Ruf & Ready Lumber Co. calls it quits

The Douglas County

WOODLANDER

A Newsletter from your Douglas County
Extension Foresters

Douglas County/OSU Extension Service
1134 SE Douglas Avenue

PO Box 1165, Roseburg, OR 97470
541-672-4461 or 1-800-883-7568

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/Douglas/

Summer 2013

Ruf & Ready Lumber Co.

calls it quits

In 1922, Ruf & Ready Lumber Company began operations in be able to return to college to obtain a graduate degree that
O’Brien, west of Grants Pass. Specializing in large diameter enabled me to apply for the job I currently occupy as an OSU
(old growth) ponderosa pine, they obtained the vast majority of forestry extension agent. I am appreciative of my position,
wood from the National forests. That was then, this is now. but my true “blood” resides in being born and raised and
working on a farm and in the woods. Basically, the only
What is “now” is the fact timber supply from our national people I knew growing up were farmers and loggers.
forests has diminished to a mere trickle of what they once
consisted, about 10% of historic levels. Mills dependent on Drive through Reedsport, Glide, Drain, Oakridge, to name a
federal timber, particularly old growth, are becoming a thing of few, a person can see what “was” and what “is.” Timber
the past: a footnote in the history of logging in the Pacific dependent communities struggling to survive, financially and
Northwest. socially. Some say government jobs and tourism is a way out
this financial conundrum. They are wrong.
Some will say too bad Ruf & Ready. You shouldn’t have “put
all your eggs in one basket” and now you are suffering the What is the primary pre-requisite to be a tourist? They have
consequences. Point of fact: the company invested millions in to have a job in order to become one! What is the primary
mill technology and private timberlands to supplement their pre-requisite for an individual to hold-down a government
inventories. But when federal harvests basically disappeared, it job? There have to be individuals working in private industry
wasn’t enough. whose taxes pay for that job. The only method of generating
wealth is to utilize natural resources, convert them into a
So now there are nearly 100 individuals without a job. 100 jobs viable product, and distribute them to the consumer. This is
that are not contributing to the public coffers that fund law not to disparage public employment or the services industry,
enforcement and our schools and libraries. Dozens of families but without a manufacturing base for employment, the future
that have lost their means of financial dependence, and possibly looks dim for many communities: and our country.
as traumatic, the loss of a lifestyle.

I am a 5th generation Oregonian. Born on a farm, then working Federal timber harvests will not return. It is up to industry
in the woods for a number of years, I was fortunate enough to and woodland owners and the general public to encourage
We are pleased to deliver this material as part of the economic incentives for woodland ownership. This can be
educational activities of the OSU/Douglas County Extension done through various tax incentives, research in technology,
Service. value added manufacturing and increased marketing.

Raini Rippy & Steve Bowers We live in a beautiful region, due in large part to our private
Natural Resources/Small Farms & Forestry Extension agents forests. If owners do not have a financial incentive to retain
these forests, they will be lost. The first thing is to retain our
This publication will be made available in accessible formats upon infrastructure. Without a mill, there is no need for a log.
request. Please call 541-672-4461 for information. Without a log, there is no job. Without a job…. ask someone
who doesn’t have one. Douglas county is blessed with a
number of family mills. Do what you can to keep it that way.

OAgrreigcuolntuSreta, FteamUinlyivaenrdsiCtoymEmxtuennitsyioDnevSeelrovpimceenotf,fe4r-Hs eYdouctha,tiFoonreasltrpyr,oagnrdaEmxste, nascitoinviSteieasG, aranndt Pmraogterarimasls. OwrietghoonutStdaitsecUrinmivienrastitioy,nUbnaitseeddSotanteasgDee, pcaorltomr,endtisoafbAiglirtiyc,ulgteunred,earnd
identity or expression, genetic inDfourgmlaastiCoonu,nmtyacroitoaplesrtaa&tnugs., TnhaetiEoxnteanl soioringSiner,vriaceceo,ffreerlsigitisopnr,osgeraxm, sseaxnudalmoartieerniatlasteioqnu,alolyr tvoeatellrpaeno’pslest.atus. Oregon State University

Extension Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

1

Sick Madrone Fires & Roads

It sounds like a broken record, but we continue to receive a The 2013 fire season is here. Regardless of whether we like it
number of calls concerning the health of the local madrone or not, there is one guarantee for this summer: there will be
trees. Our classic answer remains: a complex interaction of fires on our forestland in Douglas County and there will be a
biotic and abiotic factors, and the past few years of cool, damp loss in timber and/or building structures.
spring weather isn’t helping matters. OSU Extension Service
publication, Diseases and Insect Pests of Pacific Madrone (EC The late winter/early spring started off relatively dry and with
1619E) has shed some light on the plight of some of our local a below normal winter rainfall, below average snowpack in
madrone. the southern regions of the state, and coupled with the dry
early spring, the summer is shaping up to be a dry one. The
Three major types of diseases affect madrone: foliage diseases, saving grace was due to the lack of spring rains and the cor-
branch dieback and trunk canker diseases, and root diseases. responding growth in potential fuel loads.
Of the foliage diseases, leaf spot is the most common issue.
There are over a dozen fungal organisms that can cause leaf However, spring thunderstorms, heavy/intermittent showers,
spot. The fungi affects the leaves of the madrone in similar high humidity and warm temperatures
ways: spores through the air or from water-splashed spores, the past few weeks has resulted in opti-
particularly in the spring. mal growing conditions for herbs, grass-
es and forest understory. The result,
Twig dieback and trunk canker diseases are caused by fungi extremely lush vegetation during the
that kill the tree’s cambium (the growth layer inside the bark). spring months, but a catastrophe in
The bark initially looks discolored then peels off, revealing terms of potential fuel loads waiting to
blackened, cracked wood that looks as if it’s been burned. ignite this summer.
Twig dieback starts at the branch tips and works downwards.
It is associated with drought and is especially common in years The secret to any fire suppression is a
following heavy flowering and berry production. rapid and aggressive initial attack that hopefully will keep
small fires from reaching catastrophic proportions. This is
Cankers occur on the main trunk, major branches, and some- done through near immediate identification and announce-
times smaller twigs, usually developing after bark injury. They ment of a forestland fire coupled with no pending delays in
form around the trunk or branch, restricting the cambium, and reaching the fire: road access.
kill it. Trees in poor health may die within a year and more
vigorous trees may last years or even decades. Once the dis- If not planning a timber harvest, some of you may neglect
ease has established itself, little can be done, as no fungicide road maintenance issues on your property. As woodland
has proved effective. In the early stages, pruning and burning owners, it is very important to take the necessary time to as-
affected areas of the has shown to be worthwhile. sure roads accessing your property are open during the fire
season. This is important not only in terms of access for the
Root diseases symptoms include brownish-colored bark, loss current fire season, but also in terms of soil erosion and po-
of foliage and small, curled leaves. Infected trees tend to die tential stream sedimentation that will accompany the next
rapidly with over-watered trees or trees growing in poorly wet season.
drained soils being the most susceptible.
When removing trees and/or debris from your roads, remem-
Insects are usually not a serious threat to madrone. Some in- ber to clean accompanying ditches and relief culverts. When
sects include the fall webworm, western tent caterpillar, performing these tasks, you need to keep in mind the require-
aphids, and leaf miners. The use of pesticides and pruning can ments for fire fighting equipment. Equipment trailers and
often control these pests. large water tankers require a wider road than a pickup truck.

Special credit is due to Max Bennett, Extension agent for Jack- A rapid response to a fire can be the difference between a
son/Josephine Counties, and Dave Shaw, Extension specialist minimal environmental and financial impact versus a major
at OSU. Hardcopies of EC 1619E are available at the Exten- cost in terms of forestland, personnel and money. If not al-
sion office or you can find the publication at http:// ready accomplished, clear those roads and abide by the For-
extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/ec/ec1619-e.pdf est Practices Act for fire prevention. We thank you, Douglas
County Fire Protection thanks you and the Oregon Depart-
ment of Forestry thank you…..and all the furry critters.

2

Family Forest Issues: 2013

Since 1986, the National Woodland Owners Association tines will keep this a “popular” issue. Thousand Cankers Disease
(NWOA) has listed the Top 10 Family Forest Issues, a listing in black walnut, concerns of the Emerald Ash Borer and the on-
based on the 36 states affiliated with NWOA. Many of the going sweep of the Western Pine Beetle adds up to major issues
issues are recurring themes with woodland owners across the going into the future.
country and here is the list for 2013.
Keeping Forests as Forests
Fair Income, Inheritance and Property Taxes. Approximately 80% of the country lives in urban areas and in-
#2 last year, this category returned to the top spot for 2013. creasing interface with private forestlands, concerns involving
Property taxes levied at local and county levels are a growing water quality, fire protection, trespass issues and management
concern due to pressure for state and local entities to generate activities, amongst others, remains a concern. Increasing forest
revenue because of decreasing federal funds. And woodland fragmentation leads to properties being too small to harvest eco-
owners are frustrated over the inaction of Washington to deal nomically and calling public attention to these issues, particular-
with the death tax issue, conservation easement tax credits ly among legislators, is a major role to be played by NWOA and
and long term capital gains rates. partner associations.

Timber Markets, Biomass and Free Trade Water Quality and Quantity
This topic has been #1 the past several years and slipped to #2 Water quality continues to be one of the most important concerns
in 2012 and again this year. Woodland owners need opportu- to the general public and the responsibility of that quality placed
nities to sell their products if their woodland are to be sustain- on private forestlands. Incentives for forestland owners to ad-
able. Biomass markets remain volatile and values are low. dress water quality issues continues to be discussed, and a trend
NWOA is a World Free Trade advocate with minimal gov- in recent years towards larger conservation easements has result-
ernment intervention. This remains somewhat unpopular in ed a monetary method to encourage protection of watersheds.
consideration of Canadian softwood lumber and protective
tariffs. Woodland owners would like to see as little govern- Stewardship Incentives: Cost Sharing & Tax Credits
ment as possible in terms of potential markets. State and federal agencies have a long history of assisting land-
owners with financial incentives involving tree planting, stand
Right-to-Practice Forestry and Private Property Rights improvement and soil conservation. However, cost share pro-
Private property rights are guaranteed in the Constitution and grams like FIP, SIP, FLEP and Soil Bank have disappeared.
is as jealously guarded as the 2nd Amendment. An important With on-going budget concerns, the effectiveness of cost sharing
factor in retaining private property rights involves woodland is under close scrutiny. Benefits of other incentives like taxes,
owners practicing responsible stewardship on their lands, thus zoning and easements are harder to measure, but need to be rec-
reducing the pressures by various organizations wishing to ognized by the public and legislators.
place greater restrictions on lands because of real or per-
ceived environmental concerns. Changing demographics of Wildfire Suppression & Early Detection
woodland ownership has resulted in complaints about logging The threat of fire varies by region and the intensity and size of
in and around these newer rural residents. fires is increasing due in part to a natural buildup of fuels from
years of fire protection. Prescribed burns are difficult because of
Extension Education & Service Forestry smoke regulations, leading to a greater importance on detection.
Back up to the #4 spot after being 8th last year, NWOA is a However, there has been a decrease in fire lookouts, and air pa-
strong advocate for Forestry Extension across the country trols and an increase that emphasizes citizen reporting, all lead-
because, “...education beats regulation.” A lack of education ing to these increases in fire intensity.
can lead to an increase in reduced or improper management
practices, which ties-in with the concerns for private property Certification of Forest Practices & Practitioners
rights, making some say that reducing funding for extension Better log markets for certified wood has not helped this catego-
is “cutting off your nose to spite your face.” Continued de- ry, as it falls to #10. Certification of loggers and professional
clining revenues continues to be a major concern. foresters has increased, but is still not the rule. Certification pro-
grams as a group, including SFI, Tree Farm, FSC and Green Tag
Invasives and Forest Health continue to improve and are becoming more widely available to
Once again #5 on the list, the introduction of damaging family forest landowners. NWOA recommends landowners as-
plants, insects and animals and the implementation of quaran- sure they receive competent and professional assistance.

3

2nd Growth Defect Forest Math

In my experiences with Forestry Extension, the most-often cited Some individuals contend our public school system has gone
and contentious issues I hear from woodland owners involve awry, inadequately addressing the 3 R’s and overemphasizing
property lines, road easements and scaling procedures. These the “feel good” philosophy seemingly permeating today’s
topics tend to revolve around a common theme: money. And schools. We’ll let you be the judge as to whether advances are
possibly, none more-so than log scaling procedures. being made in education or have fallen under one of the Tree-
man commandments: We’re so far behind—we think we’re
Having taught numerous merchandising and log grading and ahead!
scaling classes around the state, a person can just about guaran-
tee there will be at least one personal anecdote involving a per- In 1950: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His
ceived injustice by the log buyer and/or scaler. It is difficult to cost of production is 4/5 of the selling price. What is his
re-create these scenarios because there are usually a number of profit from this business venture?
valid and logical explanations for the actions.
In 1960: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His
Issues involving money tend to arise from the seller (woodland cost of production is 80%, or $80, of the price he got for
owner) perceiving a greater value in their product than the buyer selling the lumber. What is his profit?
(log buyer and/or scaler). This is a natural phenomenon and no
amount of explaining will resolve these differences in opinion. In 1970: New Math
Consider this phenomenon when selling your car, your house or A logger exchanges a set L of lumber for a set M of money.
anything of value. It is a rare occasion when the seller believes The cardinality of set M is $100. Each element is worth $1.00.
they got the best price with the buyer believing the same. Make 100 dots representing the elements of set M. The set C
of the cost of production contains 20 fewer points than set M.
Some woodland owners cannot understand why there are deduc- Representing the set C as a subset of M, answer the following
tions in second growth timber. After all, it hasn’t grown long question. What is the cardinality of the set P of profits?
enough to acquire the types of defect found in old growth.
Wrong. In most occasions, a seller should expect a 2 or 3% re- In 1980:
duction in scale for second-growth Douglas-fir. I’ve seen legiti- A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of
mate deductions over 10% in younger Doug-fir and I’ve also production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment:
seen truckloads scaled out defect-free. Each timber stand is circle the number “$20.”
unique, but sweep and crook are the two most common deduc-
tions found in younger timber and these types of defect have In 1990: Outcome-based education
nothing to do with the biological functions of the wood, but eve- By cutting down beautiful trees, a despicable logger makes
rything to do with soils and topography. $20. What do you think of this way of making a living?
Topic for class participation: How do you think all the furry
Another reason for a loss in scale involves minimum scaling creatures felt about this operation?
diameters. A log measuring less than 5” will receive zero NET
SCALE and labeled as a utility or chip log. This is an important In 2000: Goals 2000 Educational Program
issue when thinning. In order to obtain those preferred log A timber baron enters the forest and kills enough trees to
lengths, loggers and/or landowners will oftentimes push the make a profit of $20.00. If his cost was $80, what was his
limit on scaling diameters, utilizing every foot of the tree stem, profit? If you feel there is inadequate information to correctly
sometimes too far. answer the question, explain why it is unfair for students to be
required to take tests in order to receive a grade. Note: 1/2
Oftentimes, issues involving scaling stems from older clientele. credit will be given for correctly spelling your name in the
Reasons may be twofold. Many of these people have more expe- appropriate space.
riences in merchandising. Also, they may rely on “old” infor-
mation. It wasn’t until 1952 that the grading Bureaus as known In 2010: No Child Left Behind
today, came into existence and the past several years we’ve seen Loggers are people who work in the forest. They cut down
an increase in 3rd party scaling. Issues originating several years trees to make money. Is this acceptable? There is no correct
in the past, are carried forward, harboring mistrust towards to- answer. Everyone is right and students will be given full cred-
day’s buyers and scalers. Old habits die hard. it if they eat their free lunch and do not assault the teacher.

4

Scanning the horizons...for a logger

If you’ve taken one of Forestry Extension’s Managing Your Ok, so if you’re gonna do some logging, you need a buyer. And
Timber Sale workshops, it’s possible you were exposed to a all log buyers have contractors who do a majority of their work
section on finding and selecting a logger. Under normal cir- for those buyer’s respective mills. A positive to this strategy is
cumstances, finding one isn’t near as difficult as the selection a mill isn’t going to keep a cull around doing their work. The
process. Much like shopping for an insurance agent or a car downside is the logger’s allegiance tends to lay with the mill,
salesman: there’s plenty out there, but finding a good one is not necessarily you, so the word of the day is watch those log
another matter. And thus is the case for loggers….usually. lengths and diameters as your trees are being felled and bucked.

But for those of you who keep track of Still striking out? We all have to fill out a Notification of Oper-
log values and trends, and here let us say ations to sell our wood. Many of the local ODF offices will
you should constantly monitor the market keep a list of loggers and even if they don’t, the Stewardship
even if you have no intentions of logging, foresters know many of the operators in the area merely be-
because if you did, then it’s entirely pos- cause they are the enforcement arm of the State. They will have
sible you’ve decided making a few insight as to whether a logger is worth his salt as they see them
stumps might have an appreciable finan- in daily operations, and the forester typically doesn’t have a
cial return about now. Just after the first dog-in-the-fight, so their assessment will be an objective one.
of the year, values began to increase, real-
ly took-off in February, held their own in On our last legs? The Association of Oregon Loggers (AOL)
March, and April still looking pretty headquarters is in Salem and they can be contacted for a list of
good, then after that it’s anyone’s call. loggers associated with the organization. These companies will
be accredited with the Pro Loggers Program, and if you’re sell-
Trouble is, is, that those of you who have already decided to ing logs, you’ll need a written management plan or an accredit-
do some logging have largely absorbed the supply of logging ed Pro Logger do your work in order to procure a contract with
contractors. If you do your own logging, then it’s merely a most buyers in the region. It’s not a pre-requisite to have a con-
matter of sharpening the saw, firing up the dozer, and away tractor affiliated with the AOL, but it’s not a bad idea.
we go. But such is not the case for those of us relying on
someone else getting our logs to market. Well, we’ve spent Strong log values correlate to busy mills, buried truckers and
half of this article telling you what you did wrong. Maybe take booked logging contractors. This is where we tell you to plan
the remaining portion and see if we can throw some light on ahead to avoid the pitfalls of scurrying around at the last minute
the subject. looking for operators and truckers. If you’d have known several
months ago values would have been this good, then everything
Ok. If I was looking for a logger, the first thing I’d do is find a would be all lined-up, ready to go. But you didn’t know. No-
trucker. You might ask, isn’t this putting the cart ahead of the body knew. So let’s deal with it and hopefully, you’ll get some-
horse? Absolutely not. If you equate the cart to the logger and thing out of this article. Best of luck.
the horse to the truck, the mechanism of moving something
precedes making it. Start asking around and even if they are ———————————————————————-
busy, ask them what logger they’re assisting (if you’re plan-
ning on harvesting less than 10 loads of logs, it’s likely you’ll This would be an appropriate
need a self-loader. A larger operation likely comes with a con- time to “stump” for the recently
tractor that performs all facets of logging, i.e. cutting, yarding updated Log Buyers Directory.
and trucking). No database is constantly up-to
-date, but the Directory is as
At the same time, talk to your neighbor. If they’re currently good as any source you’re go-
logging, who’s doing the work? And if they did in the past, ing to find, and better than
who was it? And while you’re driving over to the neighbors, most. Anyone requesting a
look around and see if there are any loggers working in the copy can do so by contacting
vicinity. And if so, stop and see if they’re looking for any fu- the Extension office during regular business hours. Ask for the
ture work? There’s a chance that even if they are committed to “Log Buyers Directory” and we can send you a copy for the
another job, if yours is in closer proximity to the current one, cost of mailing. Or, come by the office and get it for free.
they just might squeeze you in before moving out of the area.

5

Tips From The Treeman

Dear Treeman, tious connotations? What would one of our “founding environ-
More on the money thing. Money mentalists” Mr. Greenjeans say? He made his green on a TV
might be green, but there’s a rea- show. How ‘bout modern-day green Al Gore? His family green
son environmentalists are green. came via selling tobacco, then denouncing its use and taxing the
They want to save the planet. devil out of it. Alan Greenspan? He ran the entire green game for
years. Mean Joe Green? All his green came through pounding
Roger quarterbacks into the verdant Earth. The green Grinch? He stole
Dear Roger Repeat, Christmas. Talk about a loss of green. Appears these Green(s)
Our faithful followers may recol- are only interested in their personal finances, and not overly con-
lect your recent correspondence with Treeman (Spring 2013). cerned about the environment.
And while you subscribe to characteristics associated with the
color green (life, balance, nature and abundance), perhaps you So is the love of (green) money the root of all evil? According to
should dedicate more time on the longer wavelengths of yellow Timothy. We shall let the reader be the judge. Just don’t go to
(wisdom, clarity of thought and better decision making skills). feeling blue when you’re green with envy and/or red with rage
‘cause your neighbor has more green than you and you’re too
The color green is a derivative of the old English verb 'growan' yellow to admit it.
which means to grow. As mentioned, green has traditionally
been associated with hope and growth and also represents na- Dear Treeman,
ture. Green also stands for tranquility, good luck, health, and All the talk about how valuable and necessary computers are for
jealousy. Recollect Notre Dame luck of the Irish, but don’t men- today’s students. As a teacher, I can tell you the emphasis should
tion it to anyone from the Crimson Tide, as the colloquial ex- be on educating kids, not having them sit in front of a computer
pression “green with envy” becoming more apropos. being taught by a screen.

You associate a pejorative connotation of green as it relates to Kristina
money and a positive one in relation to the environment. Many Dear Miss Brooks,
individuals despise the influence of money, particularly as it Amen. Your perceptions on the education of our youth can be
relates to the environment, drawing parallels to the accumulation extrapolated to any demographic. Too many individuals utilize
of wealth at the expense (depletion) of Mother Nature. Unfortu- and accept technology as their primary method of communica-
nately, examples of this concept exist, but to contend generating tion and learning, be it cell phones, Twitter or surfing the web.
wealth through the utilization of natural resources representing We are not saying individuals should not embrace modern tech-
our baser instincts is as absurd as contending the motives of nology and the advances obtained through communication, med-
those who want to “save” our natural resources represents the icine and business, but we should question the process.
moral “high road.”
What we are saying is too often people accept what a computer
The pigments used to make a green color are toxic and not envi- “tells us,” relying on technology as our primary means of com-
ronmentally friendly, so the mere fact printing money being munication. Many have labeled Treeman a Luddite, refusing to
harmful to the environment puts the standard by which most of embrace many of the technological “opportunities” available to
us measure wealth in a negative light. Change the color? Sub- the consumer….for a price. And the price we pay is not restrict-
mitting this question to Printing and Engraving resulted in their ed to our pocketbooks. Money is the lesser of issues surrounding
stating they don’t know why money is green, it being a tradition, the ubiquity of pursuing the latest, greatest gadget.
so why change? Old habits die hard. Same with opinions.
The price we pay is our diminished ability to think. Cognitive
So why green? We need to go back to Abe Lincoln’s Secretary dissonance is a thing of the past. How can we experience doubt
of Treasury, Samuel Chase, when he contracted with the Ameri- or anxiety (dare to question) when obtaining and accepting infor-
can Bank Note Company to create colored inks that would be as mation from a “superior” source than mere empirical evidence?
difficult to erase and counterfeit as black inks. The most suc- Francis Bacon be damned: all hail Apple!
cessful formulations were green so they went with green on the
back of the notes. The first recipients were Union soldiers who But possibly an even greater consequence of excesses in techno-
dubbed the pejorative term “greenbacks.” Even ol’ honest Abe logical communication is the loss of the sense of self and com-
cannot be exculpated from the issue. munity. We are losing the ability to communicate on a personal
level. The emaciation of social skills. We are becoming a coarse
Whodda thunk it: the color green having such varied and conten- society losing the capacity for introspection. We are forgetting
how to think. For the ramifications of such, visit Orwell.

6

Log Prices & Trends

Yes, you can quote me. In our Spring 2013 newsletter, the Douglas-fir Values: 2011 to
quote was, “The first week in February is showing signs of June 2013
the market nearing a peak.” And it did. Everything has been
early this year: the weather, haying, logging and log values. 750
You’ll be reading this article sometime around Independence
Day, which is many times the start-up for dirt loggers, but 650
they’ve been going for quite some time now…..and a good
thing they did. 550

That is not too say prices have gone into the tank. We need to 450
keep everything in perspective, and compared to values over
the past 5,6,7 years … things still look ok. But if you’re look- for these logs is very competitive between the export docks and
ing at values in terms of trends, then we’re definitely trending the domestic yards. It’s your call.
down. Where and when will these trends cease is anyone’s
call. My call would be, if you are planning a harvest, get your Alder values is another log that has pretty much kept plodding
rear-in-gear. If you’re thinking of a harvest, but aren’t quite along as values are relatively unchanged sine we last conversed.
so sure about it, I’d think a little harder… The small diameter log will run around $350/MBF and figure
on about another $30 or so per inch until you get up to that 12”
So Douglas-fir values are around $600 for long logs. We say log that is going for close to $600. Hardwood buyers are in the
$600, but a number of mills in Douglas and Lane County market at these values.
aren’t actively pursuing logs at these prices. I’ve heard whis-
pers from some buyers that they’re considering “throwing” a Cedar is also relatively stable. Incense continues to run in the
“number” out there, even though it is below current quotes, mid $500/MBF range for that 12”+ log. There has been a slight
and wait for sellers to take the bait as the market continues to decrease in the smaller log with buyers saying that 6” log has
decline. There are some mills who are not accepting any new gone down $10 or so. Redcedar is all-over-the-map in values
purchase orders, at any price, at the current time, as they buy with worms being the indicator: the more worms the less the
some time waiting to see what happens. value. Clean redcedar is a rarity in these parts, and if anyone
does have such logs, they’ll be well-served to check out all buy-
The pole market has remained steady. Prices have been stable ers, regardless of distance. There can be substantial enough val-
and relatively strong: short poles (35 to 60 feet) are running ues for these logs to justify trucking distances that would not be
just over $700/MBF while the longer material is over $1000. considered for Doug-fir or whitewoods.
Woodland owners always get excited about pole values, espe-
cially when domestic markets are showing some weakness. Chips remain weak, one of the reasons being recent mill activi-
But keep in mind poles are worth these prices because they’re ty. As lumber values decline, so will log prices, leading some to
such a small percentage of a harvest, even on good sites. believe chips will rise. But this normally isn’t the case: weaker
lumber markets is a reflection of a generally weakening econo-
Hemlock and grand fir typically runs about $100/MBF less my as a whole, thus chips are not immune to this phenomenon.
than fir values, but Doug-fir has fallen rapidly enough that In summary, just about all species, excluding Douglas-fir, have
the other logs have slightly closed the margin, and sellers will been plodding along pretty much the same for the past year or
see a value for this type of material running in the mid $500/ so, as Df took-off a few months back, but is now coming back
MBF range. Same is true with export. Buyers are somewhat into the fold, so to speak. The remaining dry months look iffy.
reluctant to give out a firm price. They have their reasons,
and we often see this type of hesitancy when buyers are un- =
sure of future trends (typically a fear of lower ones, thus not
wanting to commit to any values until the last minute).

A strong indicator as whether to sell whitewoods export or
domestic mills deals with trucking costs. When the China log
took-off two years ago, logs were being shipped into Coos
Bay from Medford to Eugene because of the $200 difference
in values. Today, the decision on where to go has everything,
or nearly so, to do with trucking and not the mills, as values

7

The Douglas County

WOODLANDER

A Newsletter from your Douglas County
Extension Foresters

Douglas County/OSU Extension Service
1134 SE Douglas Avenue

PO Box 1165, Roseburg, OR 97470
541-672-4461 or 1-800-883-7568

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/Douglas/

Last minute call!!! Summer 2013

Fire: A Hot Topic What’s in this issue?

OSU Extension and the Douglas Forest Pg. 1 Ruf & Ready Lumber Co.
Protective Association (DFPA) Pg. 2 Pacific madrone problems
Pg. 3 Family forest issues
June 20th at 9:00 am until about Noon Pg. 4 Deductible defect in logs
at the Glide Transfer Station pavilion Pg. 5 Looking for a logger
Pg. 6 Tips From The Treeman
To register, Contact Holly Burton at Pg. 7 Log Prices & Trends
541-672-4461 or 1-800-883-7568 Pg. 8 Upcoming Events

NON-PROFIT ROSEBURG, OR 97470
ORG.
PHONE 672-4461 PO BOX 1165
U.S. POSTAGE
DOUGLAS COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE
PAID

Roseburg, OR
Permit No. 12