Follow-through from unstoppable demand for solid wood products at the end of 2017 lead to robust lumber sales through last year, with prices rising accordingly. At sawmills across Canada and the U.S., hungry sawblades consumed robust amounts of logs, providing good volumes of chips and sawdust as feedstock for wood pellet producers. By the end of 2018 shocked customers decided to hold off any extra lumber purchases until absolutely necessary, in the hopes that prices would drop.