Posted on 07/02/2025 8:45:34 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Weyerhaeuser has broken ground on a $500 million plant in Arkansas to produce engineered lumber from the small trees that have piled up across the pine belt after the closure of many pulp and paper mills.
It is a big bet on one of the most depressed commodities in America: pine trees that are too small, crooked or otherwise unfit for making lumber. The decline of pulp and paper mills has left some timberland owners with wood they can’t sell.
Several ventures have sought to capitalize on the pulpwood glut, including burning it to generate electricity—locally and abroad—and manufacturing oriented strand board, a type of wood panel known as OSB.
Weyerhaeuser’s plant will be largely heated and powered by burning bark, branches and sawdust, but its gambit is more like making OSB.
The factory near Monticello, Ark., will produce TimberStrand, a laminated strand lumber made by pressing together and gluing thin slices of wood. It is stronger and stays straighter than regular lumber and is used for headers and footers and to frame tall walls, and for studs that hold up cabinets and heavy tile.
Weyerhaeuser and others currently make laminated strand lumber with low-value hardwood, such as aspen and birch. Weyerhaeuser has a facility in Ontario, Canada, that is perpetually sold out. Chief Executive Devin Stockfish said Weyerhaeuser figured out how to use Southern yellow pine.
Stockfish said he expects the Arkansas plant to sell out its 10 million cubic feet of annual production once it opens in 2027 and to annually generate about $100 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
Pulpwood prices have plunged since the digital age closed the book on paper demand. Although Americans are consuming more cardboard than ever, new domestic mills are fed with recycled boxes.
(Excerpt) Read more at us.atoshipping.com ...
Generally YES. That is just surface moisture. It will dry out as long as your roof is properly VENTED.
When you say decking, do you mean 23/32 (3/4” nominal) that is used for underlayment attached to the floor joists?
If that is what you are referring to the answer is yes.
That is because the glue holding it together is waterproof.
It also has a sealer on edges. So, it is made to be exposed to weather for awhile. That does not mean two years.
The same goes for 7/16” or 15/32” roof sheathing. It is made to be exposed for a few months. The most important thing is the roof is VENTED properly. Also, that the roofer puts a synthetic underlayment over the sheathing and Ice and water shield is typically put 6’ up from the eaves and all valleys.
I just had my roof replaced on my 1972 house. The previous three tab asphalt shingle was installed in 1997. My roof has two different pitches. 7/12 and 4/12 on the dormers. I had them cover the entire dormers with ice and water shield.
It only costs about another $100 for another roll.
Thanks again.
If you plant pines, take out a row in 5 years, spurs better growth of the pines. Just did first 250 acres of 525. Did 2 clear cuts and planting. Next year is the other side of the road in two sections.
The return for the volunteer pines was pretty substantial, I may not be alive for the first cut but this’ll be legacy for the kids.
These are the lumber mills in Chelan County that have closed.
Major Chelan County sawmill operations
1903-1926: Lamb Davis/Great Northern lumber mill, Leavenworth
1902-1990: Schmitten/WI Forest Products lumber mill, Cashmere
1928-1990: Sawyer/WI Forest Products lumber mill, Peshastin
1931-1979: Ardenvoir lumber mill, Ardenvoir
1950s: Sun Basin sawmill, Coles Corner
1991-2006: Longview Fibre sawmill, Winton
My sister was CFO of the second largest timber company in our state after Weyerhaeuser.
I have not seen her since but once or twice since she went all Vaxx Nutz
I feel bad for her and especially her husband who is generally rational.
Never been to her private island either, although She claims I am welcome any time.
They used to have two sawmills in Coeur d’Alene too.
As did Idaho Veneer and Potlatch.
The Potlatch mill was sold in 1986 to Mr Haggadon. It is now the golf course for the Coeur d’Alene resort. The one with the floating green. I will be playing there next Wednesday.
The Spotted Owl was the surrogate used to kill off the logging on Federal and State lands in the Pacific NW. Even on private timber lands they changed the laws on how close you could log within a stream and other things. That was the biggest killer of the smaller mills that did not own private timber.
The problem for a lot of these mills that went out of business is that they never modernized. They did not install the newest equipment that cut down the amount of employees.
Like having ten employees to stack finished boards on a cart instead of having a tray sorter like the most modern mills have. I have been in a mill in White Swan, WA like this. It runs mostly to employ tribal members.
Almost all modern mills have computerized scanning and grading. Again, if you do not have that it slows down production. This is similar to how many robots are in a factory producing automobiles. They do not have as many employees as they used to.
The mills that did not keep up with the other modern mills went out of business.
There is also an economy of scale when producing lumber now. The largest modern mills in Europe run three shifts. They run 24 hours/day. Five days a week.
So, the production out of the same facility is maximized.
Therefore, lowering your cost of production/board foot.
So, now the mills that do exist are much larger than they used to be. One of the biggest is in Shelton, WA.
Sierra Pacific bought the location that Simpson Timber had operated for decades. They rebuilt a stud mill there that has the ability to produce 14 railcars of studs per day.
The former SDS now High Cascade stud mill at Bingen, WA produces about 4 railcars per day. As a comparison. When SDS operated it they only put out 2 cars per day. So, my point is that ONE mill in Shelton now produces the same amount as what 3 or 4 mills used to make.
The other thing is that I mentioned in my previous post is that the big mills keep getting bigger. Sierra Pacific now operates mill in CA, OR & WA. Plus they also own timberland in those states. Red Emerson has created one of the largest saw milling companies in the world. His most recent aquisition was a couple years back when he bought the two Seneca sawmills in Oregon. Now they are planning on spending millions rebuilding those.
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