FRA Member Spotlight: Timber Market Watch
FRA is committed to building a community that upholds the sustainability of the forest products industry. In line with this commitment, we aim to facilitate connections among industry members and provide a platform for new members to showcase their work and initiatives. As FRA’s Appalachian Region Consultant, I am thrilled to present this week’s Member Spotlight featuring Chuck Ray, CEO of Timber Market Watch, who became an FRA member in April 2024.
A Journey into Forestry
Chuck Ray’s roots are in Texas, and his family’s background in the industry goes back five generations to the turn of the last century when Ray Brothers Lumber Company was formed. The sawmill was long gone by the time Chuck was born, but he obviously had “sawdust in the veins.” In the early 1980s, he graduated from Stephen F Austin University with a B.S. in Forestry. Back then, there seemed to be a downturn in the economy. A professor he knew promised a forestry job would be waiting for him if he went to graduate school. He enrolled at Texas A&M and earned a Masters and Doctorate Degree. After grad school, he started his career with Temple-Inland, where he worked for ten years. In 1999, he went to work for LP in Quality Assurance. He was responsible for improving LP’s sawmill operations across the Pacific Northwest. During those early years, Chuck was very familiar with the American Pulpwood Association (APA), and as many of us already know, APA later morphed into the Forest Resources Association or FRA!
From Industry to Academia
After the 9/11 attacks, the industry began to experience the pains of re-organizing, and Chuck accepted the position of Associate Professor of Wood and Forest Science at Penn State University. His specialty was operations research, specifically, those operational issues that confront most wood product companies. He enjoyed the challenge of setting up research projects, capturing the data, and using statistical analysis to discover the answer! Additionally, his responsibilities included putting together the Pennsylvania Timber Market Report, published quarterly by Penn State Extension. The report summarizes the current timber values in Pennsylvania, assisting landowners and forest products industry professionals to stay abreast of market trends, pricing, and volumes by species in the state. In 2023, Chuck could see that the mission of Penn State was changing, and he still had something left on his “bucket list.” He retired in 2023, after 21 years of service to the University, and moved on to his next endeavor.
Timber Market Watch
Chuck has always been interested in the forest products industry, and after retiring from Penn State, he founded Timber Market Watch (TMW). What is Timber Market Watch? His vision for the business is to provide a nationwide, real-time timber market report, using “ground-level” data from actual sales to produce a high-resolution report. This report can be used in strategic planning for forest products mills or by TIMOs, REITs, and other fund managers for investment opportunities. The transactional data comes from a network of foresters and loggers who buy and sell timber in various states. Every sale added to the Timber Market Watch database helps establish the true value for stumpage and timber being sold in that county or region in real-time. TMW aims to provide a high-quality data product while developing solid business relationships with its contributors and clients. You might say Timber Market Watch is now a family business. Chuck’s wife Lynda, two sons, a son-in-law, and one of his daughters are now “chipping” in to help the company grow!
Reconnecting With FRA and Fostering New Growth
Earlier, I referenced Chuck as being familiar with the American Pulpwood Association, but he had lost contact with the organization. In 2022, FRA’s Appalachian Region was planning our fall meeting in Boalsburg, PA. I reached out to Chuck to be a guest speaker. He accepted and gave a great presentation titled “The Changing Pennsylvania Forests.” It was at this time that Chuck reconnected with the Forest Resources Association and its members.
Chuck attended our 2024 FRA Annual Meeting in Nashville, TN. He commented on all the great people he’d met and enjoyed his conversations with our many members. He appreciated learning more about their businesses and was given the opportunity to share why he founded TMW and his plans for the future. He appreciated the FRA staff, especially Claire and Vanessa, for helping him get registered and answering all his questions!
The THATS Foundation auction was also very memorable! Chuck hadn’t planned to bid on anything, but he knew his son Charlie’s birthday was coming up and how he loved fishing! Chuck was the highest bidder on the Gulf of Mexico Fishing extravaganza donated by FRA Member Richard Schwab of M. A. Rigoni Inc. We all know that, as an auctioneer, when Richard’s on a roll, it’s almost impossible to say no, and with that in mind, I was equally impressed when Chuck shared that Richard had agreed to be the guest on the third episode of the Timber Market Watch Podcast. Declining Timber Industry? How TMW can help those involved.
Great associations will mirror the personalities and values of their members. New members, like Chuck, always strengthen those values! FRA welcomes Timber Market Watch to our growing membership base. FRA is stronger with your support.
