Western Forest Products has completed the installation of a continuous dry kiln at its Saltair Sawmill in BC and has plans for two additional kilns at other facilities in BC.
Wood Markets News
Ingka Investments Expands Forestland Portfolio in Finland and Baltics
Ingka Investments has acquired 23,883 hectares in Europe—of which 19,276 hectares are forestland—in Finland, Estonia, and Latvia.
Large West Virginia Hardwood Sawmill Operator Closes All Facilities Without Warning
West Virigina’s Allegheny Wood Products closed all of its facilities on February 23rd without warning, WCHS-TV reported.
FHFA House Price Index Increases Month-Over-Month and Year-Over-Year in December
The Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index® increased 0.1% month-over-month in December (seasonally adjusted).
S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US National Home Price Index Rises 5.5% Year-Over-Year in December
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US National Home Price NSA Index reported an annual gain of 5.5% in December, up from 5.1% in November.
The Conference Board’s US Consumer Confidence Index Moves Lower in February
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® declined to a reading of 106.7 in February, down from January’s revised reading of 110.9.
Rayonier Announces Additional Pore Space Lease Agreements With ExxonMobil
Rayonier has entered into additional underground pore space lease agreements with ExxonMobil covering approximately 33,000 acres of timberlands in the United States.
New US Residential Single-Family Home Sales Up Month-Over-Month and Year-Over-Year in January
New residential single-family home sales in January were at a SAAR of 661,000, 1.5% above the revised December 2023 rate.
BC Premier “Profoundly Worried” About Upcoming Wildfire Season; Expands Contingency Fund
British Columbia Premier David Eby said he is “profoundly worried” about the potentially “terrible” upcoming wildfire season, The Canadian Press reported.
Labor Shortages in New US Home Building Lessen but Remain Above Housing Boom of 2004–06
With home building volumes lower, labor shortages have eased significantly since the record level set in 2021, according to the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.