Need storm plywood??? It is in Iraq.

[doxieone]

<http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/118294p-106645c.html

Need storm plywood??? It is in Iraq.

>The word among suppliers was that the shortage and the skyrocketing prices had been triggered by a single order for 21 million square feet placed by the military for operations in Iraq.

[mrsteve]

1. But according to many sources

The US forces in Iraq are not getting any structures built because the contracters haven't shown up.

So why again are the prices way up? Can you say "gouging". I knew you could.

[otohara]

2. I Like The last LIne.

"If we're sending plywood to Iraq, at least they could send us sand," somebody suggested.

"They got a lot of sand," Joel Karol said. "That would be good."

[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. Plywood or OSB?

Big difference: (look under "Market Rap" near bottom)

"Osb has earned its reputation as a low-cost substitute for plywood. In fact, recent price quotes from Denver, Boston and Atlanta put 7/16-inch osb $3.00 to as much as $5.00 per sheet lower than 1/2-inch cdx plywood..."

http://www.umass.edu/bmatwt/publications/articles/osb_vs_plywood.html

[Ernesto]

4. LBN?

This story is weeks old.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. How so? Isabel's only been a story since the weekend. nt

[doxieone]

6. The actual wood story might be old.... this link is not.

The impact of expensive plywood or no plywood is an issue for those in the path of the storm who want to safeguard their homes.

[Tempest]

7. Weeks old? Didn't you even bother read the story?

On the bottom of the article:

"Originally published on September 17, 2003"

[Ernesto]

10. OK,OK

Yes some master of the obvious made the connection: Iraq demand= high prices for storm protection. The fact is that the construction industry has known about the high prices for weeks. ....... EXCUUUUSSSSEEEE me.

[MGKrebs]

8. They are looking for new Mods.

You might think about applying! I'm not being sarcastic. If you are interested in monitoring the rules, being a Mod is an excellent experience, and one learns a lot about what goes in to running this place.Go for it!

on edit: Have I been out of touch? Are they still asking for volunteers? (I've been busy.)

[denverbill]

9. Well, that's OK, that's where the National Guard is too.

I'm sure they can just pull double duty in North Carolina and Iraq though, no problem.

[demdave]

11. Thank God I only need drywall. :)

[treepig]

12. military purchases for iraq are a bogus explanation

for the current plywood shortage:

http://www.bangornews.com/editorialnews/article.cfm/ID/407099

The real reasons for the crunch, according to those in the industry, are bad weather, forest fires and market price swings.

According to Random Lengths, a lumber and plywood industry newsletter based in Eugene, Ore., the Defense Supply Center two months ago ordered 766,498 sheets of plywood for Iraq. The materials will be used to rebuild schools, hospitals and offices. The supply center also ordered 320 carloads of 2-by-4, 2-by-6 and 2-by-8 boards for shipment to Iraq. A railroad carload is approximately 132,000 square feet of lumber.


To an industry that produces 40 billion square feet of plywood annually, the carloads heading to Iraq mean little.


"That's just a drop in the bucket compared to the overall market," said David Flanagan, president of Viking Lumber Co., last week. "That percent-


age of impact based on what is produced every day is negligible."

add in bush's tariff's that have shut down british columbia's softwood forest industry in order to drive up prices to benefit his big u.s. forest industry contributors, and you have a real problem.