The rising cost of lumber

[patrick]

From what I have read and heard, it is because of the wet year that we are having in some of the producing states. If the ground is too wet, the wood can't be harvested. That is what "Georgia-Pacific" is saying. Thus with demand high and production low, we get screwed with high prices for a while. The latest hurricane on the East coast didn't help the matter much either for construction grade ply and other forms of wood. The prices should go down after time. I would not stock up on ply now thinking that the prices will continue to rise and not come down--they will as the weather changes. Alter your time frame a little and you should be fine.

Patrick

[Dan Musicant]

I became aware of this when I read this article in the Sept. 6, 2003 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle:

I already have the wood (and finished it too) for my custom designed bookcases. But I also plan to make at least two custom designed tables for the same room and this will require some plywood and pine. Seems like the cost of this wood may have doubled (or close to it) from what it would have been in June. I also have major work to do on my house that's going to require a lot of wood some time in the future. What's the trend? Will it be cheaper in a month or two or worse. If there are any other threads on this in this newsgroup I'd appreciate a link or the quoted subject so I can read those. I couldn't find any. Thanks.

Dan

[mttt]

Quoting:Jack Hooper, a spokesman for the Defense Logistics Agency in Fort Belvoir, Va., which handles military procurement, said it bought $50 million worth of wood, including 666,000 sheets of plywood, much of it to build bunkers, guard posts and tent flooring for troops in Iraq. But he scoffed at the notion that military purchasing had caused wood prices to spike.

"I wouldn't dispute that it could be an influencing factor, but we're not a big player in the market," he said, noting that timber is a multibillion- dollar business. He also wanted to set the record straight on another item: "It is primarily for force protection purposes, not for any nation-building or Iraq reconstruction efforts."

[Lawrence A. Ramsey]

Yes, and if the ground is too dry (drought), they say they can't harvest because of fire conditions. Which is true but it always sounded kinda false. Thus with

[js]

Most woodsmen wouldnt cut when its too dry even IF they were allowed to. A spark from a cigarette, or a machine, or the saw hitting a stone, anything like that, and *boom* forest fire, and there goes thier livelyhood.

For someone raised in a woodsmans family, it makes alot of sense.

[Dan Musicant]

: :From what I have read and heard, it is because of the wet year that we are :having in some of the producing states. If the ground is too wet, the wood :can't be harvested. That is what "Georgia-Pacific" is saying. Thus with :demand high and production low, we get screwed with high prices for a while. :The latest hurricane on the East coast didn't help the matter much either :for construction grade ply and other forms of wood. The prices should go :down after time. I would not stock up on ply now thinking that the prices :will continue to rise and not come down--they will as the weather changes. :Alter your time frame a little and you should be fine. : :Patrick

Yeah, I was wondering. Realistically, I'm in no hurry as I have several projects to keep me busy and I could wait on making those tables. I do have a 10% off coupon good for a one time purchase at Home Depot that expires on October 31st of this year. If what you say is true, it will probably be a better idea to wait several months before I make my purchase. It's a bit of a gamble. It's not that much wood I need here for those tables, anyway.

Thanks.

Dan