Tuesday edition
October 27, 2026
SOUTH — NORTH CAROLINA / OCTOBER 26 REPORT
North Carolina sawtimber prices lag as pulpwood gains diverge
North Carolina’s third-quarter standing-timber prices remained below year-earlier levels for most sawtimber products, North Carolina State Extension reported October 26. Statewide pine chip-n-saw fell 16%, pine sawtimber 11% and pine ply logs 7%; oak and mixed hardwood sawtimber declined 4% and 9%, respectively.
Pulpwood moved differently: pine was up 10% and hardwood 25% from a year earlier. That does not mean prices rose throughout the latest quarter. Hardwood pulpwood fell 11% from the second quarter, while pine pulpwood gained 5%.
Regional differences were substantial. Eastern North Carolina hardwood pulpwood fell 21% quarter to quarter, while the western market rose 2%. The report cautions that aggregate prices do not value a particular stand: species, access, location and distance to mills matter.
By the Numbers
Latest available observations as of 2026-10-27. Dates and comparison periods vary by series; monthly figures remain unchanged between releases.
| Indicator | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. on-highway dieselEIA U.S. on-highway diesel; taxes included | US$6.276/galWeek of October 19, 2026; released October 20 | +US$0.097/gal +1.57%Versus October 12, 2026: US$6.179/gal |
| Lumber futuresNovember 2026 lumber futures; last verified close | US$518.50/MBFOctober 23, 2026; update unavailable October 27 — last verified; update unavailable | −US$14.00/MBF −2.63%Same November contract, October 16: US$532.50/MBF |
| Madison’s lumber indexMadison’s weekly lumber index | US$495/MBFWeek ending October 23, 2026 | −US$4/MBF −0.80% (calculated)Versus week ending October 16: US$499/MBF |
| Hardwood lumber PPIBLS WPU0812; 1982=100; not seasonally adjusted | 285.075 index pointsSeptember 2026; released October 15 | −1.290 points −0.45%Versus August 2026: 286.365 |
| U.S. single-family housing startsCensus U.S. single-family starts; annualized estimate | 859,000 units (SAAR)September 2026; released October 20 | −41,000 units (SAAR) −4.6%Versus revised August 2026: 900,000 |
| Canadian dollarBank of Canada; Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar | C$1.4025 per US$1Daily average, October 26, 2026 | +C$0.0032 per US$1 +0.23%Versus October 23, 2026: C$1.3993 per US$1 |
Housing starts are annualized estimates, not actual monthly units, and are subject to revision. The hardwood PPI is an index, not a dollar price. Exchange rates are daily averages. MBF means thousand board feet. EIA’s next release is scheduled for October 27; the October 19 observation remains the latest displayed at this morning’s check. October 26 lumber historical and named-contract pages disagree (US$514.50 versus US$515.50); the update and its week-over-week change are not verified. The dated October 23/16 comparison is retained explicitly as last verified, not a current quote. The September single-family starts monthly change has a published ±10.0-percentage-point uncertainty interval and is not statistically significant.
Sources:
EIA U.S. on-highway diesel; taxes included
November 2026 lumber futures; last verified close
Named-contract details
Madison’s weekly lumber index
BLS WPU0812; 1982=100; not seasonally adjusted
Census U.S. single-family starts; annualized estimate
Bank of Canada; Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar
Wood Products & Research
CANADA — BRITISH COLUMBIA / OCTOBER 26 RESEARCH UPDATE
Forest residues get another route into higher-value materials
University of British Columbia wood scientist Feng Jiang has received an Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship supporting work on renewable materials made from underused forest residues. The university’s October 26 announcement describes lignocellulosic nanomaterials—tiny materials derived from plant fibres—produced using recyclable solvents.
The research addresses a recurring barrier: promising laboratory materials can be too expensive or resource-intensive to manufacture widely. Reported applications include insulating aerogels, biodegradable packaging, textiles and structural materials, with industry and First Nations partnerships helping translate the work.
This is research support, rather than an announced mill or purchase contract. The release provides no commercial production capacity, feedstock price or procurement timetable.
Action Detector
MIDWEST — MINNESOTA / INVENTORY UPDATED OCTOBER 26
Spring seedling orders remain open as some species sell out
Minnesota’s State Forest Nursery has updated its spring 2027 price list with several species sold out, including white cedar, bur oak and silver maple. Red pine, white pine and white spruce in the five-to-twelve-inch class remain listed without sold-out notices; actual inventory can change during ordering.
The regular minimum is 300 seedlings, mixing species in increments of 100. The listed conifers cost US$70 per hundred, with lower per-tree prices at larger quantities. A separate 250-seedling pine-and-spruce packet is listed at US$187.50.
The state’s announced sales window runs through March 12, 2027, or stock exhaustion. The live price list and nursery ordering link provide current options for reforestation and woodland planting; the original opening announcement supplies the window and planting-program details.
Updated species, prices and packet inventory → Nursery and ordering access → Sales window and planting-program details →
Under the Radar
NORTHEAST — NEW HAMPSHIRE / OCTOBER 25 REPORT
Bartlett’s forest research has support, but its future is unsettled
Bartlett Experimental Forest is not among the 23 sites identified for closure in the Forest Service’s latest review, but its staffing and facilities remain uncertain, the Concord Monitor reported in a story republished by New Hampshire Public Radio October 25.
After a recent stakeholder visit, Senator Jeanne Shaheen described discussions of university and other partnerships and a possible memorandum of understanding. The report also describes planned bunkhouse renovations supported through the Great American Outdoors Act.
Researchers stress that Bartlett’s long-running work informs forest maintenance and decisions by landowners, foresters and the timber industry. Stakeholders’ optimism does not amount to a final operating agreement; the report says no definite decision on Bartlett’s future has been reached.
Today's Featured Resource
The Forester’s Fieldbook
The Forester’s Fieldbook is a mobile-oriented reference app for classic forestry tables and calculations. It brings tree scale, log scale, prism cruising and stocking-guide references together for field use.
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