Tolko Company has provided a brief update on the fire at its OSB mill facility in High Prairie, Alberta. The fire was initially reported at approximately 5:00 AM MDT on Friday, May 20, 2022. The mill was evacuated, and local emergency crews were called to aid the facilities fire suppression system. The fire was declared out about 90-minutes later.
Wood Markets News
Stora Enso and Modvion Partnering on Wood Wind Turbine Towers
Stora Enso Oyi and wood technology company Modvion AB are partnering together to make wood the material of choice for wood turbine towers. Modvion builds wind turbine towers with laminated veneer lumber (LVL). Stora Enso is a leading supplier of mass timber products, including LVL.
Mortgage Applications Decline for Fourth Consecutive Week in the Week Ending May 20, 2022
According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, for the week ending May 20, 2022, the Market Composite Index (a measure of mortgage loan application volume) declined -1.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index declined -2.0% compared with the previous week.
Median Rental Prices Hit New Record High for 14th Consecutive Month in April—Higher Rents on Horizon
New data from Realtor.com’s Monthly Rental Report reveals that the U.S. median rental prices hit a new record high of $1,827. April data from Realtor.com showed national rents maintained their record-breaking run that began in January 2021.
Astara Capital Partners Announces Second Sawmill Acquisition
Astara Capital Partners has formed Camden Timbers to acquire and restart the assets of Victory Lumber, a southern yellow pine sawmill located in Camden, Arkansas. The Camden Timber investment is Astara’s second sawmill investment. Previously, Astara’s ACP Lumber Holdings acquired Cross City Lumber in April of 2021.
New Brunswick Plans to Increase Stumpage Rate Fees on Trees Coming From Crown Land
A New Brunswick official said on Monday that the government is preparing to increase what it charges forestry companies for timber coming off of Crown-owned lands. The Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development said New Brunswick’s seven-year-old timber royalties are too low given what’s happened with the price of lumber.
Sales of New Single-Family Homes Tumble Month-Over-Month & Year-Over-Year in April
New residential single-family home sales for April 2022 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 591,000, according to estimates. This is -16.6% below the revised March rate of 709,000 and is -26.9% below the April 2021 estimate of 809,000. This marks the fourth consecutive monthly decline of new single-family homes.
Oregon Gov. Brown Signs Into Law Private Forest Accord Package
Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed into law the bipartisan Private Forest Accord. The package is the most comprehensive update to the Forest Practices Act since 1971, establishing new protections for salmon and other sensitive species on over 10 million acres of forestland in Oregon. The proposal seeks to meet federal standards.
AD&C Loan Balances Increase in Q1 of 2022
In Q1 of 2022, residential construction loan volume reached a post-Great Recession high, as home building activity entered a new year with higher interest rates. With the single-family building markets slowing in 2022, it is expected that the volume of such loads will likely peak in the upcoming quarters.
Multifamily Market Survey Moved Lower in Q1 of 2022, Ending Three Consecutive Quarters of Growth
According to the latest results of the National Association of Home Builders’ Multifamily Market Survey (MMS), confidence in the market for new multifamily housing moved lower in Q1 of 2022. The MMS produces two main indices, the Multifamily Production Index (MPI) and the Multifamily Occupancy Index (MOI), both of which were lower.