Logs to China
(Dec. 22, 2011) You may have noticed a lot more logging trucks on the roads this year — trucks loaded with Douglas fir, white fir, spruce and hemlock logs. But chances are those logs weren’t headed to one of the handful of remaining Humboldt County sawmills. More likely they were loaded onto ships, either here in Humboldt Bay or at some other West Coast port, then sent across the Pacific to China, where rapid industrialization has opened up a huge demand for softwood.
This bullish export market is welcome news for timberland owners throughout the Pacific Northwest. The housing collapse has been brutal to the entire industry, with tight credit markets and the steady stream of foreclosures keeping housing starts at anemic levels.
But not everyone was thrilled with the idea of sending whole logs overseas. Veteran lumberman George Schmidbauer, for example, was forced to eliminate a shift at his sawmill in March, placing 60 mill workers on unemployment, due to lack of supply. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of un-milled logs were being stockpiled across the street at the Schneider dockyard, awaiting a western-bound shipping vessel.
While everyone seemed to agree that it’s less-than-ideal to export whole logs rather than value-added products like processed lumber or manufactured goods, those complaints carried little weight next to the laws of supply and demand. And while mill workers went on unemployment, bar pilots, truck drivers, longshoremen and stevedores were thankful to see any work at all. Plus, the Harbor District, which had seen shipping traffic evaporate after the closure of the Evergreen Pulp Mill, had some justification for the federally funded dredging of our bay.
Humboldt Bay remains an expensive shipping port due to its meager infrastructure and the difficulty of navigation. It remains to be seen whether foreign exports will lead to more opportunities and a new period of economic growth around Humboldt Bay, or whether we’re merely shipping out scaffolding for the world’s next superpower.
— Ryan Burns
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on the cover
Railroad!
Proposed lines ‘set rich blood a-tingling’ in early 1900s
Some Other Proposed North Coast Railroads
Choo-choo Fantasies
Exposing this east-west rail nonsense
seven-o-heaven
Undeterred Will
Will chides Andrew for lack of attention to detail and makes plans for his inevitable victory.
Recent on the cover
May 17
Ring of Fire
Sun and moon will perform a rare pas de deux in Humboldt skies on Sunday
May 10
District Soup
Racing for the top county seat in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts
May 3
A Place in the Woods
As park closure deadline nears, a scramble to save what we can
Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
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