The western red cedar business is in trouble - serious trouble. Supply from British Columbia's biggest sawmills has been at a standstill since July when Canada's beleaguered coastal lumber workers went on strike demanding better working conditions. Most Australian importers of this extremely durable wood - prized for weatherboards, windows, doors and joinery -could be out of stock before Christmas, with no likelihood of new shipments before spring next year as the winter snows approach North America."It's a scary scenario," says Roger Denley of Brisbane-based Oregon Sales, one of Australia's bigger cedar importers. "Merchants who worked with non-union sawmills forward booked orders and paid the high price, and are now in the box seat - but not forlong. Those who rejected these higher prices and then went back cap in hand for supply now can't get the wood.
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