Gedar supplylooking good

picture and a good selection of products."

Enterprise Lumber is one WRCLA member adding new products to its line. The Adington, Wa-, company is expanding planing and resawing capabilities to produce a wider range of siding and decking products. "We're increasing our flexibility to respond to the customer's demands," explains company president Herb York.

Canfor is another company adding new products to meet customef demand. Cedar sales manager Brad Ivens says, "We're expanding our products mix to meet the specific demands of the markelplace and will be looking at new items as well." They are adding finish items as well as 2x4 artld 2x6 decking products and expect to increase 199$ shipments by 25 million board feet to the 100 million board fmt range.

MacMillan Bloedel, Interfor and Weldwood also plan to main[ain or increase cedar shipnents in the coming year. "We expect current volumes to be maintained and the overall supply situation to be less volatile," cornments Bob Thompson, MacMil- lan Bloedel cedar distribution manager, who estimates 1994 shipments in the 250 million board foot range.

Story at a Glance

Ample cedar expected at good prices current price quotations below this tlme last year ... at least one wholesaler sees a nesurgence in use as treated southern pine prices climb.

Thompson maintains cedar supply moved downwards a few years ago in advance of the rest of the softwood industry, but is in a pretty stable position for the foreseeable future. He sees several trends developing, including a tendency for customers to regard cedan not as a corunodity, but as a specialty building product with unique properties and uses, and look to long tenn supplier alignments.

More than 50Vo of the industry's coastal cedar comes from British Columbia, Canada, where western red cedar is the official tree because of its commercial, cultural and historical importance. Western red cedr coming into the U.S. from Canada is subject to countervailing duties against alleged goveflrment subsidies.

Since May 1992, a 6.517o cash deposit has been collected on Canadian softwood lumber entering the U.S. Although it is not collected, duty is sr;tatll.SVo. tn early Janury a bi-national trade panel asked the U.S. Department of Commerce to overturn this decision. The U.S. agreed to drop subsidy rates on stumpage and B.C. log export resfictions to "zeto ad valorem," but the 6.5l%o bonding is still in effect. The Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports has requested an appeal before the February deadline.

McClelland is based at WRCLA headquarters in Vancouver, B.C. Two field offices operate in the U.S.