{"id":98,"date":"2019-10-31T23:49:55","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T23:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lanelogprices\/?p=98"},"modified":"2019-10-31T23:49:56","modified_gmt":"2019-10-31T23:49:56","slug":"everything-but-predictable-logs-non-timber-forest-products-prices-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lanelogprices\/2019\/10\/31\/everything-but-predictable-logs-non-timber-forest-products-prices-trends\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything, but predictable: Logs & Non-timber Forest Products – Prices & Trends"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Lauren Grand, OSU Extension Forestry & Natural Resources Extension<\/em>, Lane County<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This year, all bets are off. Our market has been erratic to say the least. In the next graph you\u2019ll see that the prices we\u2019ve recorded follow the trend above from 2012-2016, but after that the trend goes haywire. Prices rise and fall erratically through 2016 and then take off on a steady rise through the spring of 2018. Once the summer of 2018 hits, prices fall quickly before bouncing up and down again for the next year. Additionally, prices unexpectedly came up last month, but not at all mills. Some mills were comfortable with their inventories as the lumber market came on hot and heavy. However, some mills were nervous about meeting their inventory needs as a result of the wet September slowing down wood coming out of the hills. Now that drier weather is upon us and some new rocked roads are in place, inventory is rising again and prices have seemed to cool off for now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDouglas-fir\nprices are currently sitting around $650 \u2013 $695 \/mbf\nfor 2mill and $650\/mbf for\nthe 8-11 inch at the small end. If you are selling it all in a camp run then\nyou are still seeing a pretty good price at $660\/mbf.\nIf history teaches us anything we\u2019d know that typically it takes a few months\nbefore prices start to rise again, but with the way things are going this year\nwe will just have to wait and see. \n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hem-fir sorts (spruce, hemlock, grand and white fir) are fairly variable now as well. Prices range widely depending on the buyer and what you\u2019ve got, but seem to be more favorable than last quarters report. Currently prices are in the $380-$535 \/mbf range. Roseburg\u2019s prices are slightly higher ranging from $450-$500. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pine\nprices in the southwest are holding steady around $400\/mbf. If\nyou are selling pine, consider your trucking distance. At these prices, if you\nhave to move it too far, you may be losing money instead of making it. That\nbeing said, rumors of light at the end of the\ntunnel\nare starting to surface. Hopefully\nI\u2019ll\nhave higher\nprices\nfor you with my next report, but no\npromises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically, trends in the Alder market follow Douglas-fir, but more recently have been slowing and flattening out. Unfortunately, production in many mills has slowed down with lower demand for raw wood furnishings in homes. Someone call HGTV and tell them what\u2019s up! As a result, prices have come off a bit since the last report especially for the small diameter logs. Alder prices range between $400 and $600\/MBF for the 7\u201d and up sorts. Prices increase with diameter increases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incense-cedar and redcedar\nprices are holding pretty steady with a slight decline from the last report.\nCurrent values of incense-cedar in the south valley are running close to $650\nfor long logs. Incense-cedar in Douglas County is usually purchased at slightly\nhigher values, in the $750 range. Western redcedar\nprices are still lower than they have been in the recent past and are $50 down\nfrom last quarter at $800\/MBF for a long-log and $50 less in Roseburg. Short\nlog values decline by another $100-$200 depending on the length. Port-Orford-cedar\nprices are holding steady in the $500-$550 range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually I don\u2019t have much good to\nsay about chips and that theme continues. Due to all the terrible winters we\u2019ve\nbeen having coupled with summers of intense drought. There have been lots of\nlandowners trying to salvage the damage. As a result the chip market is overrun\nand few people are buying. If they are buying, prices are low $20\/ton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last, but\nnot least non-timber\nforest\nproducts. While\nfloral\ngreens wholesale orders are finished right now, you may be able to get in some\nsmaller contracts for home use. These buyers are typically looking for salal,\nfern, and huckleberry. Mushroom season is also upon us. We\u2019ve had lots of rain\nearly which means lots of mushrooms, without getting too soggy. Mushrooms\ntypically claim a large sum, but they have to look good and be clean. With\nmushroom popularity increasing, lots of pickers have flooded the market and\nprices are way down. Chanterelles usually claim a decent $6-$8 per pound, but\nthis year they are down to $1.50. If you have the time and patience, it\u2019s worth\nthe reward especially if you are just collecting for yourself. Always, be 100%\nsure you know what you are eating. If not, contact your mycological society for\nsome good resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\nhas certainly been an unpredictable one, especially with different buyers\noffering drastically different prices. But, that\u2019s what makes it interesting!\nBecause this market has been so unpredictable, make sure you are calling around\nto multiple buyers to make sure you get the best price for your logs. Hope you\nenjoy your holiday season! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8562,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lanelogprices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lanelogprices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lanelogprices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lanelogprices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8562"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lanelogprices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lanelogprices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lanelogprices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98\/revisions\/102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lanelogprices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lanelogprices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lanelogprices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}