Wholesale / Retail

after cutting. The bandsaws were also being run by operators who were assisted by helpers who paid little attention to orderliness in the mill and the proper stacking/storage of processed lumber. There was not much effort on the part of the resawmills to segregate lumber properly and to separate the trimmings, slabs, and sawdust from the finished products. Predominantly 2” thick boards are produced.

The lumber dealers cum processors appeared to have little understanding of the importance of moisture content in wood as a factor that affects the quality of

lumber. Boards were merely left to dry in the air, although the rainy climate limits the desirability and effectiveness of this practice in Leyte. The boards were not being piled in a manner that would facilitate air drying. Only one processor (in Ormoc City) was reported to have a kiln dryer, which was installed less than two years ago. Local furniture makers usually use air dry lumber, but the export industry and most high end domestic processors require kiln dried lumber.

WhoLESaLE/RETaIL A large number of lumber dealers are located in Cebu and the NCR. Bigger companies have their own kiln drying facilities or have agreements with other companies to kiln dry their wood. A few processors buy directly from suppliers from other regions, especially those with their own kiln drying facilities. The majority of the furniture makers and contractors buy their wood already kiln dried from lumber dealers. This allows them to classify the lumber by quality and moisture content before buying.

Findings

In Leyte, lumber was being sold through the lumber dealers and/or hardware stores in Leyte. Oftentimes, lumber is sold directly to customers, contractors and

processors, mostly local buyers. One lumber dealer in Ormoc City was reported to be selling lumber to Cebu. One of the lumber processors revealed that he had received inquiries about selling lumber outside of Leyte Island, (for example, Manila) but he expressed apprehension about his capacity to supply the large volume required by big buyers, particularly makers of furniture. Local sales are usually in small volumes only. Local furniture makers can seldom buy bigger volumes of timber all at once. Only lumber dealers and hardware shops can be targeted for direct sales of bigger volumes. Farmers or POs that target to sell in bulk might need to sell outside of the Region.

Heavy wood industries like the manufacturers of reconstituted panels or pulp and paper are potential plantation wood customers. These companies typically use bigger