Weighted Year-Over-Year Wood Fiber Prices Are Mixed For North America

For Immediate Release

Weighted Year-Over-Year Wood Fiber Prices Are Mixed For North America   ATHENS, GEORGIA – March 18, 2025 – The Forisk Wood Fiber Review (FWFR) reports that U.S. softwood fiber prices were flat year-over-year through Q1 2025, while Canadian prices climbed by 9%. Quarterly price declines in the U.S. are attributed to market adjustments mostly in the Southeast, where the region is still trying to recover as much Hurricane Helene downed fiber as possible. In Canada, prices generally saw moderate increases with the new political uncertainty regarding trade policies and weakening Canadian Dollar. Canadian chip prices increased by 5% year-over-year. In British Columbia, softwood pulplog prices were flat for the quarter. Delivered softwood chip prices fell by 3% in Alberta but increased 13% in East Ontario/Quebec and 6% in British Columbia year-over-year. According to Stephen Wright, Product Manager of the FWFR, “The Canadian forest products industry is currently facing a standstill, as the potential for additional duties on its products looms, adding to the ongoing softwood lumber tariffs. In response, producers are seeking to diversify their customer base to reduce risk, though developing alternative markets within such a limited timeframe is challenging." U.S. roundwood prices increased 2% year-over-year, and chip prices fell by 3%, though this varied regionally. In the Pacific Northwest, prices for softwood residual chips rose by 2%, while softwood roundwood increased by 11%. Hardwood residual chips and roundwood saw a 5% increase and a 5% decrease year-over-year. In the Lake States, fiber prices were mostly stable, with the biggest mover being softwood roundwood increasing 3% for the year. The Northeast saw decreases year-over-year for all products, with the largest drops in softwood residual chips (-11%) and hardwood residual chips (-8%). In the Southeast, softwood roundwood increased 3% while softwood residual chips were down 5%. In the South Central region, prices for softwood roundwood were steady while softwood residual chips were up 2% and hardwood residual chips are down 9% for the year. Brooks Mendell, CEO of Forisk Consulting, commented, “Even for domestic producers, the uncertainty around the tariff situation is stalling cap-ex projects. Some sawmilling manufacturers are worried about the negative impact the tariffs could have on Canadian firms purchasing residual chips from the PNW." Wood fiber costs account for over half of total pulp manufacturing costs worldwide. The Forisk Wood Fiber Review includes prices and market commentary for all major North American regions, providing essential data for anyone that needs to track pulpwood, wood chips, and biomass prices in the world’s largest and most dynamic wood fiber markets. The FWFR provides updates of softwood and hardwood prices for major markets in North America. Prices are reported for wood delivered to consuming plants as a range and average. Each report also updates U.S. and Canada trade statistics for lumber, logs, wood pellets, wood chips and pulp. For more information or to subscribe to the Forisk Wood Fiber Review, visit Forisk's website or contact Nick DiLuzio, ndiluzio@forisk.com, 770.725.8447. About Forisk Consulting: Forisk delivers forecasts and analysis of forest industry markets and timberland investments. Firms participate in Forisk’s research program by subscribing to the Forisk Research Quarterly (FRQ), the Forisk Wood Fiber Review, or the North American Forest Industry Capacity Database; supporting benchmarking studies related to forest operations and mill capacities; and attending educational workshops. About Us Products Services Education Resources   PO Box 5070 Athens, GA 30604 Phone: (770) 725-8447 Reach Out To Us

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Early Registration Discount Ends Next Thursday

Register for the Applied Forest Finance Class

Early Registration Discount Ends Next Thursday for the Applied Forest Finance Class! This one-day class will be held virtually via live Zoom Webinar on April 3rd. The early registration discount is available until March 20th! Register Online We teach you to do it yourself so that you can leverage your own experience and insight when making investment and operational decisions. Forisk's Applied Forest Finance Class details the step-by-step financial analysis required to address key forest investment and management decisions. This course is ideal for forestry consultants and investment analysts, timberland owners and investors, and anyone else who needs to understand the identification, valuation, and ranking of timber-dependent and forest-related investments.  Class attendees will receive eBooks for the soon-to-be released 7th Edition of "Forest Finance Simplified" and the 2nd Edition of "Aunt Fanny Learns Forestry." Attendees will also receive Excel models for reinforcing and applying the concepts learned during the course. Can't attend live on April 3rd? No problem! The webinar recording will be shared with registered attendees afterwards, so feel free to sign up so you get all of the course materials and watch the recording at your leisure! This class directly addresses the following key forest finance topics: Common mistakes and how to correct them Financial criteria: ranking investment options Discount rates: estimating risk Testing for how forest carbon affects management and returns Marginal analysis: when does forest management pay? Case study: when do we clearcut for pulpwood versus manage for sawtimber?  Case study: maximizing financial returns from existing stands Click here to view the full agenda In addition to updated content on the finance of forest carbon, the program includes (1) additional coverage of how and when to use different financial criteria for analyzing investments in forestry; (2) new examples for applying key formulas to forestry investments; and (3) expanded discussion on reviewing and understanding financial statements. Continuing Education Credits The Applied Forest Finance Class qualifies for 6.0 continuing education hours for the following: CFE (Forestry) Georgia CLE / MTH (Logger / Georgia Master Timber Harvester) Georgia Real Estate/Appraisal CE We can only offer Continuing Education Credits to the people who attend the live webinar. Participants who are licensed in other states can receive a certificate of attendance and apply for reciprocal credit in their state. Discounts The early registration discount is available until 11:59pm EST on March 20th! Register before then to save $80! Firms that subscribe to Forisk's research products receive a 10% discount on their employees' registration fees. This includes the FRQ, the Wood Fiber Review, and the Mill Capacity Database. College students are also eligible to receive a 10% discount. Email Pamela Smith at psmith@forisk.com for the promo code BEFORE registering online!

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2024 Top 10 North American Softwood Lumber Producers; West Fraser Leads

North America's Top 10 Softwood Lumber Firms Could Produce 35 Billion Board Feet of Lumber; West Fraser is The Largest Producer, Followed by Weyerhaeuser ATHENS, GEORGIA – March 6, 2025 – North American lumber capacity increased over 1% in 2024 while the top ten producers shed almost 5% of their total capacity by shuttering 13 softwood lumber mills. Forisk tracks over 2,300 forest industry mills, including planned capacity changes, to publish the North American Forest Industry Capacity Database (“Mill Capacity Database”) and generate industry research and projections in the Forisk Research Quarterly. From the mill database, Forisk annually publishes a list of the top 10 softwood lumber producers in North America, along with notes on the year-over-year changes. “The top ten producers are the same as in 2023 but with 1.8 billion board feet (BBFT) less capacity,” remarked Amanda Lang, COO & VP of Client Services for Forisk Consulting. “Interestingly, of the seven new softwood sawmills started up in 2024, only one of those was by a top 10 company. The others were smaller players,” she added. In 2024, North America’s top 10 softwood lumber firms could produce 35.1 BBFT of lumber, representing 46% of total North American capacity (76.6 BBFT). West Fraser, still the largest softwood lumber producer in North America at 6.8 BBFT of capacity, decreased overall capacity in 2024, closing four mills and completing two investments. Weyerhaeuser, the second largest lumber producer, reduced capacity by 20 million board feet (MMBF) with the closure of New Bern, NC and completing a modernization in Holden, LA. Interfor and Canfor are the third and fourth largest lumber producers in North America after several capacity reductions throughout the year. Interfor reduced capacity by 550 MMBF and Canfor by 775 MMBF in 2024. “The U.S. lumber sector is more consolidated than the broader North American sector as the top ten firms produce 50% of the softwood lumber in the country, compared with 46% of the North American region,” comments Pat Jolley, Product Manager of Forisk’s Mill Capacity Database. Weyerhaeuser tops the U.S. list at 4.6 BBFT of capacity, followed by West Fraser and Sierra Pacific Industries, at 3.4 and 3.3 BBFT, respectively. Forisk’s North American Forest Industry Capacity Database (“Mill Capacity Database”) compiles mill capacity for softwood and hardwood lumber, structural panels (OSB and plywood), engineered wood products, pulp, veneer, wood pellets, chip mills, and nonstructural panel mills by region across five North American geographies: U.S. North, U.S. South, U.S. West, Eastern Canada, and Western Canada. Updated quarterly, the database includes detailed information for over 2,300 facilities, including location, mill type, wood use estimates, and species. It also provides ownership and capacity data by year for 2014-2024, with estimates for 2025-2027. Forisk’s Mill Capacity Database is available as an annual subscription or as a one-time purchase. For more information or to subscribe to Forisk’s Mill Capacity Database, contact: Nick DiLuzio, ndiluzio@forisk.com, 770-725-8447.  About Forisk Consulting: Forisk delivers forecasts and analysis of forest industry markets and timberland investments. Firms participate in Forisk’s research program by subscribing to the Forisk Research Quarterly (FRQ), Forisk Wood Fiber Review, or the North American Forest Industry Capacity Database; supporting benchmarking studies related to forest operations and mail capacities; and attending educational workshops.   Forisk Consulting | www.forisk.com

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Don't Wait! Early Bird Discount Ends Soon

Register for the Applied Forest Finance Class

Early Registration Discount Ends in 3 Weeks for the Applied Forest Finance Class! This one-day class will be held virtually via live Zoom Webinar on April 3rd. The early registration discount is available until March 20th! Register Online We teach you to do it yourself so that you can leverage your own experience and insight when making investment and operational decisions. Forisk's Applied Forest Finance Class details the step-by-step financial analysis required to address key forest investment and management decisions. This course is ideal for forestry consultants and investment analysts, timberland owners and investors, and anyone else who needs to understand the identification, valuation, and ranking of timber-dependent and forest-related investments.  Class attendees will receive eBooks for the soon-to-be released 7th Edition of "Forest Finance Simplified" and the 2nd Edition of "Aunt Fanny Learns Forestry." Attendees will also receive Excel models for reinforcing and applying the concepts learned during the course. Can't attend live on April 3rd? No problem! The webinar recording will be shared with registered attendees afterwards, so feel free to sign up so you get all of the course materials and watch the recording at your leisure! This class directly addresses the following key forest finance topics: Common mistakes and how to correct them Financial criteria: ranking investment options Discount rates: estimating risk Testing for how forest carbon affects management and returns Marginal analysis: when does forest management pay? Case study: when do we clearcut for pulpwood versus manage for sawtimber?  Case study: maximizing financial returns from existing stands Click here to view the full agenda In addition to updated content on the finance of forest carbon, the program includes (1) additional coverage of how and when to use different financial criteria for analyzing investments in forestry; (2) new examples for applying key formulas to forestry investments; and (3) expanded discussion on reviewing and understanding financial statements. Continuing Education Credits The Applied Forest Finance Class qualifies for 6.0 continuing education hours for the following: CFE (Forestry) Georgia CLE / MTH (Logger / Georgia Master Timber Harvester) Georgia Real Estate/Appraisal CE We can only offer Continuing Education Credits to the people who attend the live webinar. Participants who are licensed in other states can receive a certificate of attendance and apply for reciprocal credit in their state. Discounts The early registration discount is available until 11:59pm EST on March 20th! Register before then to save $80! Firms that subscribe to Forisk's research products receive a 10% discount on their employees' registration fees. This includes the FRQ, the Wood Fiber Review, and the Mill Capacity Database. College students are also eligible to receive a 10% discount. Email Pamela Smith at psmith@forisk.com for the promo code BEFORE registering online!

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