Record lumber prices and cardboard production are starting to lift southern timber prices from their yearslong slump. Wet weather has helped, too. …Analysts, foresters and timberland owners say it is still too early to call an end to the timber bust and recovery is uneven, absent in areas far from mills. But the average price in the South for pine trees used to make lumber hasn’t been higher in more than a decade. Saw timber rose to $26.44 a ton during the fourth quarter, according to TimberMart-South. …“Prices are trickling up,” said Jody Strickland, at F&W Forestry Services. …Prices for lower grades of pine timber, such as the young, thin and knotty trees that are pulped for paper and cardboard, have climbed even more sharply than saw logs, according to TimberMart-South. Hardwood, which comes from deciduous trees and is used for flooring and furniture, is also up. [a WSJ subscription is required to access the full story]