Hardwood Markets Strengthen Across the Lake States in Q2
Read More About Second Quarter Lake States Timber Prices
In Q2, hardwood sawlog stumpage prices rose in the Lake States from the prior year. In contrast, softwood prices dropped in the April - June quarter.
And cordwood prices remained at a similarly low level as in prior years across the region. They were generally flat with the pulpwood prices that the region has experienced for the past several years.
Some hardwood prices were stronger across the region. Ash prices in MBF hit a five-year high in Wisconsin and Michigan (with the species becoming scarce in the wake of the impact of the emerald ash borer (EAB) outbreak.
Meanwhile, oak prices were strong, but subspecies differed in Michigan from Wisconsin. Sawlog prices in the Badger state were up markedly for white oak. In Michigan, red oak prices rose by almost 50%, but white oak prices didn’t follow suit.
Minnesota prices tend to be close to flat year to year. (For instance, mixed hardwood cord weighted average prices for 2026 through June 30 are within 20 cents or 1.5% of 2025 prices.)
Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s mixed hardwood bolt prices hit a 5-year high in the second quarter of this year.
The volumes of wood harvested in the second quarter rose 22% from the first quarter, but dropped from Q2 of 2025.