iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Anyone else seeing log prices dropping ?

Started by BargeMonkey, March 25, 2015, 09:16:49 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

BargeMonkey

 I ran a load down the other day to the local mill i deal with and i know it wasnt the greatest but i was in for a shock on the lowgrade, what was bringing $325 mbft is down to 275 or 200 on #3-#4 RO. The mill scaler, part owner told me to hold off bringing or cutting nice oak or maple for a while till stuff comes back. Any of you guys seeing stuff drop ?

treeslayer2003


YoungStump

Yeah I know guys around here have been dropping prices. Some are having a tough time moving grade lumber. And some of the pallet companies are starting to fill up as well.
Echo Enterprises 45HD2 production series band mill, Cook's Edger, sawing mostly pallet cants, rr ties, and grade lumber.

Southside

Red and white oak flooring is down right now, the flooring planer mill has not bought any for about two weeks now, basically the Chinese have shut down at the moment.  They were planning to start buying lumber in a couple of weeks and said give it a month or so and they would buy from me being I am new on the scene.  They are installing triple the kiln capacity and plan to mill 12 million bft next year so I don't think it a giant bump. 
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

coxy

ya hm sm ch oak all went down but ash went up  8) 8) have 2 ash jobs to do side by side

tmbrcruiser

I also have been told the Chinese are not buying red oak. For a while our market are not even taking the lower grades.
Once you get sap in your veins, you will always have sawdust in your pockets.

timberjack 240a

Only the low grade where I sell to, everything else is holding so far.
When all else fails, cut it and see what happens.
2016 kenworth t800, rotobec elite, timberjack 240a, deere 450j, kobelco 70sr, mahindra 4035, to many saws to count

BargeMonkey

 There for a while last yr i was shipping it all. The price on the real good stuff is still up but i rarely get lots that have 100mbft of great stuff. I guess the plan is to knock some hemlock and firewood out and see how the cards fall. Get stuck on this boat much more and im going to scream.  :o  my "relief" is competent enough to add oil, i dont get paid to hold someones hand this much.  :D

furltech

Our hardwood mill shut down for awhile blaming lack of logs .

4x4American

Do you think it's just cause of mud season coming into play now?  Most mills will stock up with logs to get through mud season, if it was normal weather this year we'd be in mud season right now, so maybe they're just stocked up enough and not buying anymore
Boy, back in my day..

BargeMonkey

 Ash is still paying pretty good, the better HM and CH paying ok but 200mbft delivered makes the firewood pile grow alot quicker.  :D  Ive been dealing with Cooksburg / Indian Ridge and they have been very decent, i may get a touch more at B+B / Baileys but they dont really want the lowgrade.

WH_Conley

Bill

coxy

I was told this morning that oak will continue to fall with all the ash that is being cut    ash and oak are vary vary  similar and after the two are milled and all the good stuff you cant tell the difference between the two

timberjack 240a

When all else fails, cut it and see what happens.
2016 kenworth t800, rotobec elite, timberjack 240a, deere 450j, kobelco 70sr, mahindra 4035, to many saws to count

Corley5

Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

BradMarks

All the replies seem to be from hardwood country, but it's the same out here for Douglas Fir. Chinese have quit taking logs, which was near 25% of the market at times. Combined with such a mild winter here, the mills are full and taking very little. Add in the finished lumber from Canada, and prices have dropped significantly.  Flip side is prices were really high for awhile, and people cashed in.

treeslayer2003

all this china not buying talk dosn't bode well.
monkey, i won't cut wood thats less than 300, we were getting 370 for common saw last i sold any.......hope it don't go under 300

enigmaT120

What Brad said.  I sold one load (a little over 2000 bf on a self-loader) of DF for a good price in February, but the prices dropped enough this month that I'm sitting on a third of a load waiting to see if they go back up enough to make it worth hauling.  I may have enough trees to fill up a second load but I'm not going to have them cut if prices don't go up.  I'll make firewood of it if it's still there in a year.

Most of the grades on the load were over $600/thousand board feet.  About 1900 for the load, though I had to pay that much in road work alone and for the logging and hauling.  If I sell another load this year for those prices I'll break even.  I don't have enough trees ready for any more, yet. 
Ed Miller
Falls City, Or

ehp

just had the mills in yesterday and today to bid on some logs I just logged , I averaged $700/1000 sitting on the landing ,logs are ok but not great timber , I'm cutting alot nicer HM now ,  the mill pays the trucking so I think not to bad as I did have almost half in soft maple , it was nice and white and no worm , I got paid the most the winning mill ever paid me for red and white oak prime logs . everyone around here heres about the price dropping but so far at least I half not seen that and honestly hope it doesnot as I'm sitting on just over 2 million feet of hardwood timber I have already bought and paid for , big drop could hurt me and my piggy bank  >:(

SwampDonkey

One of the reasons a hardwood mill closes in these parts is not having ample crown timber allocation. Not enough supply coming from private woodlots and probably a lack of volume contracts from loggers of private land. I see one hardwood mill in NS went down because they couldn't secure volume from crown land. Most of our commercial mills if not all are tied to volumes off public timber land. They do not have to go door to door beating the bushes for the next block of timber. Too easy. And if they can't have easy, they pull out.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

chester_tree _farmah

The reason folks caution about putting all your eggs in one or two species if you are managing woodlots. You never know. Markets have a life if there own sometimes...
254xp
C4B Can-Car Tree Farmer
Ford 1720 4wd loader hoe

Loesshillslogging

Some of the problem might be...

A currency risk, if their currency, Chinese yuan, is cheap compared to the U.S. Dollar why would I want to pay 30 - 50%( as an example ) more for the same logs I bought last year for cheaper prices? All exports have taking it on the chin this past year, King Dollar is part of the problem.

Along with supply and demand issues. Just my 2 cents.

BargeMonkey

 Oak is in the toilet. Ash and maple are still paying good. Going to be a big firewood pile this yr.

ehp

I'm still getting as good if not better for my oak right now but that could change , Im to sell 16 black walnut trees tomorrow so will see how that goes

Maine logger88

I was just told this morning by the log buyer oak is dropping 50 per thousand across the board around here
79 TJ 225 81 JD 540B Husky and Jonsered saws

Thank You Sponsors!