NEFCo PERSONNEL ADDITIONS

New England Forestry Consultants, Inc., is very excited to announce an addition to the NEFCo staff.  Ryan Kilborn has joined the staff of the Green Mountain Center in Randolph, Vermont.  Ryan will be working with John McClain and brings with him "dirt forestry" experience as well as GPS and GIS knowledge.  He has worked as a forestry technician in northern New Hampshire and the Adirondack area of New York prior to joining NEFCo. 

Raised in the Northeast Kingdom area of Vermont, Ryan earned dual B.S. degrees in wildlife biology and forestry from the University of Vermont in 2005.  He is currently residing in Northfield, Vermont.

A REQUEST TO OUR READERS 

When it is time to sit down and put together the NEFCo newsletter, a significant amount of time is allocated in determining the subject content of that particular edition.  Unfortunately, due to the limitation of space, many potential subjects are crossed off the list.  Subjects are rejected for a variety of reasons, with the primary reason being my "gut feeling" that the reader would not be interested in the subject.  However, with that being said, it has also occurred to me that perhaps I don't have the foggiest idea as to what is of interest to the reader.  Undoubtedly, there are subjects that I deal with on a daily basis, and that I would not find to be captivating reading, that might be of interest to the reader.  The subject content of the NEFCo newsletter is a source of debate by the NEFCo foresters on a regular basis.  Some would prefer that the articles stick to basic "dirt forestry" issues, others prefer the diversity of dirt forestry and estate planning, while others would like to see more government policy and regulation coverage.

In order to get a sense as to the subjects that would be of interest to our readers, NEFCo is asking for your input.  Are there subjects that you would like to see addressed in the newsletter?  If there is a subject that you would like to see addressed in the newsletter, please fill out the Information Request Card located within this newsletter and return it to us.  Check the "other" box on the card and write the subject.  If it is feasible, we will attempt to address the subject in a future edition of the NEFCo newsletter.

TIMBER MARKET WATCH 

Since the last newsletter, we have seen record setting rainfall during the early summer of 2006, and 50 degree days during the month of December.  This unusual weather has an impact on the timber market, but the affects vary based on region.

Generally, prices for white pine have decreased, except for in the Maine region; however, this needs to be kept in perspective as prices for white pine and red oak were at all time highs in 2004.  There is debate as to the cause of the lower white pine prices.  Some will say that it is due to a slower housing market, while others will say that the prices are simply self-correcting to where they should be.

Higher fuel prices have obviously increased operating costs, which in turn will affect stumpage prices.  Higher operating costs have not been off-set by higher gate prices, therefore the difference tends to be made up by lower stumpage prices.

High quality sugar maple and black cherry are still in high demand, and red oaks appears to have stabilized after dropping from the 2004 record highs.

Foreign competition and weather are playing havoc with mill inventories.  What was considered a low inventory in the past, may now be considered an acceptable inventory level.

The closure of the Berlin Pulp Mill has certainly had a ripple effect on the chip market; however, the opening of the Portsmouth, NH plant has helped to reduce the effect.  Firewood is still in demand; however, firewood demand cannot completely replace the market lost due to the closing of the Berlin mill.

The next 3 or 4 years will be very telling for the timber industry.  Smaller mills tend to be closing while bigger mills are getting bigger.  Overall, the capacity to produce lumber has not been affected; however, it is more concentrated in fewer, more productive and efficient sawmills.

It is expected that for the first part of 2007, timber prices will stay pretty stable; however, if fluctuations occur, they will occur quickly.