Northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK)

Forestry workers in British Columbia‘s southern interior are ready to strike.

Last week the United Steelworkers union filed their required 72 hours notice of strike action against the member companies of the Interior Forest Labor Relations Association (including, Tolko, Tembec, Weyerhaeuser-Canada, a unit of Weyerhaeuser Co, and several smaller firms).

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, Okt. 23, 2009 (Viewpoint) - North American coated paper markets have come a long way toward closing the gaping hole between supply and demand that opened up as a result of the collapse in magazines and catalogs. A gap of more than 2.0 million tons (annualized) opened up between actual capacity and the normal level of capacity that would be needed to support a 95% operating rate in North America. Producers coped with this problem by shutting even more capacity and taking massive amounts of downtime at their remaining mills.

29.6.2009: For the second consecutive month, pulp producers are taking advantage of tighter supply conditions, if not better demand, and are seeking price hikes worldwide. For July, increases have been announced for softwood and hardwoods for North America, Europe and China/Asia. The hikes are generally $20-$30/tonne, but a $20-$40 increases for North American NBSK would put the list at $700.