European oak and beech producers face uneven orders and competition for logs, while American hardwood consumption has fallen much faster than housing activity. The Antwerp conference documented an industry trying to retain processing capacity as trade and manufacturing move towards Asia. Europe’s hardwood industry is producing less of a material that governments want consumers to use more. Sawmills face weak orders from flooring and furniture manufacturers, competition for suitable logs and rising costs that customers are reluctant to absorb. Forests may contain more hardwood in the decades ahead, but that offers little comfort to a processor struggling to ...