Daily edition
September 28, 2026
Prepared from public sources. Links lead to original material.
By the numbers
U.S. on-highway diesel: $6.529/gal, up 24.4¢ from $6.285 one week earlier. EIA →
November lumber: $538.00/MBF at Friday's close, up $1.00 — 0.2% — from $537.00 one week earlier. Historical data →
Madison's index: $505/MBF, down $9 — 2% — from the prior week. Madison's →
LAKE STATES — WISCONSIN / MARKETS
Wisconsin DNR puts numbers on hardwood and pulpwood pressure
Wisconsin DNR says pulpwood outlets remain limited after mill closures. Ahlstrom's Kaukauna mill has resumed purchasing, but at limited volumes, and displaced suppliers are having greater difficulty finding markets. Some landowners are also struggling to secure logging contractors despite ample harvestable timber.
Hardwood mills report log costs that remain high relative to lumber prices. Green 4/4 FAS white oak is nearly 24% lower than a year ago and roughly 30% below two years ago. Hickory, cherry and hard maple are showing firmer demand, with some improvement in exports.
NORTHEAST — MAINE / RESEARCH
Fifty-year Maine study finds whole-tree harvesting changed composition more than productivity
A Forest Service summary of work at Maine's Penobscot Experimental Forest compares whole-tree harvesting, stem-only harvesting, prescribed burning and unharvested conditions in a study begun in 1964 and repeated in 2018.
After 50 years, researchers found no consistent differences in stand stocking or structure between whole-tree and stem-only treatments, and no consistent long-term nutrient differences attributable to the harvest treatments. Species composition did shift. The result adds useful nuance to residue-removal decisions: site geology, hydrology and treatment design may matter more to long-term productivity than a blanket assumption that whole-tree harvesting necessarily creates a persistent penalty.
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