While there is some interplay between log prices and the price of wood products, the association is not a firm one. There are a number of mutual factors that affect both lumber and log prices, but each market also has independent drivers that do not overlap, which is why we oftentimes see a disconnect in prices.

Total industrial production (IP) rose 5.4 percent in June (-10.8 percent YoY), the largest MoM gain since December 1959; even so, it remained 10.9 percent below February’s pre-pandemic level. For 2Q as a whole, IP fell at an annualized rate of 42.6 percent, its largest quarterly decrease since the downturn when WWII ended.

When it comes to the issue of managing America’s forests, environmental and economic concerns can often seem incompatible. Those unfamiliar with forestry and silviculture practices oftentimes approach this subject believing that there is either one advantage or the other, but not both.

It may be a tad lopsided but housing starts are nevertheless charting a pretty convincing “V”-shaped recovery as they bounce back from the COVID-19 induced lows that began in March.

Australia’s softwood log exports exploded to a new monthly record in June, with total exports reaching a massive 590,689 cubic meters (m³), up more than 83% on the prior month. To underscore the magnitude of the monthly record, this is more than 27% or 110,000 m³ higher than for any prior month.

New Zealand’s softwood log exports totaled 2.022 million cubic meters (m³) in June, crossing the 2.0 million m³ threshold for only the third month on record. Although short of the record 2.141 million m³ recorded in March 2019, the big lift in exports reverses a downwards trend, especially for shipments to China. The average export price declined to NZDFob158/m³, around USDFob102/m³.

he Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) establishment survey showed that non-farm employers added 1.763 million jobs in July (+2.0 million expected). Also, May and June employment changes were revised up by a combined 17,000.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) recently released its 2020 Sustainability Report, highlighting the paper and wood products industry’s sustainability efforts.