Dozens of Jobs!

[rmihalek]

According to Fox News, timber exports to China have created "dozens of jobs!" I think they may have underestimated the number of people it takes to fell, deck and transport all this timber to the docks for loading onto the boats.

U.S. Timber Exports to China Have Lessened the Economic Blow for Some - FoxNews.com

 

[Oldtimer]

I hear about this Chinese market, but it's more or less like the cable company service dept.:
Theoretically there, but never contacted despite best efforts.

 

[Rounder]

One of the local mills has gotten on board with this. A lot of people have gone back to work here because of it. They'll take all the beetle killed pine they can get, so it's been a win/win. All the pine I've cut lately will be headed to China. - Sam

 

[paccity]

i personaly don't care where the wood goes, as long as most of the prossesing of it is done right here.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I say we inject it with nuclear waste then send it to them at top dollar.

 

[slowp]

I say we inject it with nuclear waste then send it to them at top dollar.

Nonsense. I live in logging country. The slump was not good. The export market now has log trucks going, I hear yarder whistles from my home, crews are once again working. Some people have even made a little money selling their timber. Imagine that!

Are we supposed to ignore such a market? Keep the unemployment rate up?

 

[Birdhunter1]

I'm all for employment, I just figured a little payback for the infected, tainted, diseased, laced, leaded, everything we get from them might be worthwhile!

 

[Rounder]

Any market is a good market in my book. They're taking the stuff that no one else wants. The beetles carry a fungi that gives the pine a blue stain. They're more than happy to have it for use as concrete forms. Beats the hell out of letting it stand and rot.

 

[forestryworks]

I'm all for employment, I just figured a little payback for the infected, tainted, diseased, laced, leaded, everything we get from them might be worthwhile!

:monkey:

 

[slowp]

Some foreign country, and I do not know if it is China, Japan, or Korea is still buying the high quality larger logs. That is a good thing. Locally, it is difficult to market trees over 28 inches diameter. The mills that do take the bigger stuff do not pay anything extra, in fact there is a good chance of being penalized for the bigger sizes.

I have heard that Japan upped their log purchases for rebuilding in the Tsunami area. They are pretty picky about log quality.

 

[coastalfaller]

Yep, same here. Alot of our low grade wood that used to go to pulp is now being sent to China which has had an even greater economic benefit for contractors. The pulp mills are now shy on fiber and are now taking almost EVERYTHING!! Stuff that used to just be left is now being loaded out!

 

[madhatte]

Two big details not mentioned in this article: 1) "The winners are the big, private timber companies." REITS like Plum Creek and (uggh) Weyerhauser are making BANK off of this market. 2) public lands (all? I'm not sure, but I know Federal for sure) are under an export ban, so basically anything you can buy at Lowe's is likely to come from public land in this market.