Wood Markets News


Mortgage Applications Jump 16.0% in the Week Ending July 9, 2021, Ending 2-week Downturn

According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Application Survey, for the week ending July 9, 2021, the Market Composite Index — a measure of mortgage loan application volume, which includes an adjustment for the 4th of July holiday — increased 16.0% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased -7% compared with the previous week.

Idaho Wildfires Consuming Thousands of Acres of Grass and Forestlands

High temperatures, low humidity levels, and heat lightning have sparked wildfires all across Idaho and they are continuing to grow in size. The fires are burning in both grasslands and forested areas. Idaho News Channel 6 is reporting that there are currently 5-major fires burning in the state. Containment of most these fires is not expected until later in the year.

Consumer Price Index Increased 0.9% in June, 5.4% Year-Over-Year

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is reporting that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.9% in June on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.6% in May. This is largest 1-month change since June 2008 when the index rose 1.0%. Over the past 12-months, the all-item index has increased 5.4% before seasonal adjustment.

Wildfires Rage in Russia, Spain, the U.S. and Canada

While we read and hear about forest fires in the U.S. and Canada, the same unusually hot weather is taking its toll around the globe. In Russia, forest fires have broken out in the Chelyabinsk region close to the border with Kazakhstan, as well as in north-eastern Siberia. The Ministry of Emergency Situations said it has deployed aircraft and a helicopter to fight the fires, as well as 240 personnel to Chelyabinsk where two large villages have been evacuated.

Mosser Leimholz Selects Ledinek to Supply Complete Cross-Laminated Production Line

Mosser Leimholz GmbH has announced that they are making a pioneering investment and have placed an order with Ledinek for a complete cross-laminated timber production line for their Randegg site in Austria. Ledinek will deliver everything from the raw wood input to the handover of the formatted and sanded CLT elements to the CNC machining centers – including the master computer “X-Lam Manager.”

Wisconsin DNR Selects “New Wood Technology” to Rebuild Eagle Tower Observation Deck

At a ribbon cutting ceremony held on Friday (7-9-21), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officially opened the new Eagle Tower Observation Deck in Door County, Wisconsin. Eagle Tower is 60 feet high. The DNR says the tower was built using “new wood technology.” Construction included glulam, which is described as a “stress-rated engineered wood beam.”