Vol. 26 No. 6 The Softwood Industry’s only newspaper.....now reaching 39,725 firms (20,000 per issue) November/December 2011

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAID

MEMPHIS, TENN.PERMIT 270

The Softwood BuyerP.O. Box 34908Memphis, TN 38184-0908

Address Service Requested

Additional photos on pages 10 & 12 Continued on page 17

Additional photos on pages 12 & 14 Continued on page 17

Whistler, B.C.–The 2011 Global Buyers Mission, held here at the WhistlerConference Centre, welcomed almost 700 delegates for the third year in a row.The organizers for the GBM recognized its funding Partners this year includingPlatinum Partners: Natural Resources Canada Wood Export Program (CWEP),Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd. (FII), and Forest Products Association of Canada

Additional photos on page 14

Whistler, B.C.–The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA) and theWestern Red Cedar Export Association (WRCEA) met recently during the GlobalBuyers Mission to host a reception and barbecue at The Brewhouse Pub.About 40 guests and members attended the WRCLA/WRCEA event.The WRCLA also held a board of directors meeting during the GBM.

By Wayne Miller

WRCLA/WRCEA Welcome Guests At Global Meeting

Ryan Furtado, Sawarne Lumber Co. Ltd., Richmond, B.C.; Scott Lindsay and Chris Beveridge,Skana Forest Products Ltd., Richmond, B.C.; and Carlos Furtado, Sawarne Lumber Co. Ltd.

(FPAC); our Silver Partners: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) andthe Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau (CSSB); and our Bronze Partners: IndustryCanada and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). Wewere pleased to again have the collaborative effort made by CSSB and the Western

Kennebunkport, Maine –The 2011 NELMA Board of Directors Meeting and GolfOuting was held recently here with 115 in attendance for this traditional fall NewEngland event. The Nonantum Resort served as the host facility, with golfing held atthe privately-owned Webhannet Golf Club.Activities began with members and guests enjoying the annual golf scramble in

teams of four. The first day ended with the Chairman’s Reception and Dinner, withawards presented at its conclusion. Prizes were provided in the categories of Closestto the Pin, Longest Drive (Men and Women), First and Second Place net team score,First and Second Place team gross score, and of course….the annual Crying Towel

NELMA Event Includes Golf And Board Agenda

John Brissette and Kirk Nagy, The Waldun Group, Maple Ridge, B.C.; and David Bernstein, Mid-State Lumber Corp., Branchburg, N.J.

Photos By Terry Miller

For more information about the WRCLA, go online to www.wrcla.org, and for theWRCEA, visit www.wrcea.org.

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Victoria Jiang, Ben Meachen and Jeff Derby, Western Forest Products Inc., Vancouver, B.C.; andLei Lu, City & House Magazine, Vancouver, B.C.

Scott Brown, DiPrizio Pine Sales, Middleton, N.H.; Brian Belanger and Terry Walters, New EnglandBuilding Supply, Sanford, Maine; and Jeff Easterling, NELMA, Cumberland Center, Maine

Photos By Wayne Miller

Attendance Strong At Annual Global Buyers Mission

Jim Gillis, Haida Forest Products, Richmond, B.C.; Rick Palmiter, Idaho Forest Products, Coeur d’Alene,Idaho; and Brent Stuart, Russin Lumber Corp., Montgomery, N.Y.

Jamie Place, Eastern Forest Products, Lyndeborough, N.H.; Bob Bronkie, Unstable Farm, East Aurora,N.Y.; Dan Harrison, Cersosimo Lumber Co. Inc., Brattleboro, Vt.; Win Smith, Limington Lumber Co., EastBaldwin, Maine; and Anthony Baroni, Sandy Neck Traders, South Dennis, Mass.

Terry Foxx is a Softwoodlumber trader with GulfCoast Shelter Productslocated in Laurel, Miss.Gulf Coast Shelter buysand sells Southern YellowPine lumber and framestock, particleboard andhardwoods. The companyoffers its goods nationallyand internationally with a

TERRY FOXX

Mark Carter isAdministrative VicePresident of sales andmarketing for Edmund A.Allen Lumber Co., a100% employee ownedcompany, located inMomence, Ill.Edmund Allen Lumber is

a wholesale distributor ofWestern Red Cedar prod-

Dennis Brooks is territo-ry manager for Mid-StateLumber Corp. based inBranchburg, N.J.

Mid-State Lumber han-dles Western Red Cedar,Douglas Fir, Spruce-Pine-Fir, Eastern White Pine,Hemlock, Southern YellowPine, Ponderosa Pine, ipeand red meranti.

John Bernard is presi-dent and lumber buyer forTewa, LLC, located inVinton, Texas. Tewa, LLC purchasesapproximately 3 millionboard feet annually ofRadiata and PonderosaPine (5/4, 6/4, 8/4,Moulding and Better, KD,Rough, S2S lumber, and

2011 compared to first quarter results. Thetotal for Oregon and Washington was201.3 mmbf, a decrease from 213.5 mmbf.On the other hand, California exported 31mmbf, up from 11.3 mmbf. The state ofAlaska did not export any lumber.Increased log exports are increasing diffi-culties for domestic manufacturers to findlogs for processing, making public timber,which can’t be exported, higher in demand.

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Pine Butterfly Emerges

The Pine butterfly, also known asNeophasia Menapia, recently emergedafter decades of little activity. The larvaeprefer to eat older Pine needles and thedefoliation may have little to no effect ontrees; however, reduced growth and/orwhole tree mortality may occur if trees areunder stress, according to sources.Ponderosa Pine is the butterfly’s primary

target, but it also may feed on Douglas Fir,Lodgepole Pine, Western White Pine,Western Larch and Western Hemlock,

according to the United States Departmentof Agriculture (USDA).Entomologists have noticed two recent

trends: There is a wider distribution of eggsthis year compared to last year, whichcould mean more widespread defoliationnext year, but there is also a rise in thenumber of dead and dying larvae resultingfrom viral infection, which may indicate thatnatural controls may be kicking in andcould lead to a steep collapse in the but-terfly populations.Officials say outbreaks like this are typi-

cally short in duration, lasting only just acouple of years before natural enemies,environmental conditions, and starvationcrash the population. Entomologistsbelieve that most of the defoliated treesshould recover. For more information visitwww.oregon.gov/ODF/privatefofrests/docs/fh/PineButterflyWeb.pdg.

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Oregon Forester Participates in WhiteHouse Rural Economic Forum

Tom Partin, President of the AmericanForest Resource Council, participated inPresident Obama’s recent Rural EconomicForum at Northeast Iowa CommunityCollege.Partin emphasized, “the federal timber

sale program is the single most efficientway of putting people back to work in therural counties around our national forests.Plus, it will improve the health of our forestsand reduce the potential for catastrophicforest fires.” Partin pointed to statistics from the

University of Massachusetts PoliticalEconomy and Research Institute showingthat every $1 million invested in sustain-able forest management leads to the cre-ation of 17.55 direct, 12.95 indirect and 9.2induced jobs, far more than any other sec-tor of the economy. Partin participated in breakout sessions

with Nancy Sutley, Chair of the WhiteHouse Council on Environmental Quality,and Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar,which focused on expanding opportunitiesthrough conservation, outdoor recreationand tourism. Partin noted that forest man-agement is an essential part of resourceconservation and prevention of catastroph-ic wildfires. “Sustainable management ofour national forests has provided familywage jobs for decades,” Partin observed. Partin pointed to this year’s Wallow Fire in

Arizona, which burned over 530,000 acresand cost over $109 million to control, as anexample. “Investing in forest management

before a fire occurs not only helps reducethe potential for catastrophic fires, it putspeople to work in rural America, producesAmerican wood products, strengthenslocal economies, and saves the cost offighting catastrophic fires,” Partin said. Partin serves as Vice Chair of the Federal

Forest Resource Coalition, a national tradegroup headquartered in Washington, D.C.,which promotes active management of ourfederal forestlands and the preservation ofthe milling and logging infrastructure need-ed to restore forest health and provide ruralcommunity stability.

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Vilsack Urges U.S. Builders ToPrioritize Wood In Green Buildings

The findings of a new U.S. Forest Servicestudy indicate that wood should factor as aprimary building material in green building,Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recentlyannounced.The authors of Science Supporting the

Economic and Environmental Benefits ofUsing Wood and Wood Products in GreenBuilding Construction reviewed the scien-tific literature and found that using wood inbuilding products yields fewer greenhousegases than using other common materials. “This study confirms what many environ-

mental scientists have been saying foryears,” said Vilsack. “Wood should be amajor component of American building andenergy design. The use of wood providessubstantial environmental benefits, pro-vides incentives for private landowners tomaintain forestland, and provides a criticalsource of jobs in rural America.”The Forest Service report also points out

that greater use of life cycle analysis inbuilding codes and standards wouldimprove the scientific underpinning ofbuilding codes and standards and therebybenefit the environment. A combination ofscientific advancement in the areas of lifecycle analysis and the development of newtechnologies for improved and extendedwood utilization are needed to continue toadvance wood as a green constructionmaterial. Sustainability of forest productscan be verified using any credible third-party rating system, such as SustainableForestry Initiative, Forest StewardshipCouncil or American Tree Farm Systemcertification.“The argument that somehow non-wood

construction materials are ultimately betterfor carbon emissions than wood productsis not supported by our research,” said

Log Exports Steadily On the Rise

A recent report from Pacific NorthwestResearch Station indicated that the volumeof Softwood log exports from the WestCoast increased by 79 percent from thefirst half of 2010 to the first half of 2011. Atotal of 548.6 mmbf of raw logs had beenexported during the first six months. For2011, 982.2 mmbf were shipped abroadduring the same period of time, mostly toChina.The report offered a breakdown of where

the second quarter 2011 log shipmentswere bound showing that 71 percent wentto China, 14.6 percent to Japan, and 13.8percent to South Korea. The species werebroken down as Douglas Fir accounting for55.6 percent; Western Hemlock, 11.2 per-cent; Spruce and other Softwoodsaccounted for the remaining 4.3 percent.Lumber shipments to the Pacific Rim also

took a dip during the second quarter of

Continued on page 17 Continued on page 17 Continued on page 17

WASHINGTONSCENE

THE

U.S. Forest Products Lab AwardsAPA $331,000 In Funding

For more APA News and Information, go to www.apawood.org

The U.S. Forest Service, Forest ProductsLab, has awarded APA $331,000 in fundingto support several residential constructionprograms. The programs build on the suc-cessful Carbon Challenge design competi-tion and seminars that were completedearlier this year, and are designed to edu-cate builders and designers about environ-mentally-friendly, single-family housedesigns using structural wood panels andengineered wood products. Activities willinclude an urban demonstration project inBaltimore, Md.; phase two of the CarbonChallenge program in Florida, includingpartnership with a national productionbuilder to adopt wood wall and floor sys-tems; a demonstration project in theWestern U.S., featuring wood structuralwall systems; and a series of seminars intargeted markets focused on cost effective,energy efficient wood wall systems. Coordination of these programs will be

carried out through a Memorandum ofUnderstanding between APA and the FPL.

APA Joins Associations To Request Formaldehyde Study

In a letter to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretaryof the Department of Health and HumanServices, APA joined with 21 associationsand organizations to request that theSecretary commission the NationalAcademy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct adefinitive study on the alleged link betweenformaldehyde exposure and leukemia. Therequest was driven by the need to settlethe scientific controversy that has arisensince the National Toxicology Program(NTP) earlier this year issued a substanceprofile that asserts formaldehyde is a

Page 2 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

Continued on page 18

“known human carcinogen.” The NTP’saction contradicts the findings and conclu-sions of an NAS committee’s independentscientific review of a draft formaldehydeIRIS assessment from the EnvironmentalProtection Agency. In seeking the study,the signatories hope to achieve consisten-cy in the form of a government-wide policythat is based on sound science.

APA Publishes New Edition ofEngineered Wood Construction Guide

The Engineered Wood ConstructionGuide, APA’s comprehensive and widelyrecognized guide to engineered wood con-struction systems, has been updated andis now available in print or for free down-load from the APA website. First publishedin 1962, this is the 32nd printing of the pop-ular guide. The 84-page guide featuresinformation on engineered wood productsand recommendations for their use in awide range of applications in residentialand commercial construction. It includesinformation on plywood and orientedstrand board (wood structural panels), glu-lam, I-joists, structural composite lumber,typical specifications, and design recom-mendations for floor, wall, and roof sys-tems, diaphragms, shear walls, fire-ratedsystems, and methods of finishing. The Engineered Wood Construction

Guide, Form E30, is available for purchasefor $12, or as a free downloadable PDF.Individual sections of the guide may alsobe downloaded. APA members may orderup to 25 copies of the printed guide for nocharge.

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Continued on page 18 Continued on page 18 Continued on page 18

JOHN BERNARD DENNIS BROOKS

John Malloy is presi-dent of sales and mar-keting for Idaho VeneerCompany, based in PostFalls, Idaho.Idaho Veneer producesapproximately 25 millionsquare feet of KnottyIdaho White Pine,Ponderosa Pine, Cedar,Douglas Fir, Hemlock,

JOHN MALLOY

Josh Dean is a Softwoodsales representative withThe Collins Cos., locatedin Portland, Ore.The Collins Cos. offers sixSoftwood species, 11hardwood species, andengineered siding andtrim. The firm producesapproximately 463 millionboard feet annually.Dean has been involved

JOSH DEAN

MARK CARTER

FEATURES:Annual Global Buyers Mission . . . . . . . .1

NELMA Annual Golf and Board Meeting . .1

WRCLA and WRCEA Meet At GBM . . .1

Edensaw Woods Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

KING FOREST INDUSTRIES . . . . . . . . . .6

HANCOCK Hosts 8th Annual Event . . .7

ROBBINS Appreciation Day . . . . . . . . . .8

BCWLA Gathers For Golf . . . . . . . . . . .9

Housing Outlook Revised through 2013 .11

DEPARTMENTS:Who’s Who in Softwoods . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Washington Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

APA News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Retail Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 & 15

Midwest Business Trends . . . . . . . . . . 16

West Coast Business Trends . . . . . . . 16

Ontario/Quebec Business Trends . . . . . 19

South/Southeast Business Trends . . . . . 19

Western Business Trends . . . . . . . . . . 20

Northeast Business Trends . . . . . . . . . 20

Stock Exchange . . . . . . . . . . 21, 22 & 23

Trade Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Softwood Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Classified Opportunities . . . . . . . 29 & 30

Index of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

A Bi-Monthly newspaper servingNorth America’s Softwood Forest Products Buyers

Published bySoftwood Trade Publications, Inc.

P. O. Box 34908Memphis, Tenn. 38134

Tel. (901) 372-8280 FAX (901) 373-6180Web Site: www.softwoodbuyer.com

E-Mail Addresses:Advertising: stokes@softwoodbuyer.com

Editorial: editor@millerwoodtradepub.comSubscriptions: circ@millerwoodtradepub.com

Publisher: Paul J. Miller - 1963-2010Wayne Miller - President/Executive Editor

Gary Miller - Vice President/Managing Editor

Paul J. Miller Jr. - Vice President/Assistant Managing Editor

Terry Miller - Vice President/Associate Editor

Rachael Stokes - Advertising Manager

Sue Putnam - Editorial Director

Michelle Keller - Associate Editor

John M. Gray Jr. - Production/Art Director

Walter Lee - Production/Asst. Art Director

Lisa Carpenter - Circulation Manager

Canadian Correspondents: Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver, B.C.

The Softwood Forest Products Buyer is the product of a

company and its affiliates that have been in the publishing business

for over 85 years.

Other publications edited for specialized markets and distributed

worldwide include:

National Hardwood Magazine • Hardwood Purchasing Handbook •

Import/Export Wood Purchasing News • North American Forest

Products Export Directory • Imported Wood Purchasing Guide

• Green Book’s Hardwood Marketing Directory • Green Book’s

Softwood Marketing Directory • Dimension & Wood Components

Buyer’s Guide

November/December 2011 Page 3

Subscriptions: U.S. and Canada: $65 (U.S. dollars) - 1 year; $75 - 2years; $90 - 3 years; Foreign (airmail) $140 - 1 year; $235 - 2 years.Canadian and foreign orders must be paid by check drawn on U.S.bank or by wire transfer. Fax for more information.

Table of Contents

The publisher reserves the right to accept orreject editorial content and Advertisements atthe staffʼs discretion.

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Page 4 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

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Edensaw Wood’s Port Townsend, Wash., site is headquarters for this firm, whichbuys about 1 million board feet of lumber annually including domestic and from allover the world.

Edensaw Woods Limited’s PresidentJim Ferris (right) is pictured with thewinner of the Edensaw CommunityCancer Fund raffle.

Thicknesses offered by Edensaw range from 4/4 to 16/4.

VA

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ND

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OK

MN

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AR

LA

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IL

KY

TN

OH

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GA

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FL

WV

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NY

VT NH

NC

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RI

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Edensaw carries about $4 million of lumber in inventory.

Port Townsend, Wash.—The team at Edensaw Woods Ltd., got involvedwith the “green” movement long before the term was used to describe envi-ronmental consciousness. Rewind back 14 years and the Port Townsend,Wash.-based specialty hardwood supplier kicked off the process of getting itsproducts certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). FSC certification is a voluntary process in which an independent third partyconfirms that a product has been made in accordance with specified envi-ronmental and social standards. If a company passes the annual inspection,which is similar to a financial audit, it is entitled to stamp its lumber with anFSC seal certifying that the wood came from a sustainably managed forest. “We were certified before most other companies even knew about it,”recalled Charlie Moore, vice president. “In fact, we were smart enough tobecome ‘green’ before there was even money to be made in it.” Fast forward to 2009 and architects and contractors working on LEED proj-ects are specifying FSC-certified materials. Edensaw is capable of fulfillingthose requests, but even with the demand for green materials on the rise,Moore said the early choice to “go green” was a natural fit for the company. “Knowing how we feel about things, and the way we do business, gettingFSC certified back then just made sense,” said Moore. “If you’re going to har-vest the forest, you should replant and replenish in a way that leaves clean

EDENSAW—Specialty Wood Supplier Strives To Stand Out By Bridget McCrea

air and water for future generations.”Such philosophies have helped keepEdensaw on the growth track since thecompany was founded by Moore and JimFerris, president, in 1984. With locations inPort Townsend and Kent, Wash., the com-pany started out selling lumber and ply-wood to the marine trades and boatbuilders, and then later moved into cabi-nets and furniture. Edensaw purchases Douglas Fir, YellowCedar, Red Cedar and custom-cut prod-ucts along with hardwoods. The companybuys about 1 million board feet of lumberannually from all over the world, accordingto Moore, who said “we visit Europe two tothree times a year to pick the logs. We pre-fer to go right to the source whenever pos-sible. Some of the more exotic materialsaren’t readily available unless you go over-seas to find them.”The 42-employee firm carries 120 speciesof raw veneer, high-end products that areused to make custom panels for largehotels, office buildings and mega-yachts. Itcarries about $4 million in inventory, andruns retail centers in each of its locations.“We sell small tools, glues and sandpapers and a complete line of woodwork-ing accessories,” described Moore. “Wealso have a retail section for lumber andplywood, and the capability of handlinglarge industrial accounts.” Edensaw doesn’t have a “typical cus-tomer,” according to Moore, but insteadpursues a wide range of clients that includelarge millwork and cabinet shops inWashington. “We do ship out of our area,and even overseas to a degree, but thebulk of our business takes place righthere,” said Moore, who added that the firmis a distributor for Richlite solid surfaceproducts in five states. For its customers, Edensaw frequentlyintroduces new lines thanks to its tie-in withthe retail side of the woodworking trade.“We work hard to establish trends and stayat the forefront of our industry, instead offollowing up for better or worse,” saidMoore. When Moore and Ferris started Edensaw27 years ago, both men were already work-ing in the woodworking trade, “Our area ischock-full of good woodworkers and ratherthan compete we thought we could providea valuable service, simply by using a wood-workers perspective to provide it…so westarted selling wood,” said Moore. The pair’s first foray into entrepreneurshipfound them visiting Roy Newman ofNewman Lumber in Gulfport, Miss. “Hegave us 30 days credit with no collateral,so we ordered a truckload of HonduranMahogany from him,” said Moore. “We soldit, paid him within 30 days and our compa-ny was born.”In addition to Moore and Ferris, other keyEdensaw staff members include JimArgities and Dennis Stickle, who serve asbranch managers at the Port Townsendand Kent locations, respectively. Like many other companies that are strug-gling to keep afloat during the difficulteconomy, Edensaw has also faced itsshare of challenges over the last three

November/December 2011 Page 5

Unfortunately rotten apples are not as easy to spot from a distance.

Waldun roofs have 30-50 year real warranties because the products created

at Waldun are created by people who care.

Waldun is FSC and PEFC Certified.

Waldun sells 100% Bureau product and has warranties unmatched by any mill in the industry.

At Waldun in every bundle we guarantee 100% coverage. Many mills will put in less inches of wood to compensate for a low price.

At Waldun we feel that mills that run with a Bureau label are mills that run with nothing to hide.

Phone 604.462.8266www.waldun.com

Comparing Waldun’s cedar products to brand X is like comparing Apples to Apples.

WaldunCedar

Roofing

For your roofing investment choose cedar....Demand Waldun!

Page 6 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

KING FOREST INDUSTRIES Expands Service

John King, owner of King Forest Industries, located in Wentworth, N.H.,has had a sawmill in Wentworth since 1975.

Eastern White Pine lumber stands ready for shipment by trucks. KingForest’s products cater to the distribution system with all items plus theindustrial market for the production of such items as furniture, cabinets,window and door parts, and flooring.

King Forest Industries lumber loaded and ready for prompt shipment.

Scott Hamilton and Jerry Bixby at work in the planer mill overseeingquality control.

Lumber shown here is ready for scanning and optimization. The kilns at King Forest are fueled by wood waste, and the firm this yearinvested one-quarter million dollars on kiln improvements. A 600-horsepowersteam boiler produces steam and electricity for the kilns, in addition to heatfor the building.

Specialty timbers ready for shipment.

Continued on page 18

Wentworth, N.H.—King Forest Industrieshas been a leading provider of EasternWhite Pine (EWP) lumber for many years.That has not changed even though recenteconomic challenges have been experi-enced industry-wide. In response to thosechallenges, this venerable firm’s leadershipguided its team by thinking “outside thebox.”John King, president and owner of KingForest said, “I refer to us now as a high pro-duction specialty mill and that’s really whatwe are now. You can go into our mill on anygiven day and we may be sawing 4/4, 5/4,6/4 and/or 8/4, as well as a variety of tim-ber sizes. You do not survive these kinds ofeconomic times without mental toughnessand a good team. We have both.”To accommodate the necessary changesin the industry, King Forest has thickenedand widened its raw materials in order toachieve a broader market share. “There isa segment of the market that requiresthicker lumber than making a ¾-inchboard, and we’ve gone that route,” Kingsaid.King Forest’s products cater to the indus-trial market for the production of such itemsas furniture, cabinets, window and doorparts, and flooring. “It doesn’t really matterwhat the size of the lumber is that the cus-tomer needs, we try to find a way to do it,”King said. “If it is valuable to the customer,then it is valuable to us. We do a variety ofspecial sizes and grades to accommodatewhatever special needs the customer has.“It seems to be a growing trend for a lot ofthe manufacturers’ customers, for example,to be able to bring in a whole trailer load of5-1/4 and turn that into a product. It makestheir operation more efficient. The tradition-al way was for a company to bring in ran-dom width lumber and rip it up. But itseems to be going more and more awayfrom that and customers are wanting morespecified widths and lengths now,” addedKing. “We have adapted in order to fulfillthese market driven needs. We are aproactive and responsive EWP manufac-turer.”To accommodate orders, King Forestoperates its sawmill 45 hours weekly and50 hours weekly in its two planing mills.One planing mill is a 16-knife machine andthe other is an 8-knife machine. “We dopattern work and specialty products on thelower production line,” King said. King Forest’s target moisture content is 8to 10 with an in-line moisture meter to

By Terry Miller

November/December 2011 Page 7

HANCOCK Hosts Annual Appreciation Event

Rick Hoag, National Industrial Lumber, Pittsburgh,Pa.; and Mike Shane and Jack Bowen, HancockLumber Co., Casco, Maine

Jamie Place, Eastern Forest Products, Lyndeborough, N.H.; KevinHynes, Hancock Lumber, Casco, Maine; and Chris Harrett, WesternLumber, Medford, Ore.

Bob Keener, Russin Lumber Corp., Montgomery, N.Y.; Kevin Hancockand Valerie Mercer, Hancock Lumber Co., Casco, Maine; and ChrisHarrett, Western Lumber, Medford, Ore.

Bob Keener, Russin Lumber Corp., Montgomery, N.Y.; and Mike Shaneand Monica Evans, Hancock Lumber Co., Casco, Maine

Matt Duprey, Hancock Lumber Co., Casco, Maine; Jamie Place, EasternForest Products, Lyndeborough, N.H.; and Kevin Hynes, HancockLumber Co.

Anthony Baroni, Sandy Neck Traders, North Dennis, Mass.; Rick Hoag,National Industrial Lumber, Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Bob Keener, RussinLumber Corp., Montgomery, N.Y.

Terry Miller, The Softwood Forest Products Buyer, Memphis, Tenn.;Wayne Huck, Hancock Lumber Co., Hancock, Maine; and RussellCoulter and Mike Halle, Hancock Lumber Co., Bethel, Maine

Russell Coulter, Hancock Lumber Co., Bethel,Maine; Jamie Place, Eastern Forest Products,Lyndeborough, N.H.; and Matt Duprey, HancockLumber Co., Casco, Maine

By Terry Miller

It’s the Oregon-Canadian difference.

IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS.

Special Packaging/Services – Oregon-Canadianoffers an array of services for the convenience of ourcustomers. Above is a unit of Western Red Cedar,packaged with cardboard top and bottom, andheavy-duty corner protectors.

Planers/Moulders – We have hundreds oftemplates for commonly used patterns, as well asour own grinding room where we can createknives for any custom pattern you might need.

Edger – Our Shurman edger has 12 movable sawsallowing us to cut flitches up to 6 inches thickinto a variety of products and grades in one pass.

Through superior manufacturing, specialty services,and our personal service-oriented style of business,

Oregon-Canadian strives for complete customer satisfaction on every order.

Offering specialty wood products including but not limited to:

● S4S Finish

● Rough Clears

● Flooring and Special Patterns

● Export Clears

● Kiln Dried Timbers

● Door and Window Components

● Imported Hardwoods

We are excited to talk to you about how Oregon-Canadianmay be a perfect fit for your specialty lumber needs.

OREGON-CANADIANF O R E S T P R O D U C T S

Dry Chain – We are one of the few companies thatre-grades all industrial clears after drying, ensuringwe don't pass along defects resulting from thedrying process.

Casco, Maine–Guests recentlygathered here at Point Sebagoto participate in the 8th AnnualHancock Invitational GolfTournament and facility tours.On the agenda to tour wereHancock’s sawmills in Casco,Reyfield and Bethel.Jamie Place with Eastern ForestProducts finished in first place inthe golf tournament, followed byRick Hoag with National IndustrialLumber, who placed second.Hancock Lumber is a sixth-gener-ation, family-owned business inMaine with a timberland opera-tion, a sawmill division, and anetwork of lumberyards and build-ing supply stores. For moreinformation, visit online atwww.hancocklumber.com.

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Page 8 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

Larry Cole, Robbins Lumber, Searsmont, Maine; Dianna Cook, Guest; andJim Robbins, Robbins Lumber

Bruce Maclaughlin, Robbins Lumber, Searsmont, Maine; Skip Hammond,Hammond Lumber, Belgrade, Maine; Jenness Robbins, Robbins Lumber; andDon Hammond, Hammond Lumber

Alan Moulton, Moulton Lumber, West Newfield, Maine;and Steve and Duane Farnham, McCormack BuildingSupply, Winslow, Maine

Jim Robbins and Arthur Jackson (retired), Robbins Lumber , Searsmont, MaineAdam MacFawn, Rangeley Lakes Building Supply, Rangeley, Maine; andJohn Benjamin, Robbins Lumber, Searsmont, Maine

John Ritz, Robbins Lumber, Searsmont, Maine; Arthur and Dana Billings,Barter Lumber, Deer Isle, Maine

George Weaver (retired) and Jim Robbins, RobbinsLumber, Searsmont, Maine

Jim Robbins and Neil Colburn, Robbins Lumber,Searsmont, MaineJim Robbins and Jason Fuller, Robbins Lumber,Searsmont, Maine

Searsmont, Maine–The AnnualCustomer Appreciation Day was recentlyheld at Robbins Lumber Inc. Guests weretreated to lunch and a tour of the compa-ny’s facility as well as a woodlands tour.Robbins Lumber owns and manages30,000 acres of its own forests and buyslogs from more than 150 independent log-gers. Milling operations are located on a40-acre site with 675,000 board footcapacity kilns, computerized sawmill, plan-ing mills, cut up shop, 70,000 square feetof warehouse and the general office.

Guests Enjoy ROBBINS Appreciation Day

Laura and Tim Lapointe, Lapointe Lumber, Augusta, Maine

Continued on page 18

By Terry Miller

November/December 2011 Page 9

Jim Simmons, Chris Beveridge, Kent Beveridge and Jameson Craig, SkanaForest Products Ltd., Richmond, B.C.

Bill Dulay, BC Dulay Trucking, Surrey, B.C.; Dawn-Ann Byers, Taiga BuildingProducts Ltd., Burnaby, B.C.; Brad Flitton, Western Forest Products Inc.,Vancouver, B.C.; and Carl Dobler, president of BCWLA, Taiga BuildingProducts Ltd.

Ian MacLean, Spruceland Lumber Manufacturing, North Vancouver, B.C.; RoyFalletta and Ian White, Dakeryn Lumber Industries Ltd., North Vancouver, B.C.;and Craig Nicholson, Manor Trucking, Langley, B.C.

Parm Jhajj, Jhajj Lumber, Surrey, B.C.; Dave Uppal, Universal Forest Products,Vancouver, B.C.; and Doug Mawer and Breck Edwards, A&A Contract CustomBrokers, Surrey, B.C.

Steve King, Olympic Industries Inc., North Vancouver,B.C.; Mike Glowa, Tolko Marketing, Vernon, B.C.; andDino Zani, AFA Forest Products, Langley, B.C.

Chris Sainas, Mike Michaud, Rob Chico and BillPeresky, Dakeryn Lumber Industries Ltd., NorthVancouver, B.C.

Kip Fotheringham, Mike Jones, Ryan Lepp and ChrisAhem, Welco Forest Products, Vancouver, B.C.

Brett Johnson, Dakeryn Lumber Industries Ltd., NorthVancouver, B.C.; Andis Yu, Artemis International ForestProducts Ltd., Vancouver, B.C.; and Ray Stewart andBrad Taylor, Dakeryn Lumber Industries Ltd.

Jesse Wilson, Brad Wolgemuth, Ross Ward and Steve Parkinson, South BeachForest Products, Coquitlam, B.C.

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Contractor Direct / Domestic Wood / International Wood / Specialty Products

John Bennett and Dianne Hackman, Norman G. Jensen Inc., Blaine, Wash.;Dick Hampton, Interfor Forest Products, Vancouver, B.C; and Greg Gasher,Norman G. Jensen Inc.

Vancouver, B.C.–Members and guestsof the British Columbia Wholesale LumberAssociation gathered recently at theUniversity Golf Club to enjoy its annualorganizational golf tournament.Prizes were awarded winners and allenjoyed a day of sport and social network-ing.For more information about the BritishColumbia Wholesale Lumber Association,visit www.bcwla.org.

•

Page 10 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

GBM Photos - Continued from page 1

Tom and Shirley Haker, Teal-Jones Group, Surrey, B.C.; Dick and ColleenJones, Teal-Jones Saw & Timber, Whistler Mountain, B.C.; and DaveJones, Howe Sand Forest Products, Saanich, B.C.

Carlos Furtado, Sawarne Lumber Co. Ltd., Richmond, B.C.; and WayneMiller, The Softwood Forest Products Buyer, Memphis, Tenn.

Additional photos on page 12

Sam Satosono and Archie Rafter, Andersen Pacific Forest Products Ltd.,Maple Ridge, B.C.; and Todd McMyn, Jazz Forest Products, Abbotsford,B.C.

Tony Hu and Philip Xing, United Pacific Resources Ltd., South Surrey,B.C.; and Sid Watts, Atlantic Wood Specialties Association, Montague,Prince Edward Island

Tyson Palmer, Pacific Western Woodworks Ltd., Delta, B.C.; Greg Smith,Gilbert Smith Forest Products Ltd., Barriere, B.C.; and Dennis Wight,Pacific Western Wood Works Ltd.

Kent Beveridge, Skana Forest Products Ltd., Richmond, B.C.; and EllenHong and Paul Saini, Teal-Jones Group, Surrey, B.C.

Ben Meachen, Western Forest Products Inc.,Vancouver, B.C.; and Ryan Furtado, Sawarne LumberCo. Ltd., Richmond, B.C.

Grant McKinnon, Pacific Homes, Vancouver Island, B.C.; Peter Sperlich,Canadian Pride Log & Timber Products, Enderby, B.C.; and Tony Pistilli,Wood Trade International, Vancouver, B.C.

Terry Gaines and Ron Sangara, Leslie Forest Products, Delta, B.C.; andBob Thompson, Western Forest Products Inc., Vancouver, B.C.

Elena Jehnichen and Randi Walker, BC Wood,Vancouver, B.C.

Thomas Mende, Klausner Trading International, Myrtle Beach, S.C.; CamCook, Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd., Westbank, B.C.; and Ayush Sharma,Punj Packaging Industries, India

Christian Owens, Scott Lindsay, Kent Beveridge, and Chris Beveridge,Skana Forest Products Ltd., Richmond, B.C.

Zane Delainey and Terry Edwards, L&M Wood Products, Glaslyn, Sask.;and Eric Bos, Sansin Corp., Strathroy, Ont.

Scott Boates, Tom Haker, Paul Saini, Teal-Jones Group, Surrey, B.C.; andAlex Jovanovic, Sea Trade Shipping, Vancouver, B.C.

Karl Seger, Falcon Lumber Ltd., Toronto, Ont.; andVicki Onuliak, Bridgeport Forest Products Inc.,Portland, Ore.

Joe Petree, OrePac Building Products, Tacoma, Wash.; Jack Alley,OrePac Building Products, Wilsonville, Ore.; and Dennis Wight andTyson Palmer, Pacific Western Wood Works Ltd., Delta, B.C.

Younggee Ko, Interterpreter, Korea; Hans Baer and Allan Sieben, WidePlank Hardwood Ltd., Chilliwack, B.C.; and Moon Hak Namgung,Junghae Preservation, South Korea

Peter Parmenter, Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau, Savannah, Ga.; KellyVaille, Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau, Mission, B.C.; and Tony Hyatt,Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau, Madison, Wis.

Guy Hemhill and Sam Bath, Surrey Cedar Ltd.,Langley, B.C.

November/December 2011 Page 11

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Rolling Meadows, Ill.—The NorthAmerican Wholesale LumberAssociation, (NAWLA), headquar-tered here, recently presented a webi-nar hosted by Lynn Michaelis, execu-tive adviser, RISI, entitled “HousingOutlook Revised: Status Quo Through2013.”Step number one, according toMichaelis is forecasting household for-mations. “Demographic trends andemployment are the key to householdformations,” he explained.Michaelis pointed out that housingmarkets are best forecast numerically.“Arithmetic is simple by age group,” henoted. “Household formations for eachage group equal headship rate timesthe population growth and the head-ship rate is the ratio of householdsdivided by population in that agegroup. For instance, the headship ratefor ages 20-24 is near 0.3 and forages 65-74, over 0.6. Forecastingheadship rate is not simple becausethere are a variety of factors that drivethat rate, but employment is crucial forthe younger age group.”Michaelis also spent some timerecapping past events, remindingattendees, “what got us in this deephole,” and presented a new model forhousing starts along with an updateon the general economy and employ-ment outlook.He noted that economic growth hasstalled with no sources for sustainedgrowth. Expecting little employmentgrowth throughout 2012, he presentedgraphs that showed consumer confi-dence has decreased by over 50 per-cent from 1999 to 2011.The speaker also explained that thecurrent outlook is not driven by inter-est rates and affordability. “Rather, theoutlook is now driven by employmentgrowth, household formations andelimination of an excess inventoryproblem.” Michaelis used the following bulletpoints in his presentation to elaborate.•The first major change: the house-hold series used. “Last fall, we dis-covered that the two different seriesavailable from the U.S. CensusDepartment (used to determine annu-al household formations) were verydifferent. The series we had beenusing was the Current PopulationSurvey (CPS) estimate because itprovides households by age group.The other series that estimateshouseholds is Occupied HousingStock. A large discrepancy developedbetween these two series during2000-2010.“The household data reported by theU.S. Census population group wasapparently a statistical exercise,where households were projectedbased on population estimates,” hecontinued. “The occupied housingstock developed by another group atthe Census Bureau was constrainedby the actual housing inventory andsurveys of how the units are used(owned, rented, occupied, vacant andsecond home use). The discrepancybetween the two series had grown toroughly 5 million units. This meant thatannual household growth was about150,000 per year lower than we hadthought in previous analyses. Afterseveral discussions with individuals atthe Census Department, the occupiedhousing stock series was clearly the“best” one to use for developing hous-ing forecasts because it was linked toactual housing stock and production.”•The situation: no historical prece-dent. “Unlike previous housing startcycles, this decline was NOT causedby tight monetary policy or high inter-est rates. A new modeling approachwas required. All of the previous hous-ing cycles were driven by monetarypolicy actions. For instance, thesevere decline of 1979-1982 was

caused by aggressive Fed actions tofight double-digit inflation. Several fac-tors helped fuel the recent housingbubble. First, there was the excessiveeasy monetary policy after the stockmarket crash in 2002. Second,changes in lending policies at FreddieMac and Fannie Mae pushed easierlending standards to encourage homeownership. Finally, there was misguid-ed confidence in oversight agenciesand rating agencies that the risks inthe market were manageable.”The RISI advisor also stated that inorder to stimulate the inventory cor-rection process, we must follow a four-step approach, which he outlinedbelow.“As with any inventory correctionproblem, demand has to exceed pro-duction for several years to bringinventory levels back to “desired” orequilibrium levels. This is a bit com-plex given the current economic situa-tion, as will be clear in the followingsteps,” explained Michaelis.1. Our approach for estimating annu-al and trend demand for housing isdriven by both demographics and eco-nomic factors. Employment is crucialto the annual outlook for 2011-2015,while the trend beyond 2016 is prima-

Michaelisclosed bys t a t i n gthere ishope forthe lumberi n d u s t r y.He pointedout positivenotes asthe follow-ing expec-tations for2013:• Inventorycorrectionin housingmarket should be done by 2012-13• Removal rates could be higher thanassumed • Housing trend remains 1.5 to 1.6million units“Our key issue is to strengthen theoverall economy and employment,” hesaid. “Overall improvement dependslargely on these factors.” For more information, questionsand/or follow-up, contactlmichaelis@risi.com or visitwww.nawla.org.

•

rily demographics. 2. There is no clear number on thesize of the excess “vacant stock,” sowe are proposing two different meas-ures to arrive at our assumption onthe current number. 3. An estimate for housing productionfor total units is derived that is consis-tent with the projected annual demandand the speed of the inventory correc-tion through 2015. 4. Finally, the type of units that will bedemanded and produced is forecast.The very easy lending standards dur-ing the boom caused ownership ratesto rise and drove single-family shareto the historical high. The foreclosureprocess and tougher lending stan-dards are driving ownership ratesback to historical levels. As a result,the single-family share will now fallbelow historical averages and hamperthe recovery in single-family starts forseveral years.In summary, he expects slowimprovement in product demand over-all through 2013, given the housingand remodeling outlook. “Overallcapacity still currently remains toolarge with the lumber operating ratebelow 85 percent and structural paneloperating rates higher,” he said.

Housing Outlook Revised Through 2013

Lynn Michaelis

By Michelle Keller

Page 12 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

Additional photos on page 14

Peter Laslo, Anglo American Cedar Products, Mission, B.C.; KatherineKlassen, Pacific Coast Cedar, Maple Ridge, B.C.; and Terry Whitfield,Studio 2009 Architecture Ltd., Courtney, B.C.

Louis Hoy, Nathan Hansen, and Phil Lemon, Oregon-Canadian ForestProducts, Surrey, B.C.; Abdullah Sani Shaffie, Kompleks Perkayuan KelantanSDN BHD, Malaysia; Jack James, Architect, Victoria, B.C.; and Jason Loewen,Elykwood, Langley, B.C.

David Jeffers, PPG Machine Applied Coatings, Raleigh, N.C.; ZairanXiao, International Wood Magazine, China; and Craig Combs, PPGMachine Applied Coatings, Medford, Ore.

Brian Hawrysh and Mike Cunningham, BC Wood, Vancouver, B.C.; andGrant McKinnon, Pacific Homes, Duncan, B.C.

Bill Downing, Structurlam Products Ltd., Penticton, B.C.; and PeterDickson, Fraserwood Industries Inc., Squamish, B.C.

Rongru Zhou, Qingdao Royal International Logistics Co. Ltd., China; HaiFeng Luo, Keep Smile International Trade Ltd., China; Corey Scott,Kootenay Innovative Wood, Nelson, B.C.; and Kun Wang, Youtal SupplyChain Management Inc., Vancouver, B.C.

Robert Marusic and Jack Heavenor, Downie Timber/Selkirk Cedar,Revelstoke, B.C.; James Tuffin, Riverhead Building Supply Corp.,Riverhead, N.Y.; and Rick Palmiter, Idaho Forest Group, Coeur d’Alene,Idaho

Jan Fu, China; Yong Wang, Dalian Longhua Wood Products Co. Ltd.,China; Brett Li, Cowichan Lumber Ltd., Vancouver, B.C.; and LauraChalke and Shane Carphin, Cowichan Lumber Ltd., North Vancouver,B.C.

Noriyoshi and Reico Aoshima, Toyo Enterprise Co. Ltd., Japan; DeanFedoruk and Sam Satosono, Andersen Pacific Forest Products, MapleRidge, B.C.; and Masayo Mori, Toyo Enterprise Co.

Tony, Darlene and Dean Wiens and Pat Thorp, Serpentine Cedar Ltd.,Fort Langley, B.C.

Meryl Phillips and Roger Meakins, All American Forest Products,Lynnwood, Wash.; Rick Palmiter, Idaho Forest Group, Coeur d’Alene,Idaho; and Johnal Lee and Allen Xu, All American Forest Products,Vernon, B.C.

Kirk Nagy, Curtis Walker, Tom Faris and John Brissette, The WaldunGroup, Maple Ridge, B.C.

Bill Peresky, Dakeryn Industries Ltd., North Vancouver, B.C.; GlenDeMara, BFL Canada Insurance Services, Vancouver, B.C.; and ChrisSainas, Dakeryn Industries Ltd.

Jose Zagursky, Corporation Forestal Panamericana,Mexico City, Mexico; and William White, ElofHansson, Suwanee, Ga.

Matt Duprey and Kevin Hynes, Hancock Lumber Inc.,Casco, Maine; and Jim Robbins, Robbins LumberInc., Searsmont, Maine

Phil Ruck, CES Inc., Brewer, Maine; Christine and JoeRobertie, Precision Lumber Inc., Wentworth, N.H.; DougChiasson, J.D. Irving Ltd., St. John, N.B.; and RonDusavitch, Madison Lumber Mill lnc., West Ossipee, N.H.

Brent Vecchi and Matt Pomeroy, NELMA, CumberlandCenter, Maine; Dan Harrison, Cersosimo Lumber Co. Inc.,Brattleboro, Vt.; Tonia Tibbetts, Robbins Lumber Inc.,Searsmont, Maine; and Marc Moore, NELMA

NELMA Photos - Continued from page 10

GBM Photos - Continued from page 10

Richard Klassen, Pacific Coast Cedar Products Ltd., Maple Ridge, B.C.; TerryClark, Imperial Shake Co. Ltd., Maple Ridge, B.C.; Katherine Klassen, PacificCoast Cedar Products Ltd.; and Richard Bradford, Century Forest Products,Southwest Harbor, Maine

Sylvia Sun, International Trade & Investment Office, British Columbia;Greg Smith, Gilbert Smith Forest Products, Barriere, B.C.; and QinglongChen and Jiashun Chen, Shanghai Zhenlin Trading Co. Ltd., Shanghai,China

November/December 2011 Page 13

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Merchandising Corp.Building material co-op Lumbermen’s

Merchandising Corporation (LMC) hasannounced the addition of Hillsboro,Ore.-based, Parr Lumber to its group ofindependent lumberyards. Parr Lumberhas 30 locations in the Northwest.According to sources, Wayne, Pa.-

based, LMC also announced the promo-tion of a new regional manager for itsMid-Atlantic region. Jim Muthersbaughwill take on the position, after 12 yearswith the company. LMC said that duringhis last 10 years at the company, he hasfocused mainly on the lumber tradingarea, and has worked his way up tomanager of LMC’s Futures Programs.

•

Bear Paw Lumber Announces New Website

Havre, Mont.—Bear Paw Lumber,located here, introduced their new web-site www.bearpawlumber.net.Bear Paw Lumber was founded in 1976

by Clarence, Ramona and David Lohse.The company has been providing theHi-Line and surrounding areaswith building products for over 35 years.For more information visit their website.

•

Ohio Building Material Dealers Merge

Dayton, Ohio—Requarth Lumber,based here, has acquired Supply One

With 10 employees at the old facility, thelarger space has required 14 employ-ees.White's Lumber was founded in 1892 by

George W. White and has remained aNorth Country chain of businesses.Other locations are in Clayton,Watertown and Gouverneur.

•

Midwest Chain Expands

Canon City, Colo.—Sonny’s AceHome Center, based here, has recentlyagreed to be acquired by Knecht HomeCenters, Rapid City, S.D., a division ofMead Lumber Co.The 50-year old lumberyard/hardware

store is now complete. Sonny and NancySmaller, the company owners, will stayon for several months to help provide aseamless transition, according tosources.Mead Lumber Co. and Knecht Home

Centers operate 31 lumberyards, hard-ware stores, truss facilities and millworkplants in seven mid-western states.For more information visitwww.meadlumber.com.

•

Traders Supply Up For Trade

Sandpoint, Idaho—Traders Building

RETAIL REVIEWOrchard Supply Shortens

Company Name

San Jose, Calif.—Orchard SupplyHardware, located here, shortened itsname to Orchard as it opened newstores throughout the Bay Area andSouthern California. Renovating existing stores, Senior Vice

President Tom Carey said, “Hardwarestores should be fun. Our new stores willhave the feeling of a Saturday morningfarmer’s market.”The company hopes the updates will

help the store compete against big boxand hardware chain stores. A ‘work-bench’ area has been added to offerservices such as pipe cutting, knifesharpening and window screen repairs. For more information visit

www.osh.com.•

Contractors Wholesale Opens

Youngstown, Ohio—ContractorsWholesale, recently opened a 42,000-square-foot facility to the public here. After serving solely contractors, the

company invited do-it-yourselfers to itswarehouse.A wholesale outlet for mouldings, trims,

flooring and doors for Mahoning Valleycontractors and do-it-yourselfers, hasbeen operating for three years, accord-ing to Richard Albright, president. "It's a grand opening for the general

public but we've been serving contrac-tors here for three years," he said. Contractors Wholesale is affiliated with

25-year-old Clearview Architectural, acompany that manufactures all of thelumber and popular trims and acces-sories the warehouse sells. "We set upthis operation to be able to service areacontractors and do-it-yourselfers withdiscounted trims," Albright explained.For more information visitwww.contractorswholesale.com.

•

Central Network Purchases Cole’sHome Solutions

Ripley, Tenn.—Central Network RetailGroup LLC (CNRG) announced the pur-chase of the 38,000-square-foot Cole’sHome Solutions store and drive-throughlumberyard located in Ripley, Tenn.“The Cole family has a great business

with stores in Millington and Ripley. Theyare truly innovators in the home centerindustry. We are proud to have theopportunity to add the Ripley location toour portfolio of stores,” Boyden Moore,president of CNRG, said in a pressrelease. The store will continue to oper-ate under the Cole’s Home Solutionsname during a transition period, afterwhich it will be renamed as a HomeHardware Center.“This purchase opens up a new market

area for us,” said Jimmy R. Smith, chair-man of CNRG. “It is our goal at CNRG togrow the number of our retail holdingsas we move forward. We are constantlyexploring opportunities to partner withsolid retail operators to expand into newareas and with new retail formats underthe right circumstances and our pur-chase of the Cole’s facility in Ripley istestament to that.”

•

White’s Lumber Re-Opens

Pulaski, N.Y.—White's Lumber andBuilding Supplies was destroyed by fireapproximately a year and a half ago. Agrand reopening was recently held here.According to sources, White's Lumber

took the devastation as an opportunityto expand and improve the retail andwarehouse locations. The retail spaceincreased from 9,000 to 12,000 squarefeet and the warehouse space, thoughabout the same size at 14,000 squarefeet, is consolidated into one building."We created a state-of-the-art, drive-

through warehouse where customerswill drive in and be loaded up in onelocation," store manager Travis Spencersaid."We added canning supplies," Spencer

said. "And though we had lawn and gar-den, it is much larger with grass seedsand fertilizers."

Continued on page 15

Supply, based here, recently put itsproperty up for sale.Traders Building Supply is a lumber

retail and building materials retail spe-cialist. The company also providesgoods/services for electric equipmentand retail supplies for plumbing fixtures,etc.

•

South Fork Opens Former Stock

Preston, Idaho—South Fork Hardwarerecently opened location number 10 inthe former Stock Building Supply, locat-ed here.The retailer also opened store number

11 recently in Park City, Utah, at a for-mer True Value Hardware location.

•

Parr Lumber Teams Up WithLumbermen’s Merchandising Corp.

Hillsboro, Ore.—Parr Lumber, based

here, has joined co-op Lumbermen’s

Page 14 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

B Manning, Durgin & Crowell Lumber Co., New London, N.H.; Dante Diorio,Diorio Forest Products Inc., Ashland, Va.; and Jim St. John, Weiner, Crowley &St. John, Colonia, N.J.

NELMA Photos - Continued from page 12

Bob Keener, Russin Lumber Corp., Montgomery, N.Y.; B Manning, Durgin &Crowell Lumber Co., New London, N.H.; and Brent Anderson, J.D. Irving Ltd.,St. John, N.B.

Rob Brown, Western Lumber Co., Medford, Ore.; Brett Anderson, J.D. IrvingLtd., St. John, N.B.; B Manning, Durgin & Crowell Lumber Co., New London,N.H.; and Terry Miller, The Softwood Forest Products Buyer, Memphis, Tenn.

Frederick Broen, U.S. Lumber Coalition, Washington, D.C.; Win Smith,Limington Lumber Co., East Baldwin, Maine; and Zoltan van Heyningen, U.S.Lumber Coalition

Alden Robbins, Robbins Lumber Inc., Searsmont, Maine; Chuck Gaede, Durgin& Crowell Lumber Co., New London, N.H.; and Matt Demers, Bois DemersLumber, Dieppe, N.B.

Randy Caron, Caron Consulting, Garfield Plantation, Maine; Steve Clark,(retired) NELMA, Cumberland Center, Maine; and George Rafuse, MacDonaldPage & Co., South Portland, Maine.

Prisco DiPrizio, P. DiPrizio Lumber LLC, Rochester, N.Y.; Anthony Baroni,Sandy Neck Traders, South Dennis, Mass.; Bob Bronkie, Unstable Farm, EastAurora, N.Y.; and Peter Buckley, Mill River Lumber Ltd., North Clarendon, Vt.

Alden Robbins, Robbins Lumber Inc., Searsmont, Maine; Jethro Poulan, MilanLumber Co., Milan, N.H.; Jason Brochu, Pleasant River Lumber, Dover Foxcroft,Maine; and Matt Demers, Bois Demers Lumber, Dieppe, N.B.

Mike Cunningham and Brian Hawrysh, BC Wood,Vancouver, B.C.

John Harris, Weyerhaeuser, Tacoma, Wash.; and JackAlley, OrePac Building Products, Wilsonville, Ore.

Ross Ward, Tyee Timber, Coquitlam, B.C.; Dave Wilkie, Woodtone, Chilliwack,B.C.; Neil and Barbara van Swearingen, Independent Dispatch, Portland, Ore.;and Sue Derby, Western Forest Products, Vancouver, B.C.

Bob Thompson, Sue Derby and Jeff Derby, WesternForest Products, Vancouver, B.C.

Kurt Nelson, Tumac Lumber Co., Portland, Ore.; JohnLewsley, Quadra Wood Products Ltd., Abbotsford, B.C.;and Robert Sandve, Haida Forest Products, Burnaby, B.C.

Brian Hawrysch, BC Wood, Vancouver, B.C.; KevinEdmonds, Palmer Timber, United Kingdom; MichaelLoseth, Forestry Innovation Investment, Vancouver,B.C.; and Alan Oakes, Merchant Magazine, NewportBeach, Calif.

Carlos Furtado, Sawarne Lumber Co. Ltd., Richmond,B.C.; Mike Cunningham, BC Wood, Vancouver, B.C.;and Brad Kirkbride, Mary’s River Lumber Co.,Corvallis, Ore.

Joe Petree, OrePac Building Products, Tacoma, Wash.;Bob Dewald, Reid & Wright Inc., Broomfield, Colo.;Rick Palmiter, Idaho Forest Group, Coeur d’Alene,Idaho; and Paul Mackie, WRCLA, Mill Creek, Wash.

Craig Combs, PPG Machine Applied Coatings,Medford, Ore.; Don Demens, Western Forest Products,Vancouver, B.C.; and Cees de Jager, HunterConsulting, Vancouver, B.C.

Bob Thompson, Western Forest Products, Vancouver, B.C.; Brad Meeker,Errington Cedar Products, Errington, B.C.; Paula Craig, WRCLA, Vancouver,B.C.; Wendell MacLoud, Thorlynne Pty Ltd., Sydney, Australia; and Jack Draper,WRCLA

WRCLA/WRCEA Photos - Continued from page 1

John Lewsley and Cal Dyck, Quadra Wood Products Ltd., Abbotsford,B.C.; Mardon Mack, WRCLA, Vancouver, B.C.; and Paul Mackie, WRCLA,Mill Creek, Wash.

Bob Bronkie, Unstable Farm, East Aurora, N.Y.; Chuck Gaede, Durgin &Crowell Lumber Co., New London, N.H.; Ron Lamell, Lamell Lumber Co.,Essex, Vt.; and Matt Demers, Bois Demers Lumber, Dieppe, N.B.

November/December 2011 Page 15

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Illinois' Fischer LumberConsolidates

Belleville, Ill.—Fischer Lumber Co.,located here, will close its six-year-oldstore here and consolidate operations atits 70-year-old location in East Alton, Ill.Before opening in Belleville, the store

was located in Freeburg, Ill.•

Santa Rosa Building Supplier Liquidates

Santa Rosa, Calif.—Golden WestHome Builders Center, based here,recently announced it is liquidating afternearly 50 years.The home center shares space with

Babcock Floors, which will remain inbusiness.

•

Oregon Lumberyard Elmo Studd’s Closing

Tigard, Ore.—Elmo Studd's BuildingSupplies, located here is closing after 27years.Owned by Rebel Country Lumber,

Beaverton, Ore., since August 2010, thecompany was acquired from foundersBill and Diane Fagan, who wanted toretire.

•

RETAIL REVIEWContinued from page 13

Cabinets & Design, also located inDayton.The company will relocate the cabinet

operation to its property after remodel-ing its former mill into a 3,500-squarefoot showroom.Former Supply One president Rick

Flaute will run Requarth's new cabinetdivision.For more information visit www.requar-

th.com.•

Menards Building First Store In Kentucky

Eau Claire, Wis.—Menards, head-quartered here, started constructionrecently on its 246,000-square-foot storein Kentucky.A target date for opening the first of the

chain’s $3.97 million home improvementstores in Kentucky has not beenrevealed. Jeff Abbott, spokesman for the compa-

ny, said the store would open sometimenext year during the company's 50thanniversary celebration."There are so many variables that we

don't try to pinpoint it any more thanthat," he said.Abbott said the number of employees to

be hired hasn't been determined yet. "Itvaries from store to store," he said.Founded in 1962, the company offers

building materials, hardware, electrical,millwork, wall coverings, plumbing andhousewares, floor coverings, cabinetsand appliances, and in some stores,groceries.Company officials said they hope to

have from 100 to 150 customer cars inthe lumberyard daily and about 2,000transactions inside the store. For moreinformation visit www.menards.com.

•

Ace Announces Coolest Hardware Stores

Oak Brook, Ill.—Ace Hardware Corp.recently presented trophies to winnersof its "Coolest Hardware Store" pro-gram.The winners included: Blackhawk Ace

Hardware, Charlotte, N.C., which has anin-house wood shop staffed with crafts-men who handle small projects for cus-tomers; Sunshine Ace Hardware,Naples, Fla., just minutes from thebeach, offers a full line of fishing sup-plies and in Takoma Park, Md., OldTakoma Ace Hardware caters to thelocal green-living commitment with envi-ronmentally friendly products in everycategory. Also on the list, Kopetsky'sAce Hardware, Yankton, S.D., makessure residents can avoid traveling morethan 100 miles to a larger city for out-door equipment and home improvementsupplies. With approximately 4,600 hardware,

home center and building materialsstores that generate annual retail salesof more than $12 billion, Ace is one ofthe largest retailer-owned hardwarecooperatives in the industry.Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Acecurrently operates 14 distribution cen-ters in the U.S. and one in Shanghai,China, and its retailers' stores are locat-ed in all 50 states and more than 60countries. For more information on Ace,visit www.acehardware.com.

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Lowe’s Closes in Kenai

Kenai, Alaska—Lowe’s recentlyannounced the closing of its retail storehere.Attributing the closure to under perform-

ance, the chain also closed six otherstores in the South and East.Founded in 1946, Lowe’s has grown

from a small hardware store to the 2ndlargest home improvement retailerworldwide. Lowe’s stores stock 40,000products in 20 product categories rang-ing from lumber to appliances to tools, to

paint, and nursery products. For moreinformation visit www.lowes.com.

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A. D. Moyer Consolidates

Douglassville, Pa.—A.D. MoyerLumber, based here, closed its 16-year-old yard and reassigned employees toits facilities in Pottstown andGilbertsville, Pa.According to sources, Moyer will retain

the Douglassville property, in hopes ofeventually reopening. Douglassville'sphone numbers remain active and auto-matically forward to the Pottstown loca-tion.Moyer is enhancing its two remaining

locations, including repaving, buildingmaintenance, and equipment upgrades.

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Massachusetts Hardware StoreGets New Owners

Jamaica Plain, Mass.—YumontHardware, Jamaica Plain, Mass., wasrecently acquired by Albert Meranda,owner of Atlas True Value Hardware, W.Roxbury, Mass.Meranda has taken over management

of the new location. His two sons willcontinue to operate the W. Roxburystore.

Arnold Hatinan, owner since 1998,has retired.For more information visit

www.yumonthardware.com.•

Woodinville Closes Doors

Woodinville, Wash.—WoodinvilleLumber recently shut down after 41years in operation. According to sources 114 employees

were laid off. For over 38 yearsWoodinville Lumber has provided pro-fessional builders in the Puget Soundregion with lumber, trusses and build-ing related materials, according to itsWeb site. The company’s product line includes

framing lumber, wall panels, trusses,siding and sheet wood for residentialand light commercial use.

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Millbrae Lumber Closes

Millbrae, Calif.—Millbrae LumberCo., based here, recently closed after72 years in business.Citing the poor economy as cause,

most of Millbrae's 10 employees havebeen with the yard for over 25 years. A new owner has acquired the 1.5-

acre property, but plans have not been

Page 16 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

Midwest Business Trends

By Paul Miller Jr.Assistant

Managing Editor

“Our customers vary from contractors tofarmers and do-it-yourselfers,” he contin-ued. “They are slowing down due to thewinter months. With the election year upand coming, the attitude is ‘wait-and-see’.”An Iowa source said market conditions areflat. “I don’t think we’ve had many changesin the past six months,” he explained. “Ithink the general attitude of the economy ishaving the largest impact. The world econ-omy and its affect on our local economyplay a pretty good role also.”Handling Ponderosa Pine, Spruce-Pine-Fir, Doug-Fir-Larch and Southern YellowPine, he noted Spruce-Pine-Fir is movingbetter than the others. “Our slowest movingitem is the Douglas Fir. Our inventory levelsare up along with our prices, but not bymuch. I anticipate pricing to back off as win-ter approaches,” he said.The supplier said fuel surcharges are still aproblematic issue for his operation. “Thefuel surcharges are still high; we still haveto pay quite a bit to get things moved out,but availability of trucks has not been anissue,” he explained.A Softwood supplier in Kansas that alsomarkets to contractors and do-it-yourselferssaid his customers’ operations are still pret-ty busy. “We’re in an agricultural area and businessis still pretty decent for our customers,” heexplained. “There are still a lot of thingsgoing on here.”The contact said certified products such asSustainable Forestry Initative and ForestStewardship Council have do not factor infor his operation. “We have receivedabsolutely no demand or inquiries for those

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The Midwest regionreports changingmarket conditionsheading into colderweather patterns as2011 closes. InMissouri a Softwoodsupplier said pricesare stable but not

because business is active.“We have dropped off considerably in thelast few weeks along with others aroundus,” he noted. “It’s expected this time ofyear. Winter is the hardest time for ourindustry and knowing that is half the battleof preparing for it. There is a fine balanceand sometimes it takes years of trial anderror before you get the right combinationwith your inventory and your product mix.” After 40 years in the Softwood forest prod-ucts industry, the source said his experi-ence and diverse customer base have kepthim ‘in the game’ during the challenges oftoday’s economic issues. “Having been inthis industry for so long, generally you hopeyou know what to expect,” he explained.“We’ve been keeping a tight eye on ourinventory and overhead expenses for thelast four years.

West coast suppli-ers from BritishColumbia down tonorthern Californiaspoke of 2011 as “anokay year” in theirmid- October com-ments. No superla-tives were used indescribing the last

two months of business, for sales expectedduring the remaining months of 2011 – oreven in expectations for the first quarter of2012.Kirk Nagy, a partner in Waldun Group,

Maple Ridge, B.C., said, “Inquiries andsales have dropped off terribly for ourWestern Red Cedar products. This may bethe slowest fall in a long time, I haveseen. We had a slow summer and then didnot see the usual fall pickup in orders forour Cedar lumber, shingles orshakes. There is so much uncertainty inthe economic picture right now. We still arerunning quite a bit in our shakes and shin-gles, but our lumber mill is not running atthe moment. Sales run hot andcold. Tuesday it was quiet, thenWednesday was a great day for sales. Themarket is very inconsistent lately. Hopefully

West Coast Business Trends

By Wayne MillerExecutive Editor

we will get some kind of boost before win-ter sets in. Then we will pin our hopes foran uptick on spring buying.”Archie Rafter, in sales for Andersen

Pacific Forest Products, also in MapleRidge, B.C., said, “My impression is thatthe overall wood market is better for thistime of the year than it has been in the lastcouple of years. Our Cedar sales are stillvery much hand to mouth. It is a fickle mar-ket. There is a lot of uncertainty due tothings like Greece’s economic woes, stockmarket fluctuations and continued lowhousing construction numbers. My feelingis that 2012 may be slightly better than2011 has been.” Carlos Furtado, in sales for Sawarne

Lumber, Richmond, B.C., said, “Right nowthe Cedar market is very, very quiet. Mostcustomers are not interested in buyingwood. Between now and year’s end theydo not want to purchase taxable invento-ry. They—and we—are still hoping forsome kind of pick up for this fall and thennext spring. Buying is all hand to mouth. Ifyou get an order you must have the woodready to ship or you won’t make thesale. So far we have not seen the usual falluptick in Cedar sales.”Chris Beveridge, head of Skana Forest

Products, Richmond, B.C., said, “It’s beena difficult last several months for woodproduct sales. We’ve been working harderthan ever to move mill production, trying tofind buyers for whatever the mills haveoffered to us. I feel it’s getting a littletougher. Our sales were going well till mid-summer, till about the time the U.S. debtissue came to the fore. Since the politiciansin the U.S. got polarized over this debtissue, things have become more uncer-tain. Buying has slowed. In an effort to off-set a slowing in U.S. sales, our company isworking to export more product offshorethan we have in the past.”Andy Carr, in sales for Gorman

Brothers, West Bank, B.C., said, “Exportsare very busy for our board products, espe-cially to Korea, Japan and to the MiddleEast. We are making some sales intoChina, but only on lower grade materi-al. Our sales to the U.S. have remainedsteady for the past three or four years, butsales to the U.S. now represent only about38 percent of our total volume, when it usedto be 80 percent. We are running our millon three shifts, around the clock. We areexpanding, adding two kilns at present andsoon a third. This will give us a total of 24kilns and an annual drying capacity of 170million feet. We see the current marketconditions as good. We are busy, but notcrazy busy.”In Lakewood, Washington, Dan

Spriesterbach a partner in PacificWestern Lumber, said, “I would describethe overall wood market as ‘spotty’ late-ly. Sales for this time of year are runningabout the same as last year, hot and cold,with most sales just in time. Spring saleson timbers and other specialty items aresometimes hard to find for quick ship-ment. In general business for us has beenpretty good. This year has been an okayyear for us, not great, but not dismal. Wesee supply and demand in fairly good bal-ance with mills cutting back to keep pricesfrom falling further.”Vince Mast is on the sales team at

Hampton Affiliates, Portland, Ore., Hesaid, “We have a very difficult quarter com-ing up”—referring to December, Januaryand February. “We do not see 2012 being agood year for housing starts. China isbacked up with a lot of wood on invento-ry. They are still buying, but at a slowerpace and both volume and prices aredown. Logs are still high priced relative tolumber prices. There are big discrepanciesbetween British Columbia logs and logsfrom Montana and Idaho, which are acheaper source of logs than coastal U.S.logs. Logs milled closer to the coast arehigher priced due to export demand. Itmakes it harder for us coastal mills to com-pete in domestic markets. We feel we willsee curtailments until at least the next quar-ter. Our customer base in the U.S. isscrambling for wood. They are concernedas they see more mill curtailment or clo-sures. Eventually either lumber must go upor logs must come down for mills on thecoast to continue production. Next year willbe tough. We are finding business veryactive in the South, especially Texas andOklahoma. Building in the northeast hasalso been strong due to FEMA money com-ing in to rebuild flood damagedareas. There is no trouble selling wood, justa challenge to make a profit.” Dave Halsey, a Vice President at Patrick

Lumber, Portland, Ore., said “We haveseen improvement over 2010; and 2010was better than 2009. Most of that is due toother suppliers going by the wayside. We

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