Prices for logs on the US West Coast have increased due to the natural disasters, housing construction, Asian competition and labor constraints.  According to the Daily Astorian, a confluence of factors is lifting Northwest log prices at a time when the US demand for lumber is only expected to grow. Natural disasters, from wildfires in the West to hurricanes in the South, have restrained the supply of logs from US forests.  Also, housing construction and remodeling have increased the domestic lumber consumption as Asian buyers continue to compete with sawmills for US logs and environmental laws ...