Appalachian Comments

GENERAL

Comments from November 14, 2025.

Appalachian region lumber sales lack consistency. Contacts report slow activity some days but a hectic pace on other days, when buyers seeking to replenish inventories seemingly want orders delivered “yesterday.” Suppliers are hesitant to increase production and buyers are reluctant to build inventory when neither are confident in what demand and prices will be a few months from now. Activity is better in green than in kiln dried markets. Relatively few changes are made to green listings this week, but among the changes, 83% are increases. Conversely, changes to the kiln dried figures are almost evenly split between gains and declines. Orders are often length specific, particularly for Ash, Basswood, Hard Maple, and White Oak. Tighter customer specifications are typical in slow markets. The new US-China trade framework has lessened market uncertainty, to a degree, but hasn’t eliminated it. As one producer said, “Some of our customers tell us they still don’t know what to do.”

ASH

Sawmills with quality Ash logs are moving developing green lumber production with relative ease. Green and kiln dried supplies are aligned with demand, and transactions point out stable pricing that holds most published figures in check. The exceptions are boosts to the listings for green 4/4 Fas&1f and to the low end ranges for kiln dried 4/4 #2A.

BASSWOOD

Markets for Basswood are slow, and order files for this species are thin. Production is accordingly limited and going mainly to long-term customers. Increases to the listings for green 4/4 and 5/4 #1C are supply driven. Kiln dried inventories are adequate to meet current needs. Reported prices are stable, allowing all kiln dried figures to stand.

BEECH

CHERRY

Sellers describe markets for Cherry as slow, or “recently slower” after a brief uptick in Chinese demand in September and early October. Several contacts are again listing Cherry among their worst-selling species after making that designation less frequently in early fall. However, the listings for green 5/4 through 8/4 #1C&Btr rise in both sub-regions, as exporting concentration yards are paying more to ensure adequate inventories. Information also lifts the listings for kiln dried Appalachian 4/4 #2A but reduces the green listings for 4/4 #2A in both sub-regions.

HICKORY

Comments about Hickory demand and availability vary widely across the region. Supplies of kiln dried 4/4 #1C easily outweigh demand, according to certain contacts, and the situation isn’t much better for #2A, resulting in a “buyer’s market.” However, a yard operator said he would like to dry more Hickory, but there’s not a lot of green available. Supply and demand for this species can shift somewhat quickly coming out of stain season. At present, all the green and kiln dried figures are reflective of transactional data.

HARD MAPLE

Demand is stronger for #1C than for Fas Hard Maple in both color designations, and longer lengths move considerably easier than 8-foot and shorter. Production ramped up in early October, and green markets absorbed the additional output. However, kiln dried supplies exceeded the market’s needs, prompting declines in #1&2 White and Unselected #1C&Btr prices in October. At the time, contacts said supply would rebalance with fair demand once “everyone and their brother” stopped sawing Hard Maple. Supply and demand are in equilibrium, at least this week, resulting in no changes to the published figures.

SOFT MAPLE

Soft Maple has the most energy of any species this week, in terms of both positive comments and kiln dried price gains. Sales are particularly brisk for sellers in Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio. Fas and #1C are the strongest grades in both color sorts, but #2A is harder to move. All of the green and most of the kiln dried listings and ranges remain at previous levels. However, transactions reveal upward price movement for 5/4 and 6/4 Fas in both Sap&Btr and Unselected, necessitating increases to the listings and ranges.

#2&3A OAK

Residential solid wood flooring manufacturers are experiencing decent sales and rising finished goods prices for some items. Plants are readily accepting deliveries of #2A&3A Oak ahead of shutdowns during the holidays. Prior increases to the listings coincided with stronger competition from truck trailer flooring plants, while recent price stability coincides with waning competition from that sector. Transactions reported this week hold all the listings steady.

RED OAK

The announced US-China trade deal framework isn’t materially changing Red Oak production and many sellers’ approaches to Chinese business. First, a “deal” doesn’t automatically equate to stronger Chinese demand. Second, some contacts say inventories in China are large enough to last through year-end at the slow pace of absorption by Chinese wood products manufacturers. Third, Chinese buyers aren’t inquiring about inventories and production to the extent they typically do ahead of Chinese New Year. Additionally, US domestic demand is far from robust. Until there’s greater clarity about the market’s needs, producers are inclined to control Red Oak production. Sales activity varies by grade. Reported prices for some #1C&Btr items are falling, but all #2A prices are holding, with steady green sales restraining throughput to kiln dried. Information warrants reductions to the listings and noted range figures for 4/4, 6/4, and 8/4 Fas. The 5/4 #1C listings are also reduced. All green listings are unchanged.

WHITE OAK

Market interest in White Oak is decent. Shortages of White Oak logs caused by strong sales to stave markets in recent years have all but disappeared, leaving plenty of logs available to saw into lumber. Prices are down, resulting in decreases to the kiln dried 4/4 #1C&Btr listings and ranges. The listings for 5/4 and 6/4 Fas also retreat. The 6/4 declines mark the first changes in either direction in over three months. Conversely, green supplies are aligned with the market’s needs, and no changes are required to the #3A&Btr listings.

POPLAR

Most sellers state that overall demand for Poplar is steady, though sales are better for Fas than the common grades and stronger in the US than in export markets. A contact also noted that the post vacation bump in #1C&Btr sales to Europe, which is somewhat typical in September, didn’t carry into October. Green lumber is available but, at times, concentration yards and secondary manufacturers must make extra calls to find it because Poplar log decks are sparse in certain areas. Production and inventories are at manageable levels, and all the green and kiln dried figures warrant no changes.

WALNUT

The new trade deal framework between the US and China resumes log exports to China. If China starts purchasing Walnut logs heavily, as Vietnam has been doing, green lumber production could fall off after improving over the last month. It’s also quite possible that more typical Walnut log purchasing patterns will resume, meaning more to China as Vietnamese receipts fall back. Currently, lumber-wise, supplies of most green and kiln dried items are aligned with demand. Only three figures change this week; the listing for green 6/4 #2A edges down, while the low end ranges for kiln dried 5/4 #2A rise.

FRAMESTOCK, CANTS, TIES, & BOARD ROAD

Markets for framestock are very slow, to the point where one producer says he can’t remember the last time anyone asked for it. In minimal trading, transactions show few changes in pricing, allowing the ranges to stand.

Markets for wooden packaging material are fair. Total demand is keeping cant production shipped. Information holds the listing and range in check. Overall, the cant list price is up $40 since the start of the year, but $30 of the gain occurred in just one month—March.

Insertions of 7x9 crossties have seasonally slowed, and buyers are less concerned than in past months about supplies meeting longer-term needs. Reported prices are steady, resulting in no changes to the ranges in the Southern Appalachian and Northern Appalachian sub-regions.

Some longtime suppliers have decent order files for board road, but others do not. The listing and range hold steady in limited activity.

International Comments

GENERAL

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