Soaring BC Lumber prices makes for a busy Tidal Coast Terminal in Prince Rupert

The volume of lumber continues to grow at the 
Tidal Coast Terminal in Prince Rupert as 
one of BC's top exports fetches record prices these days

As anyone who has popped by a local hardware store can tell you, the price of lumber is making for a remarkable run, with the stock of any material harvested from a BC Forest these days finding a skyrocketing price point by the week.

The surge in the price of lumber is having an impact across the province particularly for those renovating a home or building a new one, with lumber costs taking a good chunk of any budget allocation towards the work.

A chart from the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development provides the eye raising review of the march of lumber pricing in the short and longer term going back to 2019 when the value of your average 2 by 4 was significantly more economical.

Locally, a glimpse of the accelerated movement of lumber from forest to market can be found in Prince Rupert's industrial park, where stack upon stack of finished product as well as raw logs arrive by the hour at the Tidal Coast Terminals.

The terminal site at Mishaw Road is one which features endless rows of material awaiting shipment, the volume providing for employment for terminal workers and truck drivers who haul the product to and fro each day.

The raw logs loaded aboard ships from the North end of Prince Rupert harbour not far from the Terminal, while the stacks of 2 x4's and other products often making their way into containers for shipment to global markets.

The lumber industry is just one of the many participants in the local economy, providing for some of the volume of shipments out of the Prince Rupert Port Facilities through the year. 

The pace of these movements bringing in some increased revenue for local operators, many of them regional First Nations who are harvesting the wood from inland forestry operations in the Northwest.

We keep a watch on the local shipping industry through our archive pages here.