The B.C. Wildfire Service is reporting that there are 257 wildfires currently burning throughout the province. That is one less than was being reported at the Saturday update and down from about 300 being reported earlier in the week. Nonetheless, there are still 58 evacuations orders in place that are impacting about 4,400 properties.
Wood Markets News
Hunt Forest Products and Tolko Industries Announce a Joint Venture to Build a New State-of-the Art Sawmill in Bienville, Louisiana
Hunt Forest Products and Tolko Industries today (7-26-21) announced that they intended to build a $240 million, state-of-the-art sawmill in Bienville Parish near Taylor, Louisiana. The new sawmill project is a joint venture between Hunt Forest Products and Tolko.
Fire Destroys Sawmill Manufacturing Building at Glidden Lumber Co. in Parkman, Maine
A fire last Tuesday (7-20-21) morning destroyed the main sawmill manufacturing building at Glidden Lumber Company in Parkman, Maine. Local officials believe that a faulty piece of machinery was the cause of the blaze.
Nation’s Housing Report for 2021 — from The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University (JCHS) has just released their 40-page State of the Nation’s Housing report for 2021. The report examines a year’s worth of data, trends and issues that are impacting the housing industry. This includes housing policy, market trends, household growth and composition, homeownership, affordability issues, rental markets, and more.
Central Alabama Wood Products Goes High Tech
In June of 2020 when many companies were fighting to keep their doors open, Central Alabama Wood Products, located in Coosa County, Alabama, made the decision to make a major investment in their mill and their future. Pat McGinn with Central Alabama Wood Products notes that “We make a lot of lumber and cross ties here.”
B.C. Premier Calls for Provincial Forestry Companies to Share Profits and Equipment to Help with Wildfires
British Columbia’s Premier John Horgan, while touring the Southeast Fire Centre in Castlegar on Wednesday (7-21), said that he expected other companies to follow the lead of Canfor Corp. in shutting down operations as trains, roads, and forest activity are disrupted by wildfires.
3% of all Single-Family Home Completions in 2020 were Non-Site Built
According to the U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Construction data, with analysis provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the total share of non-site built single-family homes (modular and panelized) was a 3% of single-family completions in all of 2020. The NAHB anticipates that this share is expected to rise moderately in 2021 and in the years ahead.
Alberta’s First New Forest Management Agreement in 12-Years is with Spray Lake Sawmill Affiliate
The first new Forest Management Agreement in 12-years, in the Province of Alberta, has been announced and it is with Crowsnest Forest Products Ltd., affiliate of Spray Lake Sawmills. Forest Management Agreements are the most secure type of forest tenure and are designed to provide companies with rights to establish, grow, harvest and remove timber on Crown land using sustainable forest management practices.
Home Buyers Are Again Considering Condo Living
In its latest report, Redfin, the Seattle-based technology-powered real estate broker, is reporting that the typical condo in the U.S. sold above its asking price in June, just the second time since at least 2012. The first time was in the month of May, and is signaling renewed homebuyer competition for condos after a pandemic-fuel slump. Nationwide, the typical condo sold for 0.7% above its asking price in June, following a premium of 0.4% in May.
Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. Increased 0.7% in June
The Conference Board, which was founded in 1916 as a non-partisan, not-for-profit think tank, released Thursday (7-22-21) their June 2021 Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. According to the release, the LEI (which is based on ten separate components) increased 0.7% in June to 115.1 (2016 = 100), following a 1.2% increase in May and a 1.3% increase in April.