Laid off/Unemployed

[Scott S]

Originally Posted by Wayne Maybury

I work for a major forest products company and we keep announcing 2 week mill shutdowns in various locations but none of them have affected me so far. I have the feeling this is going to be a long, very tough recession.

Wayne

Wayne, mills are paying $310 per m for Doug Fir, $225 for hemlock, mixed pulp is at $19.00-21 a ton.

2 years ago we could get more than double those prices. Every mill in my region is full of both logs and finished products with no markets for anything. Our usually fantastic raw log export market just tanked. I heard that two shiploads were turned around as the buyers in the far east failed. One ship can hold almost all of my yearly production.

If my creditors will agree to take interest payments only I think I can last a year, after that they can add my equipment to the hundreds sitting idle right now on distressed sale lots.

I have some of the most talented guys in the woods, many of them will lose their homes.

Scott S

[Bobcat]

Scott .... some years ago , I used to work with the mills in the SE and remember calling on Gulf Lumber in Mobile , AL . The Maintenance Supervisor was complaining that the lumber from Canada could be put on the boat in Mobile Bay cheaper than he could do it from 15 miles away .... so I understand where you`re coming from . Looks like we are doing everything we can to run jobs out of the country . I was in Eugene , OR some years ago when the spotted owl was declared an endangered species ... and the damn things were living in downtown San Francisco . So much for endangered ! Unfortunately , your misfortune was our gain in the SE as we managed to hold off most of the moonbats . Also , most of our production was soft wood ( Southern Pine ) ... and no spotted owls here .
Again , sorry you and your men have to go through this and pray everything works out for you .
FYI .... here is SC , the overall unemployment is now a little over 9.5% with at least two counties in the 17 to 19% range .