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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nUsually\nI don\u2019t have much good to say about chips, but even the chip market is looking\nbetter than it previously has. Compared to recent years, this winter was fairly\nmild. Maybe we\u2019ve finely made it through all that inventory from the ice, snow,\nand drought? Shop around for prices, I\u2019m hearing a range from $30 – $50 per\nton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nHem-fir sorts (spruce, hemlock, grand fir, and white fir) are almost $100\nhigher than what we reported last quarter. The long logs are up to $475 per\nthousand in Eugene. Roseburg\u2019s prices are slightly higher ranging from $475 –\n$525. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pine prices in the southwest are holding steady around $400\/mbf. If you are selling pine, consider your trucking distance. At these prices, if you have to move it too far, you may be losing money instead of making it. For those of you in the Eugene area, there is now an outfit that buys pine locally, so call around before trucking it down south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Typically,\ntrends in the alder market follow Douglas-fir, but more recently things have\nbeen slowing down and flattening out. Unfortunately, production in many mills\nhas slowed down with lower demand for raw wood furnishings in homes. Luckily,\nprices have stayed steady from last quarter. Alder prices range between $400\nand $600\/MBF for the 7\u201d and up sorts. Prices increase as diameter increases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Incense-cedar\nand redcedar prices are holding pretty steady\nwith a slight increase from the last report. Current values of incense-cedar in\nthe south valley are running close to $650 for long logs. Incense-cedar in\nDouglas County is usually purchased at slightly higher values, in the $750\nrange. Western redcedar prices are having a little bit of\na comeback and prices are up $100 from last quarter and are at $900\/MBF for a\nlong-log. Short-log values decline by another $100-$200 depending on the\nlength. Port Orford cedar prices are holding steady in\nthe $500 range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last\nbut not least – non-timber forest products. Oregon grape and usnea\nlichen are still the prime species for small woodland owners to harvest, and\npurchasers are gearing up to start buying these in the spring. Oregon grape is\n$0.75\/lb green and clean, while usnea\nlichen is $5.50\/lb clean. Spring time is also when\nthe floral industry is looking to contract for floral greens to go in table and\nflowerpot displays. Floral green species that are desired include salal,\nferns, and beargrass. If you are interested in doing\nfloral greens for Christmas and Christmas trees, remember that your contracts\nshould be drawn up by July, so start working on those relationships now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nremaining part of winter and the upcoming spring are shaping up to be great. Prices\nand trends for this winter are higher than they were last year and feelings\nabout the market are generally positive. The recent past has seen Doug-fir\nvalues reach their peak in the spring, then take a precipitous decline to\nfairly stable summer values as more sellers enter the market. As I look into my\nno-so-crystal ball, I expect prices will stay strong for at least the immediate\nfuture as we march further into the wet season. Good luck and always remember\nto get your purchase order before you cut!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Lauren Grand, OSU Extension Forestry & Natural Resources, Lane County It is winter and we are on the heels of spring which means we\u2019ve got a good feeling about log prices. Wet weather means timber is less accessible and … Continue reading