Woodland Roots

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 →

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

Usually I get to say that I have good news and bad news for you, but today I only have the unpleasant. Our two years on the cloud 9 of Douglas-fir prices are culminating in a free-fall ride back to earth. The lumber market has finally readjusted and log buyers don’t need to pay a premium for logs anymore. In addition Inventories and log availability are high, so demand is low which means prices are low.

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

For those of you who’ve been following the logs market for a while know that the last 2 years have been somewhat out of the ordinary. Log prices have mostly been on the rise since March 2016, but we all knew it couldn’t last forever. Summer is the time when most small landowners can access and sell their logs.  This increase in supply also means somewhat lower prices than what you see in the winter and spring.

Fire season has been kind to the Willamette valley and surrounding forestlands (knock on wood). No active fires have shut down production and fire weather has stayed below extreme, which means that harvesting operations can still occur early in the morning. Increased supply in the form of sellers and log access has kept mill inventory up and that pushes prices down. While prices have started their decent, these are still GREAT prices. Continue reading →

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

Well, I’ve got good news and I have bad news. Let’s get the bad out of the way.  Doug-fir log values have finally started to level off and dip a bit since there high reign over the last year and a half. The good news is values are still in the mid-$900/MBF range.  Log buyers are in the market, but their inventories are starting to fill up fast as we wait in anticipation to see what fire season will do. If fire season restricts log deliveries, the log market might take another climb.  This is great news for log sellers if you’re operating in a less restricted area and can find a truck to get your logs to the mill or sort yard.  If we have a mild fire season, we may continue to see log prices dip. Continue reading →

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

For those of you who may have sold logs or timber the past year, must be smiling all the way to the bank. Actually, the past couple years have been awfully good with Douglas-fir prices as good as they’ve been in a long time. As a matter of fact, this is the first year that a lot of people can remember that prices continued to rise through the summer. It is still a great market if you are selling trees! Continue reading →

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

Well this is my first log prices and trends report of hopefully many. In our last newsletter Treeman reported:

“the spring report is my favorite because of the old “hope springs eternal:” this is the year we’re gonna make-it. This will be the summer when prices are at their zenith versus nadir … come-on-baby let the good times roll!” Then he went on to say “Bad news: while things are looking pretty good at the moment, nothing lasts through the summer.”

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By Steve Bowers, OSU Extension – Timber Harvesting Specialist

The spring “Log Prices & Trends” has always been my favorite report. It’s the old “hope springs eternal” thing: this is the year we’re gonna make-it. This will be the summer when prices are at their zenith versus nadir … come-on-baby let the good times roll!

Well, I got good news and I got bad news. Bad news: while things are looking pretty good at the moment, nothing lasts through the summer. Good news: this is the last Treeman Log Prices & Trends and more capable hands will be guiding you from here-on-out. Such sentimentality, so we best proceed. Continue reading →

By Steve Bowers, OSU Extension – Timber Harvesting Specialist

Last time we spoke, it was raining cats & dogs. This time we’re coming out of the 2017 Ice Age. And you might be thinking to yourself, “Man-o-man, with all this inclement weather, I bet log prices are really doing their thing.” Well, they are doing their thing, just as they always do around this time of year. Bad weather. No access. Low mill inventories. Speculation on the upcoming building season. All of the above should factor-in to some pretty decent log values.

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By Steve Bowers, OSU Extension – Timber Harvesting Specialist

Holy raindrops, Batman! All the talk about drought these past couple years and we have a record rainfall in October. That would be a good news/bad news scenario. The good news is it caused the local mills to scramble for wood in what is typically a reasonably dry month. Bad news is landowners couldn’t access their wood through the mud puddles. Continue reading →

By Steve Bowers, OSU Extension – Timber Harvesting Specialist

Well, look whose back: the Lane County forestry agent. But this one is a new, improved version of the former occupant. Things are looking up: a thinly veiled, pusillanimous effort at some sort of transition into log prices.

We’re glad you ask. The past couple years we’ve seen a substantial volatility in the log market. Why, you ask? Our guess is regional mills listen to the economists (1^st mistake), drive-up prices in anticipation of a more robust building season (2^nd mistake) only to be left with too much lumber manufactured from logs they paid too much money (3^rd mistake).

The ramifications for woodland owners is to see that seasonal spike coming earlier in the year, followed by declining values with the progression of summer. And every year you hear about fire season and prices might rise due to logging restrictions. Occasionally, this can result in a leveling-off of values, or possibly a very slight increase. But in all the years we’ve been logging and working for extension, a person can count “shut-downs” on one hand.

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