Wood Industry News from United States

Construction openings were up 17.8% from a year earlier, against a 2.3% rise for all nonfarm industries.

The annual gain followed a 1.6% increase in June, while inflation outpaced nominal home price growth.

The Chinese list covers hardwood and softwood lumber, logs, OSB, fiberboard, plywood and flooring, while tariff reductions still require domestic procedures.

New package includes $200 million revolver and $275 million term loan maturing in 2031.

China manufacturing PMI arrives Wednesday as U.S. construction spending is due Thursday.

Daily closes stayed between $535 and $538 all week.

U.S. hardwood log exports to China reached 380.6 thousand m3 worth $285 million in January-August 2026, exceeding full-year 2025 shipments.

Mill closures have reduced pulpwood outlets, while weak housing and construction activity has reduced demand for hardwood products.

Santiago paper machine produces 250,000 tons annually, integrates recycled paper across Argentina, Peru, and Ecuador.

Closure removes 120,000 tons of annual capacity and affects approximately 90 workers.

Sales of new single-family homes rose to 684,000 in August from 643,000 in July but were 2% below a year earlier.

The 15-year fixed mortgage rate also increased, reaching 6.42% from 6.26% a week earlier.

Net imports rise 26% in July as coated free sheet gains 51%.

The change will primarily affect European lumber measured after drying and planing.

About 947 thousand wood-framed single-family homes were completed, while steel-framed completions reached about 5 thousand.

Friday's $13 drop was the steepest session of the week, the fourth straight day of declines.

Six-colour offset press added in Indianapolis; upgrades planned in Chicago and Naperville.

Single-family starts rose 7.6% from July.

Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper plans boiler and chemical-plant upgrades expected to raise daily kraft production by 11% and increase its use of forest biomass.

The agreement covers prescribed fire, timber and fuels treatments, longleaf pine restoration, wildlife habitat and invasive species management across ownership boundaries.

The 30-year fixed rate increased from the previous week and remained above its year-earlier level.

The five-year agreement covers conservation, restoration and active forest management across the 64,000-square-mile watershed.

The Ashland Sawmill project is expected to create and retain the equivalent of 220 permanent full-time jobs.

Dealers report higher supplier prices, reduced Canadian shipments and longer lead times after the duties took effect.

The expansions will create greater opportunities for local forest management and help maintain fibre supplies for local facilities.

The additional capital will fund selective acquisitions and value-creation projects across existing and future timberland holdings.

Inventory reaches 1.62 million units, while the median existing-home price rises 1.6% from a year earlier.

Regional constraints, limited plantation expansion and infrastructure barriers will restrict how much additional softwood roundwood reaches markets.

The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage also rose, while both rates remain above year-ago levels.

The mill will start at 80 million board feet annually and reach 108 million board feet at full capacity.

Softwood lumber prices rose 11.8% year over year, compared with a 5.1% increase in residential building material prices.

The sawmill has an annual capacity of 70 million board feet and faces timber supply and operating-cost concerns.

Latvia lost 9 percentage points of Sweden's softwood log imports; Sweden imported 1.4 million m3.

Malaysia gained 10 percentage points of U.S. hardwood plywood imports as the United States imported 581 thousand m3.

Sweden imported 1.4 million m3 in Q2 as Latvia lost 9 percentage points of Sweden's imports.

Price for softwood lumber imported to the U.S. expanded 10%.

15-year rate reaches 6.04%, up 0.06 points weekly and 0.44 points year-over-year.

Private residential spending ran at US$859.0 billion in July, down from US$870.6 billion in June.

Partnership builds on Southeast success with composite decking and railing products.

Georgia timberland owners lose buyers as mill closures cut 3% of U.S. containerboard capacity.

The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage also rose as home prices grew more slowly in many areas.

The modeled expansion would also increase the role of lumber suppliers, with dimension lumber the largest intermediate input.

The national index rose 1.5% from a year earlier in June, after a 1.2% annual gain in May.

Sales of new single-family homes fell to 607,000 in July, from 678,000 in June.

Forest-product shipments weaken as U.S. and Canada move closer to a broader trade conflict.

The benchmark was down 11.3% year on year, while U.S. market import volume rose 1.4% month on month.

The USITC made affirmative injury determinations on hardwood and decorative plywood from China, Indonesia and Vietnam, clearing the way for antidumping and countervailing duty orders.

The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage also fell, while both rates remained above year-earlier levels.

The three-day pause gives negotiators time to finalize a broader agreement covering market access and other bilateral trade issues, with Canadian lumber among the products exposed to the planned additional U.S. tariff.

The law also directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to identify financing barriers for modular housing and study a federal building standard.

The grants fund sawmill reopenings, equipment upgrades, biomass systems and mass timber projects across the state.

The proposal would return decisions on inventoried roadless areas to local national forest managers under existing laws and planning rules.

Single-family starts fell 6.9% year to date, while starts in buildings with five or more units rose 11.9%. The July rate was the second-lowest monthly level of 2026.

The project will test prefabricated structures designed for transport, rapid assembly and cold-weather deployment.

The 15-year fixed mortgage rate declines to 5.96% from 6.01% a week earlier.

The Cherokee County facility will make wood packaging products and is expected to create 136 jobs over five years.

Softwood lumber's annual increase outpaced residential building-material prices excluding energy, which were up 5.0%.

The awards support tree inventories, management plans, planting, maintenance and invasive tree removal across 19 communities.

The companies remain in the China-wide entity, with the rate applying to reviewed entries and future cash deposits.

Digester inspections and pulp machine optimization planned during 15,000 ADMT production reduction.