Thursday edition
October 29, 2026
SOUTH — ALABAMA / ARKANSAS / OCTOBER 28 ANNOUNCEMENT
West Fraser plans two mill curtailments as housing demand stays weak
West Fraser will indefinitely curtail its Huguley oriented strand board mill in Lanett, Alabama, and its lumber mill in Leola, Arkansas. The October 28 announcement expects fourth-quarter wind-downs.
The actions would remove annual capacity of 500 million square feet of oriented strand board, measured on a three-eighths-inch basis, and 225 million board feet of southern yellow pine lumber. These are capacity reductions, not a statement that those volumes were being shipped.
The company cites continued weakness in new-home construction and repair-and-renovation demand. It reported a US$80 million third-quarter net loss on US$1.363 billion of sales and expects a US$200–220 million fourth-quarter asset impairment related to the curtailments.
Management says it will support employees through the transition. The release gives no affected-worker count or exact final operating date for either mill.
By the Numbers
Latest available observations as of 2026-10-29. 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$6.352/galWeek of October 26, 2026; released October 27 | +US$0.076/gal +1.21%Versus October 19: US$6.276/gal |
| Lumber futuresNovember 2026 lumber futures; nearby contract | US$507.50/MBFOctober 27, 2026 close; update unavailable October 29 — last verified; update unavailable | −US$17.50/MBF −3.33%Same November contract, October 20: US$525.00/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$1.4036 per US$1Daily average, October 28, 2026 | −C$0.0002 per US$1 −0.01%Versus October 27: C$1.4038 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. The September single-family starts monthly change has a published ±10.0-percentage-point 90% confidence interval and is not statistically significant. October 28 lumber historical and named-contract pages disagree (US$513.00 versus US$515.50). That update is not verified; the table retains the clearly dated October 27/20 same-November-contract comparison as last verified, not a current quote.
Sources:
EIA U.S. on-highway diesel; taxes included
November 2026 lumber futures; nearby contract
Named November contract and settlement date
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
Working Forests
CANADA — FOREST MANAGEMENT / OCTOBER 28 COMPANY REPORT
Domtar describes changes from climate-risk assessment to field practice
Domtar’s October 28 account describes designated skid trails, drone seeding and changes to regeneration in its Canadian forests. The company says a 2022 climate-risk assessment helped set priorities.
In Ontario, it reports using drone seeding to limit the operating footprint and the need for additional herbicide treatment. Around its Windsor mill in Quebec, a hybrid-poplar program uses pulp-and-paper residuals: biosolids supply nutrients while lime-based material adjusts soil acidity.
After tornado damage near Lawrence Lake, Ontario, the company participated in a prescribed burn across more than 600 hectares. It reports reductions of 70–100% in fine fuels and 40–70% in heavier fuels, with improved regeneration conditions.
These are company-reported operational examples. The article does not provide a controlled comparison establishing the same fuel reductions, regeneration results or cost savings on other sites.
Action Detector
SOUTH — SOUTH CAROLINA / BIDS DUE NOVEMBER 18
Middle Enoree timber sale offers thinning and regeneration work
South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources is seeking per-ton bids for its Middle Enoree 2026 timber sale in Sumter National Forest. Bids open November 18 at 11 a.m.; they must arrive before opening.
The current listing estimates 10,268 tons of pine sawtimber, 5,625 tons of pine chip-n-saw, 6,753 tons of pine pulpwood and 760 tons of hardwood pulpwood. The harvest includes 274.7 acres of thinning, 60.3 acres of clearcutting and 27.7 acres of shelterwood cutting.
Bidders submit a separate per-ton price for each product. The notice allows mailed or emailed bids, identifies the West Columbia opening location, and specifies a nine-month removal period and US$10,000 performance bond. Receipt, rather than a postmark, controls the deadline; the full notice contains the bidding and harvest conditions.
Current official listing and submission instructions → Middle Enoree sale notice and contract conditions →
Under the Radar
NORTHEAST — MAINE / OCTOBER 28 REPORT
Maine retains ash-borer quarantine after opposition to repeal
Maine will keep its emerald ash borer quarantine after abandoning a proposed repeal, Maine Public reported October 28. State Horticulturist Gary Fish said more than 80 comments arrived, nearly all urging retention.
The Maine Forest Service’s current guidance still lists Chapter 275 and its regulated materials. They include hardwood firewood of every species, ash logs and specified other ash material, including green lumber with bark, live edge or wane.
The state says these materials cannot move from quarantined areas into areas outside the quarantine without a Maine Forest Service agreement. Its maps and material definitions remain the controlling references; the reporting does not establish a blanket certification requirement for every finished wood product.
Original reporting and state horticulturist interview → Current state quarantine, materials and maps →
Today's Featured Resource
Continuous Improvement in Logging
This book applies the Theory of Constraints to finding and managing bottlenecks in logging operations. It combines a five-step improvement process, throughput accounting and productivity references to help operators focus changes where they affect overall output.
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