy, Louisiana sawmill went out for sale on Wednesday February 9.
News in lumber
Western Forest Products Confirms Chemainus Sawmill Production Has Been Curtailed
Western Forest Products (WFP) has confirmed that their Chemainus Sawmill is under a production curtailment. When at full production, the mill operates with two full shifts, and neither shift is currently working. No timetable as to when the mill might resume operations has been provided at this time.
Swedish Sawmills Set New Production Records in 2021
According to a press release from Swedish Wood, a publication that represents the Swedish sawmill industry and is part of the Swedish Forest Industries Federation, 2021 was a record year for Swedish sawmill production. The expectations for 2021 of 18.8 million cubic meters were exceeded, and the year ended at just over 19 million cubic meters of production.
New Sawmill to Help Residents in the Path of the Dixie Fire Rebuild and Recover
Last summer, Indian Valley and the towns of Greenville, Taylorsville, and Crescent Mills were right in the middle of the largest single-source fires and one of the most destructive blazes in California’s history. The Dixie Fire ran flames up and down the surrounding hills and pushed, at times, onto the valley floor.
U.S. Commerce Department Issues Preliminary Determination on 3rd Administrative Review of Certain Softwood Lumber Products Imported From Canada
The US Department of Commerce today (1-31-22) issued its preliminary determination in their Third Administrative Review of certain softwood lumber products from Canada. The new combined “All Others” rate of 11.64% is down from the current rate of 17.91%. This Preliminary Determination does not change the duties currently being collected, nor will it be the final rate.
New Partnership Will Allow Sans Group to Process Wood Waste into Value-Added Wood Products
Sans Group — which operates sawmills and remanufacturing plants in Port Alberni and on the mainland in B.C. — announced on Wednesday (1-26-22) that it has entered into a strategic lumber supply agreement with Seaton Forest Products, based in Smithers. The agreement allows San Group to process waste wood from Seaton into commodity grade lumber products.
Canadian Industrial Product Price Index Moves Higher in December on Softwood Lumber Gains
Statistics Canada (StatsCan) reported today (1-31-22) that prices of products manufactured in Canada, as measured by the Industrial Product Price Index (IPPI), rose 0.7% on a monthly basis in December and were up 16.1% year-over-year. Prices of raw materials purchased by manufacturers operating in Canada, as measured by the Raw Materials Price Index (RMPI), fell -2.9% month-over-month in December but increased 29.0% year-over-year.
Saskatchewan Forest Industry to Benefit from British Columbia’s Reduced Timber Basket
Despite its vast and mature forests, Saskatchewan forestlands have been under-utilized. That is until now. Over the past several weeks, the province has announced a reallocation of its forest resources, primarily located north of Saskatoon, and that will result in sizeable forest industry investments. Those forestland reallocations are expected, over the next two years, to lead to over a $1 billion dollars (CAD) in new investments in Saskatchewan’s forest industry.
Goods Used in Residential Construction Climb 1.5% in December
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) latest Producer Price Index (PPI), which was released on Thursday (1-13-22) with additional analysis provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), reveals that the price of goods used in residential construction, less energy, climbed 1.5% in December (not seasonally adjusted). The index was driven higher by a significant price increase for wood products.
U.S. Commerce Department Amends Notice of Final Results of the 2019 Administrative Review of the Countervailing Duty Order
On Thursday, January 6, 2022, the Department of Commerce (DOC) amended its notice of final results of the 2019 administrative review of the countervailing duty (CVD) order. In the amendment, the DOC stated they had incorrectly calculated J.D. Irving and West Fraser’s CVD rates. The new CVD rates are 3.46% and 5.08%, respectively.