Friday edition
November 6, 2026
U.S. — ARIZONA / NOVEMBER 5 OPERATIONS ADVISORY
Arizona restoration work pairs timber supply with fuel reduction
Arizona’s Brentwood restoration project is scheduled to begin this month, with a 1,300-acre timber sale expected to supply nearly 40,000 tons of timber to the state’s forest industry. Nearly 400 additional acres of hand thinning are intended to protect the Black River watershed and prepare for prescribed fire. Work is scheduled through 2029.
Brentwood is on the Alpine Ranger District of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. It is the first state-federal Good Neighbor Authority project on that forest, allowing Arizona to undertake restoration on federal land.
A November 5 Arizona Game and Fish Department advisory highlights Brentwood alongside Jotter 1 on the Coconino National Forest and Log Springs 1 on the Prescott. Together, the projects cover nearly 7,000 acres. The state’s original October 6 plan scheduled Jotter and Log Springs to begin in mid-October; the new advisory says that work has begun.
The agencies say no forest closures accompany the projects, but machinery, noise and crews will affect access and recreation. The timber figure is a projected supply, not a report of completed harvest or new contract availability.
State forestry department’s original project scope and maps → · November 5 Game and Fish advisory, republished in full →
By the Numbers
Latest available observations as of 2026-11-06. 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$6.29/galWeek of November 2, 2026; released November 3 | −US$0.06/gal −0.9%Versus October 26: US$6.35/gal |
| Lumber futuresNovember 2026 lumber futures; nearby delivery contract | US$519.50/MBFNovember 5, 2026 close | +US$1.50/MBF +0.3%Same November contract, October 29: US$518.00/MBF |
| Madison’s lumber indexMadison’s weekly lumber index | US$459.00/MBFWeek ending October 30, 2026 | −US$36.00/MBF −7.3% (calculated)Versus week ending October 23: US$495.00/MBF |
| Hardwood lumber PPIBLS WPU0812; 1982=100; not seasonally adjusted | 285.1 index pointsSeptember 2026; released October 15 | −1.3 points −0.5%Versus August 2026: 286.4 |
| 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$1.40 per US$1.00Daily average, November 5, 2026 | +C$0.00 per US$1.00 +0.2%Versus November 4: C$1.40 per US$1.00 |
About these numbers
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 90.0% confidence interval and is not statistically significant. The named November 2026 lumber contract settled at US$519.50 on November 5. The comparison is the same contract’s October 29 close; January 2027 is a separate contract. Display rounding follows the approved format. Changes are calculated from unrounded observations, so rounded currency levels may look unchanged even when a small movement occurred.
Sources:
EIA U.S. on-highway diesel; taxes included
November contract historical closes
Named November contract and settlement date
Madison’s dated weekly 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
Trade Policy Watch
- Commerce announced November 4 that it has opened antidumping and countervailing-duty investigations into certain wooden fence components from China. This is an investigation, not a final duty order. Alta Forest Products, Sierra Pacific Industries and Mendocino Forest Products are the petitioning coalition. The International Trade Commission’s current calendar lists a November 20 preliminary injury vote; Commerce’s fact sheet gives later conditional dates for its own preliminary findings. The agencies’ respective decisions and deadlines should not be conflated. Commerce initiation, scope and parties · International Trade Commission’s current vote calendar
Canadian Sawmills
CANADA — NOVEMBER 4 STATISTICS RELEASE
Canadian sawmill output rises in August while shipments fall
Canadian sawmills produced 3.674 million cubic metres of lumber in August, up 4.0% from July but down 3.8% from a year earlier, Statistics Canada reported November 4.
Shipments moved in the opposite monthly direction: mills shipped 3.5992 million cubic metres, down 3.7% from July. Shipments were nevertheless 1.5% above August 2025.
These are quantities of lumber produced and shipped, not prices or mill revenue. The figures are not seasonally adjusted and remain subject to revision; the release also revises earlier observations. August’s monthly production gain should therefore be read alongside both the shipment decline and the year-over-year production decrease.
Statistics Canada’s dated release and revision notes → · Monthly production, shipment and stock tables →
Under the Radar
U.S. — NEBRASKA / NOVEMBER 5 RESEARCH REPORT
Flying-squirrel study puts mature trees and canopy under scrutiny
University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers are examining which trees southern flying squirrels use on East Campus. Forester Lord Ameyaw and graduate researcher Cameron Lyons will assess tree age, species, canopy cover and cavities, the university reported November 5.
The team plans to add five nesting boxes to 14 already installed, using the habitat work to guide placement. Trail cameras also record activity by the nocturnal squirrels. A Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom grant supports the project through roughly the end of the academic year.
The work combines tree and wildlife research at the edge of the species’ range. It is a study of habitat preferences, rather than completed evidence for a particular forestry prescription. The campus population has not been definitively counted.
Action Detector
U.S. — PENNSYLVANIA / BIDS DUE NOVEMBER 20
Allegheny stewardship timber bids go through a partner solicitation
Bids for the Lamentation Run timber sale on Pennsylvania’s Allegheny National Forest are due November 20 at 10 a.m. Eastern. The sale is advertised through a stewardship agreement with the National Deer Association, which handles solicitation, evaluation, contracting and administration.
The sale is in Kingsley Township, Forest County, along Forest Roads 210, 212, 561 and 561A. Listed sawtimber includes eastern hemlock, black cherry, maple and oak; hardwood pulpwood and hemlock topwood are also included. The stated sale termination date is March 15, 2029.
Bidders must use the Invitation to Bid form and follow its terms. The Forest Service listing says bids must be mailed or emailed to the solicitation contacts and received by the deadline; phone and hand-delivered bids are not accepted. Questions about timber and contract terms go to the contacts in that invitation.
Today's Featured Resource
Timber Harvesting Systems in the Northeastern US / Northeastern Logging Productivity Spectrum
This two-page PDF infographic presents northeastern timber-harvesting systems and the factors that influence logging productivity. It highlights how timber size, harvest intensity, terrain, extraction distance and operator skill affect the balance between felling and wood extraction.
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