Gedar supplylooking good

sense of optimism, a stable supply pictrne and a good selection of products."

Enterprise Lumber is one WRCLA member adding new products to its line. The Arlington, Wa-, company is expanding planmg 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 customer demand. Cedar sales manager Brad Ivens says, "'We're expanding our products mix to meet the sPecific demands of tbe marketplace and will be looking at new items as well." They are adding finish items as well as2x4 and 2x6 decking products and expect to increase 1994 shipments by 25 million board feet o the 100 million board foot range.

MacMillan Bloedel, Interfor and Weldwood also plan to maintain or increase cedar shipnents in the coming year. "We expect current volumes to be rnintained and the overall supply situation to be less volatile," cornments Bob Thompson, MacMillan Bloedel cedar disuibution manager, who estimates 1994 shipments in the 250 million board foot range.

Thompson maintains cedar supply moved downwards a few years ago in

Story at a Glance

advance of the rest of the softwood industry, but is in a prefiy stable position for the foreseeable future. He sees several trends developing, including a tendency for customers to regard cedar not as a commodity, but as a specialty building product with unique properties and uses, and look to long term 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 ofits commercial, cultural and historical importance. Western red cedar coming ino the U.S. ftom Canada is subject to countervailing duties against alleged goveflrment subsidies.

Since May 1992, a 6.519o cash deposit has been collected on Canadian softwood lumber entering the U.S. Although it is not collecte4 duty is srltat"Ll.sqo. In early January 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 restrictions to "zefo ad valorem," but the 6.5lVo 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.