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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 2021)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Saturday, January 16, 2021 Why is there a lumber shortage in the U.S.? By SIERRA DAWN MCCLAIN Capital Press SALEM — Many parts of the U.S. are facing lumber shortages — and experts say the problem is acute in the West after 2020’s devastat- ing wildfi res. Industry experts say several events led to the lumber shortage: lockdown orders and closures, new safety protocols that slowed production at mills, and a spike in home remodel- ing while Americans were quarantined followed by a massive wildfi re season. “The industry is normally like this fi ne-tuned machine. A lot of events (in 2020) disrupted it,” said Cindy Mitchell, senior director of public affairs at the Washing- ton Forest Protection Associ- ation, or WPFA. Cumming Corp., an inter- national cost consulting fi rm, said wildfi res along the West Coast “have led to a signifi - cant spike in certain material prices.” According to the Oregon Forest and Industries Coun- cil, or OFIC, a trade group representing forestland owners and wood product manufacturers, last year’s fi res in Oregon alone may have killed 15 billion board- feet of timber, enough to Ryan Brennecke/EO Media Group, File Experts say several factors contributed to the lumber shortage: lockdown orders, new safety protocols, a spike in home re- modeling and a massive wildfi re season. build 1 million homes. The National Associa- tion of Home Builders, or NAHB, reports that between mid-April and mid-Sep- tember 2020, lumber prices soared more than 170%, adding $16,148 to the price of a typical new single-fam- ily home. Prices drifted lower at the start of fall, but they’re on the rise again. Mitchell of WFPA and Sara Duncan, spokeswoman for Oregon Forest and Indus- tries Council, or OFIC, both said the lumber crisis was precipitated by several events. Some Western states temporarily shut down construction work at the start Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY of COVID-19, which in turn meant some mills had to shut down, creating a backlog. New safety protocols within mills slowed produc- tion. With Americans stuck at home under shutdowns, remodeling boomed and people used up much of the existing lumber supply at a time when mill production was curtailed. Then wildfi re season hit, wiping out millions of acres of timberland. Now, demand for building materials is even higher from West Coast communities that are rebuilding after fi res. The lumber shortage has had a variety of impacts. Construction associations have reported contractors are showing increased interest in alternative materials, such as metal framing. Forestry leaders say higher lumber prices don’t mean timberland managers are hitting it big. Instead, experts say, many timber companies are facing tight margins because they had equipment and trees destroyed in fires, higher input costs and expenses associated with labor and reforesting. Lumber shortages also have economic consequences for fi re victims. Many U.S. insurance poli- cies limit the time frame a person has to rebuild a home after a fire. With limited supplies of lumber and few contractors available, many survivors may not meet their insurance rebuilding dead- lines. Some state agencies are seeking to address this. In Oregon, for example, the state Division of Financial Regulation recently negoti- ated agreements with several insurance companies, push- ing them to extend their time- lines to at least two years after the date of loss. “The weirdness of (2020) backed up the whole forestry system,” said Mitchell of WPFA. La Grande BLM billboard defaced By KALEB LAY La Grande Observer Some sun, then turning cloudy Clouds giving way to some sun 40° 33° 50° 34° Mostly sunny Times of clouds and sun Mostly cloudy PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 46° 30° 42° 31° 46° 31° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 41° 35° 52° 30° 50° 29° 44° 32° 45° 31° OREGON FORECAST ALMANAC Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Seattle Olympia 49/43 40/34 41/33 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 39/35 Lewiston 50/44 42/34 Astoria 51/45 Pullman Yakima 40/33 48/41 44/37 Portland Hermiston 51/42 The Dalles 41/35 Salem Corvallis 50/41 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 41/33 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 52/42 50/33 44/30 Ontario 40/31 Caldwell Burns 47° 28° 41° 28° 63° (1961) -10° (1950) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Albany 51/42 Trace 0.34" 0.62" 0.34" 0.13" 0.62" WINDS (in mph) 41/28 42/24 0.01" 0.44" 0.81" 0.44" 0.60" 0.81" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 40/33 49/41 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date HERMISTON Enterprise 40/33 46/39 45° 27° 41° 27° 68° (1974) -8° (1907) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 47/40 Aberdeen 37/33 36/30 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 48/43 Today Boardman Pendleton Medford 56/37 Sun. NNE 3-6 NNW 4-8 WSW 7-14 WSW 7-14 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 49/28 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 7:31 a.m. 4:39 p.m. 9:58 a.m. 8:43 p.m. First Full Last New Jan 20 Jan 28 Feb 4 Feb 11 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 94° in Oceanside, Calif. Low -19° in Daniel, Wyo. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY LA GRANDE — A bill- board in La Grande featuring a Black Lives Matter logo was defaced with white paint last weekend. The sign was erected after a crowdfunding effort in August 2020 raised $5,000. Maria Carmichael, who led that effort, said she’d expected the billboard to be vandalized sooner or later. “I’m disappointed, but I’m not at all surprised,” Carmi- chael said. “If anything, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner given all of the vitriol that was spewed in response to the sign going up in the fi rst place. There were threats to shoot it, to paintball it, to burn it down, and it wasn’t just a few people saying that.” A tidal wave of social media engagement — much of it emotionally charged — also met the La Grande Observer‘s coverage of the then-incoming billboard. The Black Lives Matter sign was initially slated to be put up in a different loca- tion, but it was moved to the billboard along Interstate 84 because it was “less accessi- ble” and would be more diffi - cult to vandalize, Carmichael said. She indicated she would support reporting the vandal- ism to law enforcement, but Maria Carmichael/Contributed Photo A billboard in support of the Black Lives Matter movement stands defaced on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, on Interstate 84 in La Grande. the decision ultimately fell to Meadow Advertising, the company based in The Dalles that owns the billboard. “If they are OK with me making a report, I would like to do that,” she said. Carmichael is wasting no time, however, in trying to fi nd out who is responsible. “I am actively seeking information from people, if they happened to see anything posted on social media, hear of anything about the vandal- ism,” she said. “It is a small town, but it’s also located right on the freeway.” The vandalism of the Black Lives Matter billboard follows the insurrection at the United States Capitol build- ing on Jan. 6. Five people died as a result of the riot, includ- ing one United States Capitol Police offi cer whom the mob dragged and beat. Conspiracy theories circu- lating on social media are that some accused Black Lives Matter and Antifa supporters posed as supporters of Presi- dent Donald Trump during the riot. Myriad outlets, among them the Associated Press, Politifact, Reuters and USA Today, quickly debunked those claims. Fox News also acknowledged there is no evidence to support those conspiracy theories. Carmichael said the insur- rection may have contributed to the vandal’s motivation, but the hate for the Black Lives Matter symbol was in place long before the events of Jan. 6. “I would say that (the U.S. Capitol riot) probably embold- ened whoever did it, but again, there were hundreds of terri- ble remarks on social media,” Carmichael said. The defaced vinyl on the billboard has been taken down and will be replaced in the coming weeks, Carmichael said, as soon as replacement vinyl can be produced and arrives in La Grande. IN BRIEF Oregon Association of Nurseries to host virtual marketplace Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s ice 50s 60s cold front E AST O REGONIAN — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 70s East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Copyright © 2021, EO Media Group 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low Circulation Dept. For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops or delivery concerns call 800-781-3214 ADVERTISING Regional Sales Director (Eastside) EO Media Group: • Karrine Brogoitti 541-963-3161 • kbrogoitti@eomediagroup.com 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Offi ce hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays EastOregonian.com In the App Store: 80s PORTLAND — Oregon Association of Nurseries, which represents nearly 700 whole- sale growers, retailers, landscapers and suppliers statewide, announced Wednesday, Jan. 13, it will host a virtual marketplace event in February. The event, called Nursery Guide LIVE, will take place online Feb. 17-18. “Nursery Guide LIVE is designed to provide nursery industry professionals with sales and buying opportunities just as the spring shipping season kicks off,” Allan Niemi, the association’s director of events, said in a statement. The virtual event, Niemi said, is intended Advertising Manager: SUBSCRIPTION RATES • Angela Treadwell 541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com Local home delivery Savings (cover price) $10.75/month 50 percent • Kelly Schwirse 52 weeks $135 42 percent 541-564-4531 • kschwirse@eastoregonian.com 26 weeks $71 39 percent • Audra Workman 13 weeks $37 36 percent EZPay Single copy price: $1.50 Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Multimedia Consultants: 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com Business Offi ce • Dayle Stinson 541-966-0824 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com to complement rather than replace the annual in-person Farwest Show, which is still tenta- tively planned for Aug. 18-20 if the pandemic is under control by then. At the Nursery Guide LIVE event, associa- tion member exhibitors will have the opportu- nity to showcase their plant offerings, services and supplies. Many nursery owners are already part of a printed guide published annually called the Nursery Guide book, which typically has 300 pages of listings and content about Oregon nurs- eries. February’s virtual event was inspired by the Nursery Guide, but will push the concept further by giving customers the opportunity to interact in the virtual marketplace rather than simply read listings in a catalog. — Associated Press Classifi ed & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifi eds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: call 541-966-0818 or email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Renee Struthers at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com COMMERCIAL PRINTING Commercial Print Manager: Holly Rouska 541-617-7839 • hrouska@eomediagroup.com