He says that the major sawmills in the SE took advantage of the covid lull to refit all their equipment to the tune of millions.
A different friend said he talked to a VP of GA Pacific and asked him who was getting all the money because the growers and the retailers weren't. Guy grinned and said, "We are."
The complaint is ....No one wants to drive the trucks to move the lumber,... unload the truck,... work in the facilities that turn the lumber into things,... work in the warehouses that store the things that were made with lumber,... drive the trucks that move the things that were made with lumber,... do the labor that builds stuff with the things that were made with lumber.
There's a huge shortage of people that want to work... period.