In a keynote address on Thursday (4-8-21) at the virtual Council of Forest Industries (COFI) conference, British Columbia’s Premier John Horgan addressed the ongoing timber shortage in the province. “There is too little fiber, and we need to do something about that,” Horgan said.
Wood Markets News
Mortgage Credit Availability Increased in March
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI) that analyzes date from the Ellie Mae’s AllRegs® Market Clarity® business information tool, mortgage credit availability increased in March.
Canadian Employment Increased and Unemployment Declined in March 2021
Statistics Canada (StatsCan) is reporting that employment in Canada increased by 303,000 or 1.6% in March and is now within 1.5% of its pre-COVID-19 level of February 2020. The unemployment rate fell -0.7% points to 7.5% the lowest level since February 2020.
Remodelers Confidence Soars Year-Over-Year in Q1 of 2021
According to the Remodeling Market Index (RMI) released today by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), remodelers confidence was up sharply year-over-year. In Q1 of 2021, the RMI posted a reading of 86, up 38 points from Q1 of 2020.
Maine’s Hancock Lumber Announces Purchase of Lapointe Lumber
Maine’s Hancock Lumber, a seventh-generation integrated forest products company, which currently operates nine existing lumber yards, eight kitchen design showrooms, three sawmills, truss and wall panel manufacturing facilities, and timberlands, has announced that it has agreed to purchase Lapointe Lumber, a fourth-generation building materials supplier, with facilities in the Augusta and Gardiner markets.
Weekly Jobless Claims Increase in the Week Ending April 3, 2021
The U.S. Department of Labor is reporting that an additional 744,000 Americans made their initial filing for unemployment benefits during the week ending on Saturday, April 3, 2021 — an increase of 16,000 from the previous week’s revised level.
30-Year Mortgage Rate Declines in the Week Ending April 8, 2021
Freddie Mac has released its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) for the week ending April 8, 2021. The PMMS reports that 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.13% with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.18%.
New 4-Story Mass Timber Building in Downtown Vancouver B.C. to Showcase the Use of Mass Timber Construction in Commercial Buildings
The use of mass timber as a building material lowers emissions, promotes innovation, and supports value-added manufacturing. That is why Canada is investing in the use of mass timber in building applications to support Canadian forestry workers with new uses of for wood.
Södra Announces Purchase of Sawmill and Treating Facility in Sweden
Södra, the international forest industry group, which is owned by more than 53,000 forest owners, announced that pending the approval by the Swedish Competition Authority, it is acquiring Ture Johanssons Trävaru AB and AB Tenhults Impregneringsverk.
Unfilled Construction Job Openings Decline -3.5% in February
A deeper look into the Bureau of Labor Statistics, February 2021, Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) with a focus on the construction sector, provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), reveals that construction job openings declined -3.5% in February, to 266,000 unfilled positions.