Redwood wholesalgrsrttancn our

I\TAGGED by insufficient supplies I \ of redwood, especially in the upper grades, distributors known as dependable sources of the species have had to scramble for substitutes.

"We sell less of the upper grades of old growth redwood," admits John Orlowski, Ahl Forest Products, Ukiah, Ca. "We're substituting second growth farm grades and other edly a higher end product than typical plastic lumber.

For months, redwood suppliers have been promising the supply will loosen. Wholesalers aren't so sure. "l think redwood is becoming a specialty item and is sustainable (as such)," Orlowski says. "When a product doubles in price in five years, it moves up in who can buy it. If someone's building a home in Lake Tahoe and wants clear heart, vertical grain siding, it's still available."

after cedar markets, fingerjoint items."

"We began turning to sawn alternatives a few years ago, first with Trex, then TimberTech, and now we're selling a lot of vinyl products," says Mike Cook, C.J. Redwood, Escondido. Ca. "We sell a little western red cedar, but the vast majority continues to be redwood. We're fortunate in that we have very close relationships with mills up north."

species such as imports and domestic cedar and even whitewoods for some siding."

Lee Roy Jordan Redwood Lumber Co., Dallas, Tx., has been expanding into a wide variety of alternatives, and the redwood shortage is "exactly the reason," says David Jordan. "Redwood's still our bread and butter, and in expanding we've tried to stay with specialty items."

The company is now selling A&Better western red cedar "because it's comparable to the upper grades of redwood," Jordan says. "We sell it to people who want a better cedar, and, if we can't get lxl2 Clear Heart redwood, we can switch (those customers) right over."

A few years ago, before any redwood shortage, Jordan began carrying Pau Lope hardwood decking, and found it an ideal substitute for 2x4 or 2x6 redwood. More recent additions include #2 &Berrer appearance grade western red cedar, cedar timbers, Pacific Coast cypress/Alaskan yellow cedar (provided by Jordan's Pacific Northwest cedar suppliers), and StranDek composite decking, report-

Jordan predicts: "The problems should get a little better in the knotty products and sap grades, not necessarily on uppers and clears. Supply of Clear Heart and Vertical Grain will only tighter. There are plenty of trees, more than there have ever been, but the size of the tree they're cutting is smaller. So the product mix has changed. Redwood is now going

Consequently, fewer distributors are offering redwood. "I don't expect the situation to improve for Clear Heart redwood or even Heart B," Jordan says. "A lot of mills have trimmed their customer lists down to those who are trying to sell the whole log. The guys in the Northeast who want nothing but the cream of the crop were first to be cut off."