The Top Ten in Lumber Production

The production of lumber and wood products continues to contract as more mills across the West c los e t empo rarily, curt a il p roduction or go out of business . . plywood mills, too, are closing and production declines . .

Latest production figs. from the Western Wood Products Assn. shows the Western industry operating at'l2.5Vo capacity, the l6th straight mo: below the 85Va mark . year to date figs. indicate a 76.6V0 pace for the first half of '81 . .

Plywood output, according to the American Plywood Assn., was 77Vo of operating capacity, with l9 mills operating at reduced schedules and 26 closed in the West alone; nationally 34 were shuttered . .

Diamond Internationsl has closed both of its mills at Marysville and Oroville, Ca., Publishers Forest Products is on an intermittent schedule at its Molalla, Oregon City and Tillamook, 0r., mills .

Simpson Timber Co. has indefinitely curtailed production at its Eureka, Ca., plywood plant; the company does not anticipate resuming redwood plywood production in the near future other plywood operations will continue at a reduced rate in their Northwestplants...

Despite grim predictions of a housing start nosedive, July figs. (latest) actua/ly increased a modest 3.3V0 ta a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,055,000 . economists continue to insist no improvement will occur until interest rates drop appreciably.

The increasewas mostly a result of an increase of 6.4Vs in multifamily starts; single family starts tipped up only 1.890 the overall July rate was L7 .4Vo below a year earlier BIdg. permitsfar future construction were off 4Vo, follo.wing a plunge of 17.590 the prevlousmo....

The permit rate has now been below the one million ratefor two straight mos the national average for a fixed rate mortgage, not backed by the feds, rose to a record 17 .27 Vo further declines in housing starts, due to costly mortgages are predicted

Housing prices in some areas of the West continue to soften, tho not as sharply as those in the Northeast in California's Orange County the average price of a new, detached, single-family home in a residential development is an eye-popping $230,267 ; the median price is $217,000

Selected plants in the West will participate in a NIOSH study starting Oct. I to determine the effect, if any, of long-term exposure to wood dust . . With court approval, after litigation by neighbors, Berry's Sawmill has opened on Highway 116 in Cazadero,Ca....

P & M Lumber Products officials expect to have the old Champion International computerized mill at McCloud, Ca., in operation by late fall . an $80,000 McCloud River Railroad is being built at RR expense to serve the mill Mqsonite Corp.'s Western Hardboard Div. has established an industrial wood fiber board marketing unit for furniture. fabricator and component mfrs, as well as a new business ventures dept. .

The Merchanl Magazine

Any speculation on their taking Arcota Corp. private to avoid an unfriendly takeover is "absolutely wrong," say company officials in Menlo Park, Ca. Weiser/Fslcon has a Jan. target date for moving its general offices from South Gate, Ca., to a 52,000 sq. ft. addition at its Huntington Beach, Ca., mfg. facility . . . GAF Corp. has completed the sale of its vinyl siding business to Vanguard Vinyl Siding Inc. for more than $5 million. .

H&MWholesaleLumber, Irzc., Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., has added 500 sq. ft. to its office area . . . Tutt Forest Products is a new Eugene, Or., wholesaler selling timbers, cutting, RR ties, and treatedmaterials...

All-Heort Lumber Co., Ukiah, Ca., has broken ground for anew 1,600 sq. ft. office bldg. and has established a new sales office in Phoenix, Az., manned by Rob Dressler, former big league pitcher . . Specialty Lumber Sales,Sandpoint, Id., has opened a new sales office in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Parks Miller and Bill Broderick, ex-Sunol Forest Products, have opened a new company, Alamo Forest Products,in Walnut Creek, Ca. . Chandler Corp., Boise, Id., will transfer Cleburne, Tx., operations to a new sales, manufacturing and distribution facility near Fort Worth this fall . .

Rick Jessell. ex-Western International, has formed Pacific Basin Forest Products, a new wholesaler, in Portland, Or. Idoho Timber Corp., Boise, is opening ldaho Timber Corp. of Tx., using the former TransWestern Lumber Co. site in Fort Worth . . . Silverodo Forest Products, Inc.has moved its main offices to Fontana, Ca.

J.P. Dolan Lumber, San Pablo, Ca., had a $500,0@ fire loss in Aug.. possibly arson Ray Lumber Co., Phoenix, Az., has opened a 17,000 sq. ft. home