White Oak Breaks Out, Low-Grade Logs Rally — and We're Open in Canada
The University of Kentucky's Q1 2026 delivered-price survey shows log prices up 9.1% overall — with White Oak high-grades up 12.8% and pallet/tie logs up double digits across nearly every species. Plus: JMLogMarket is now live across all 10 Canadian provinces. June 10, 2026.
The Big Story: The Recovery Has Numbers Now
The University of Kentucky's Department of Forestry just published its Q1 2026 delivered timber price update, and it confirms what mills have been signaling since winter: statewide delivered log prices are up 9.1% from the first half of 2025, combining all grades and species. Pricing still hasn't returned to the 2021 highs, but the direction is unmistakable — and we've refreshed every price reference on JMLogMarket (all 25 species pages, the master price guide, and the AI Log Grader's value engine) to match. As always, these are Kentucky-region delivered-to-mill estimates — your local market will vary, which is exactly why listings with real asking prices matter.
Kentucky-Region Delivered Log Prices — June 2026
| Species | High-Quality Logs (YoY) | Low-Quality Logs (YoY) | Veneer Range ($/MBF Doyle) |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Oak | ↑ +12.8% | ↑ +15.4% | $2,950–$6,775 |
| Black Walnut | ➡ +0.3% | ↑ +15.2% | $3,500–$8,775 |
| Hard Maple | ➡ +1.8% | ↑ +24.5% | $700–$1,050 |
| Soft Maple | ↓ −2.3% | ↑ +15.5% | — |
| Red Oak | ↑ +3.2% | ↑ +15.3% | $620–$800 |
| Yellow Poplar | ➡ +1.6% | ↑ +6.0% | $510–$770 |
Source: University of Kentucky Q1 2026 delivered price survey vs. 2025; ranges are Kentucky-region delivered-to-mill estimates in $/MBF Doyle. Stumpage typically runs 30–50% lower. Full grade-by-grade tables on the price guide and every species page.
The Quiet Headline: Low-Grade Logs Are Rallying
The high-grade numbers get the attention, but look down the grade ladder: low-quality hard maple logs are up 24.5%, soft maple +15.5%, white oak +15.4%, red oak +15.3%, black walnut +15.2%. That's pallet stock, blocking, tie logs — the material most sellers treat as an afterthought. The railway crosstie market is saturated but still showing price improvement for oak ties, and pallet demand has stayed sturdy. The practical takeaway: that mixed, lower-grade load sitting in your yard is worth meaningfully more than it was a year ago. If you've been holding low-grade material because it "wasn't worth the haul," re-run the math — and if you want a second opinion on what a specific log grades out at, the free AI Log Grader now estimates against these June 2026 prices.
White Oak: Veneer, Staves, and Lumber All Competing
White Oak's +12.8% on high-quality logs is the standout species story — UK's analysts attribute it to genuine three-way competition between lumber, veneer, and stave markets. Stave logs are running $1,050–$3,600/MBF at the cooperage gate, and Kentucky's daily barrel production is estimated at 14,000–20,000 units, with cooperages investing in equipment to stretch available stave material further. High-quality white oak lumber logs still haven't reclaimed their 2021 record, but they're well above anything from 2020 and earlier. If you're cutting in white oak country, sorting stave-quality from sawlogs before you sell remains the single highest-leverage move you can make.
🇨🇦 JMLogMarket Is Now Open in Canada
The other big news this month is ours: JMLogMarket is now live across all 10 Canadian provinces. Canadian sellers can list logs, lumber, and mill products with prices in Canadian dollars (C$), Canadian postal codes work throughout the site, and buyer alerts and matching cover the provinces. Both apps — Android and iPhone — are available in the Canadian stores as of this week.
We've also published dedicated market pages with CAD price references for the major hardwood provinces: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia. Sugar maple and yellow birch dominate the eastern provinces' markets, and a softer Canadian dollar keeps U.S. and export buyers active on Canadian wood — if you're a Canadian logger, mill, or landowner, posting is free and you'd be among the first listings your provincial buyers see.
What to Watch Through Summer
- The KDF July report — the Kentucky Division of Forestry's full 1st/2nd-quarter 2026 Delivered Log Price Report lands in July. We'll fold it into every price page the week it drops.
- Tariffs and trade — UK's analysts flag tariff uncertainty and global trade disruption as the biggest cloud over the recovery, including potential impacts on bourbon (and therefore stave demand).
- Logging capacity — labor recruitment in logging and primary manufacturing keeps shrinking. UK's warning is blunt: when hardwood demand fully returns, the capacity won't be there, and that mismatch drives prices up fast. Crews that stay staffed will have pricing power.
- White ash — still a soft market as emerald ash borer salvage works through the region; specialty buyers (handles, bats) remain the best channel.
- Red oak's tie-market dependence — the crosstie channel consumes huge red oak volume; any softening there hits red oak sawlog demand directly.
Bottom line for June: The recovery is real and measurable — +9.1% across the board, with the gains concentrated in white oak high-grades and low-grade material everywhere. Sort by grade, price your pallet and tie stock like it matters (it does now), and if you're in Canada: welcome — the marketplace is yours too.