Q: Hello to the 5i crew. Are lumber prices on the upswing? The reason I ask is that I still have a half position in Western forest Products (WEF) and it has gone from dead money to up about 25 per cent in 2026. I did notice that the big boy in North American lumber WFG is up a bit as well. So what's up? The home builders are not really blazing ahead with housing starts and the whole forestry industry seems moribund! So why are lumber stocks getting a bit of a lift? Is there something percolating under the surface that us little retail guys can't see? If my shares in WEF were in a taxable account I would have sold them in December but they are in a RSP. Should I count myself lucky and get out of WEF after this upswing or is there something going on that might make it go higher?
Q: Thanks for answering my previous question on WEF (western forest products). I have been taking a closer look at wef and trying to decide if I should liquidate my smallish position. One thing I noticed is that WEF has nearly $300 million 'on deposit' with the USA government. This is for the softwood lumber tariffs that they have had to pay over various years. This is a unique situation but what does it mean to be 'on deposit". Does any of this money ever get returned to a Canadian lumber producer? If not, then why does WEF even mention it? I found out about this in a WEF press release and I made a perfunctory search of the balance sheet and I could not find anything, although I am certainly not any expert navigating balance sheets. Does it appear on the balance sheet but I just missed it? Is this a complete non-issue or is it a hidden source of future revenue for WEF?
Q: Western forest Products just made a deal to sell 14.500 hectares of forest land to Eastwood Forests. Considering that wef's debt is around $83 million (could you confirm that please) I would call the transaction substantial from WEF's perspective. Do you agree? WEF says they will use the funds to reduce debt and invest in equipment that will allow them to make higher value wood products, such as another kiln. I never sold my small position in WEF but this might be the catalyst to move it up a smidge. Do you agree or do you think this transaction is going to hurt wef in the future since they will have to buy their logs instead of harvesting them from their own land?