Matthew Pelkki

MONTICELLO, Arkansas — The conflict in the Strait of Hormuz is restricting imports to the rapidly growing timber markets in the Middle East and northern Africa, according to an industry outlet, but impacts on the Arkansas timber industry will likely be minimal, said Matthew Pelkki. Pelkki is a professor and George H. Clippert Chair of Forestry at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. …The Middle Eastern and North African Market — or MENA — region has become a growing market for timber exporters, especially Russia. …“While the Middle Eastern and North African Market has grown substantially, it is still a small component of US wood exports,” Pelkki said. …However, “any loss or reduction of US hardwood exports is going to cause prices for lumber to stagnate or drop, and as prices and quantity of those hardwoods decrease, it will have an effect on demand for hardwood timber,” Pelkki said.