b'SEPTEMBER 25 - OCTOBER 22, 2023FOREST PRODUCTS 33Lumber pricesup, thanks to the Canadian wildfires But that wont last long if residential construction turns down.By Peter Buxbaum, AJOTInJuneandJuly, Ameri- weeks,butitsquestionable cans from Boston to Chicagowhetherthephenomenon begantoexperienceorangewill continue. Thats because skies and to breath foul air, assome prognosticators foresee smoke from Canadian wildfiresadownturninhousingcon-createduncomfortable,andstruction, and, if that comes sometimeshazardous,condi- about, the supply deficit may tions. At one point, one-third ofnot be so egregious compared the U.S. population was underto demand.an air quality alert. Thats to sayBesidesthedestruction nothing of what the Canadiansof timberland, the paucity of were going through.supply was also related to the Thesituationonlygotclosureofsawmills.Reso-worsefromthere.Accord- lute Forest Products Inc., for ingtotheCanadianInter- example,aMontreal-based agencyForestFireCenter,company,temporarilyshut therewere963activefiresdownfourofitssawmills burning at the end of the first(WILDFIREScontinued weekofSeptember,600ofon page 34)those characterized as being out of control. That compares to a total of around 400 fires reported in early June, nearly 500 in early July, and around 1,000inlateAugust.The wildfireseasoninCanada usually runs through October.Year to date, over 6,100 fireshavebeenreported, whichhaveburnedover40 millionacresoflandthe largest area ever recorded in a single year, according to a report from Forest Economic Advisors, a Massachusetts-basedCLOSERwoodandtimberdatabase. Thats a good deal more than usualsince1990,wildfires across Canada have consumed an average of somewhat over 6 million acres per year.Forestfiresareanatu-ralphenomenoninCanada, and the United States for thatON THE COLUMBIA RIVER IN WASHINGTON STATEmatter,andsome,ofcourse,FASTERarealsocausedbyhuman negligenceandrecklessness. Butthisseason,Canadagot off to an unprecedented start, andthewildfireshavepro-ceeded apace. In the U.S. the effects were still being felt in late August, where less-than- DIRECT CONNECTIONS TO MAINLINE RAIL & INTERSTATE HIGHWAYSoptimalatmosphericcondi- SMARTERtionswereseeninBuffalo, Cleveland, Chicago, and Min-neapolis. In the first days of September, heavy smoke was inundatingeasternMontana, theDakotas,andNebraska. At the end of the first week of September, a column of mod-eratesmokestretcheddownSTORAGE OPTIONS & FOREIGN TRADE ZONE SPACEthe middle of the country allBETTERthe way to Alabama and Mis-sissippiandthewildfires were still burning. i MpaCts onl uMbers uppliesGiventhatthewildfires aredestroyingforestlands, thequestionariseswhetherON-DOCK RAIL & DUAL-SERVED BY BNSF & UPtheywillhaveanadverse effect on the supply of timber and,therefore,providea boost to the price of lumber. The answer is yesto a cer- CONTACT US AT [email protected] | PORTOFLONGVIEW.COMtaindegree.Lumberprices havetickedupinrecent'