Lumber prices are starting to level out after plywood prices doubled this summer due to the wildfire crisis.
That’s according to Smithers Lumber Yard Manager Chris Mitchell, who says prices are now only a third higher than they were last year.
“There seemed to be a bit of a steady boom going on, we were doing a lot of construction here in town. Those projects had to continue on. But definitely, I would say people were kind of being a lot sharper on extra projects. So I would say in years past we definitely had a slower year this year.”
Mitchell says the wildfire crisis is the icing on the cake for an industry that’s still feeling the effects of the pine beetle epidemic.
Back in August, Mitchell said most of the mills for their plywood are located in the Williams Lake area where loggers are unable to harvest enough in the affected areas to keep up. Talking with suppliers, Mitchell now says that issue is starting to improve.