Woodland Roots

by Lauren Grand, OSU Extension Forestry and Natural Resources serving Lane County

Things are a little bit chaotic these days. Had I written this article last week I would be telling you log prices are high for the summer. Since then, lumber prices have taken a dive, and in response, log prices have come down a bit from the last couple of months. Most mills have a good inventory, having prepared well for the summer demand with fire season in mind. This along with decreased lumber prices means some mills aren’t actively looking for logs, but other mills are in high demand. It is a good idea to call around and see what buyers are looking for before cutting gets underway.

By Lauren Grand, OSU Extension Forestry & Natural Resources, Lane County

Summer came early this year. While that is good news for those of you that are looking for an excuse to spend more time out in your woods, unfortunately, it also usually means lowering log prices. “But Lauren, lumber prices are still breaking records, shouldn’t log prices be high too?” Yes, normally. That’s why we saw such high prices last fall. However, thanks to the Labor Day fires, there is an abundance of wood coming to the mills. This along with our early summer means more access to burned areas that were not salvageable in the winter. With inventories this high, some mills are off the market until they can work through what they’ve already got. For these reasons, Douglas-fir prices have been slowly decreasing to today’s prices.

By Lauren Grand, OSU Extension Forestry & Natural Resources, Lane County

Things got hot and heavy this summer with prices increasing to the $900/mbf range. While these prices aren’t record breaking, we set those in the summer of 2017, lumber prices were. Record breaking lumber prices along with a reduction in wood as a result of the coronavirus brought up those log process to numbers rarely seen in the summer. Usually a bad fire season also adds to a slight increase in price as we come out of the summer due to equipment shut downs, slowing wood to the mills. But, we didn’t have just a bad fire season, we had a bad fire year. As we recover from the Labor Day fires, many landowners will be looking to salvage their burned timber and this increase in wood to the mill will likely start to drive down prices.

Lauren Grand, OSU Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Agent, Lane County

We are officially out of the COVID slump. Usually prices are at their peak in April and then drop into July, but things are topsy-turvy again this year. Summer usually offers a plentiful log supply keeping prices the lowest during the year. With many of the mills slowing or even shutting down in the spring they just can get enough cutting done to meet the current demand and prices are up as a result.

By Lauren Grand, OSU Extension Forestry & Natural Resources Agent, Lane County

Everyone said it would happen, that we were “due,” but we just didn’t know how or when. Well, it’s finally here. The arrival of the coronavirus has caused our economy to become recessed. While the country deems all aspects of forestry and the forest industry an essential service, it has not been protected from these uncertain times.

By Lauren Grand, OSU Extension Forestry & Natural Resources, Lane County

It is winter and we are on the heels of spring which means we’ve got a good feeling about log prices. Wet weather means timber is less accessible and fewer logs make it out of the woods. As a result, prices tend to increase. This year is par for the course. Prices are up or holding steady across the board from last quarter.

By Lauren Grand, OSU Extension Forestry & Natural Resources Extension, Lane County

Our log prices have never been predictable. However, one could argue that they could predict the best time of year or even month to sell their logs based on historical trends. This is because our log prices tend to have seasonal rises and falls with micro corrections based on circumstances such as weather, fire, foreign policy, and the lumber markets. When looking at a graph of the average prices of Douglas-fir logs over the last 25 years, you should be able to predict that the best time to sell should be the in the early spring, March and April, when prices have been the highest. The worst time to sell is the summer when the market is flooded and the prices are the lowest.

By Lauren Grand, OSU Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Agent, Lane County

I’m sure you all remember the huge snowstorm we had in March. Of course you do! How could anyone forget being stuck in their home for days or even weeks without electricity? (Strike 1) The beautiful winter wonderland lasted a few weeks, but eventually melted to reveal a huge mess of fallen trees and broken tops (Strike 2). Now summer is here, and you are trying your best to clean up some of that mess. This might include trying to salvage some value from the fallen and damaged trees. So, you call the local log buyers and …STRIKE 3!!!

By Lauren Grand, OSU Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Agent, Lane County

Spring is here, but where are our log prices?  Time for everyone to start wondering what logs are going to do this year. Typically prices start to rise after the new year and peak in the Late March early April before starting their decent into the summer prices. A little over a year ago, the domestic Douglas-fir market went crazy and anyone who was prepared with a management or harvest plan was able to capitalize early and rode that ship into financial felicity. Continue reading →

By Lauren Grand, OSU Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Agent, Lane County

None of the mills are too excited about purchasing a lot of logs with lumber prices staying low, but the good news is most of you are on dirt roads and can do a little more waiting to see if prices bounce back up a bit. Now don’t get me wrong, $650 is a great price for 8 inch plus Douglas-fir long logs. Especially if you are remembering back to the recession where prices dipped well below $500. But if you’re like me the sweet taste of the $900 + prices will take a while to dissipate. But, we will all have to reset our expectations because it is looking like those prices were more likely a fluke and less likely the new normal.   Continue reading →