Wednesday edition
November 11, 2026
THE FOREST BUSINESS SCHOOL
Free Rural Entrepreneurship Short Course starts November 30
A business idea needs time and attention before it can become a useful new service or a workable enterprise. The Forest Business School’s free Rural Entrepreneurship Short Course offers four live, remote discussions to help participants develop practical ideas for a business, a new service or an initiative within their organization.
Offered in partnership with The Northeastern Loggers’ Association, the course meets on Mondays, November 30 and December 7, 14 and 21, starting at 7 p.m. Eastern. Participants will connect ideas from Company of One by Paul Jarvis and The Minimalist Entrepreneur by Sahil Lavingia to their forest business experience. Individual consultations with Dr. Steven Bick, CF, will be arranged separately.
The course is open only to U.S. residents living in rural communities with a population of 50,000 or less. Participants should be able to attend all four sessions, prepare the reading and join the discussions.
Space is limited, enroll today. Course details and registration.
By the Numbers
Latest available observations as of 2026-11-11. 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$6.13/galWeek of November 9, 2026; released November 10 | −US$0.17/gal −2.6%Versus November 2: US$6.29/gal |
| Lumber futuresNovember 2026 lumber futures; nearby delivery contract | US$511.00/MBFNovember 10, 2026 close | −US$14.50/MBF −2.8%Same November contract, November 3: US$525.50/MBF |
| Madison’s lumber indexMadison’s weekly lumber index | US$449.00/MBFWeek ending November 6, 2026 | −US$10.00/MBF −2.2% (calculated)Versus week ending October 30: US$459.00/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$1.42 per US$1.00Daily average, November 10, 2026 | +C$0.01 per US$1.00 +0.4%Versus November 9: C$1.41 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$511.00 on November 10. The comparison uses the November 3 close for that same 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 November 6 index and prior-week comparison
BLS WPU0812; 1982=100; not seasonally adjusted
Census U.S. single-family starts; annualized estimate
Bank of Canada; Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar
Mill Operations
U.S. / CANADA — NOVEMBER 9 COURT FILINGS
Mercer files its prepackaged Chapter 11 plan
On November 9, Mercer International and one non-operating subsidiary filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions in the Southern District of Texas and submitted a prepackaged reorganization plan. The filing moves the recapitalization announced November 2 into court; the plan still needs court approval.
Mercer says its operating subsidiaries are not parties to the cases and will continue ordinary operations. The company says it intends to fund operations during the cases with cash on hand and cash generated by the business.
Mercer’s November 9 filing announcement → · SEC filing on the Chapter 11 cases →
CANADA — NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR / NOVEMBER 9 REPORT
Sexton pauses log buying and harvesting after mill fire
Sexton Lumber has suspended sawmill operations, log purchasing and timber harvesting while it assesses damage from an October 29 fire at its Bloomfield facility. CBC reported November 9, citing the Newfoundland and Labrador Forestry Industry Association, that the fire caused substantial smoke damage and that no restart date had been set.
The association put the sawmill’s annual capacity at about 65 million board feet. That is capacity, not an estimate of production lost. The pause affects the mill’s suppliers and contractors as well as its lumber and agricultural customers.
Under the Radar
U.S. — NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA / NOVEMBER 10 DECISION
BLM approves ponderosa pine thinning near Adin
The Bureau of Land Management approved thinning and fuels work on about 304 acres of public land southwest of Adin, California. The Letterbox project aims to restore a more open ponderosa pine forest and reduce the vegetation that can carry fire into the crowns.
BLM expects work under a stewardship contract to start in fall 2026 or spring 2027 and finish by 2029. The November 10 announcement is a project decision and schedule estimate; it does not invite bids.
Action Detector
U.S. — GEORGIA / BIDS DUE DECEMBER 9
Allen Mountain offers a pine and hardwood timber sale
The Georgia Forestry Commission is accepting bids for the Allen Mountain timber sale, No. 11656, on 141.3 acres of U.S. Forest Service land southwest of Toccoa in Stephens County. The November 10 packet designates 127 acres for operator-selected commercial thinning.
Bids close December 9 at 11 a.m. Eastern. The packet gives separate instructions for mailed bids and the public opening at the Habersham County unit in Clarkesville; it also provides tract maps and operating requirements.
Today's Featured Resource
Timber Tempo: Project Flow in Forestry
This book introduces Critical Chain Project Management through forestry and forest-products examples. Its discussion of task dependencies, buffers, competing projects and resource coordination helps readers examine delays in timber procurement, sawmills and land-management work.
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