Maximize Your Yield, Multiply Our Voice

From internal benchmarks to collective impact, sawmills use yield studies to improve decision-making, build team culture, and advocate for more innovative, sustainable industry practices.

The Power of Measurement
In a time when the hardwood industry is facing unprecedented challenges, from rising log costs to tightening margins, NHLA’s Yield Study offers more than just a snapshot of your production data; it’s a grant-funded, on-site service that helps sawmills recover lost profits, improve log-buying decisions, and identify precisely where value is being left on the table. Tailored for operations of all sizes, the study delivers a clear, customized report with actionable steps that often translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars in regained revenue. But it’s not just about individual improvement; it’s about advocating for the industry. Every participating mill contributes to a broader efficiency, accountability, and sustainability narrative. When we take the time to measure what matters, we gain the power to manage what counts, and that’s how we move forward together.

Real-World Impact: Why One Sawmill Signed Up
As things can be unpredictable, being confident about business decisions is essential, but you must know where to start. For many hardwood operations, that starting point is data. NHLA sat down with Josh Peachey, spokesperson at Eagle Lumber Company, to gain insight on how participating in the NHLA Yield Study helped build that foundation. “We were relatively new to the sawmill business and were not confident that the decisions and choices we were making about log pricing were accurate…” Peachey shared. His team searched for validation and clarity, especially given that log costs account for as much as 75–80% of operating expenses at sawmills, according to a U.S. Forest Service analysis published late last year. The Yield Study offered exactly that: on-site expert analysis and a full breakdown of where value was being left behind. For Eagle Lumber, the real value was seeing how measurable data could immediately inform better log purchasing and cutting decisions. Across the industry, mills participating in the NHLA Yield Study report an average of $400,000 in recovered value annually, with one mill reporting gains of over $500,000 just weeks after implementing NHLA’s recommendations. For newer operations like Eagle Lumber, that kind of insight isn’t just helpful, it’s transformative.

Creating a Culture of Accountability and Learning
The impact of the NHLA Yield Study often goes far beyond numbers. It can transform company culture from the inside out. For many operations, the study becomes a catalyst for improved pricing strategies, deeper employee engagement, and shared responsibility. As Peachey explained, “The biggest change was that we started doing our own yield studies a lot more often. Involving all the employees in the yield studies helped create a culture of everyone looking out for each other.” The study fostered a sense of ownership, accountability, and teamwork by including staff at every level in measuring and improving yield. This cultural shift, where employees aren’t just doing their jobs but actively working to improve outcomes, represents a powerful, often overlooked form of industry advocacy. When workers understand the product’s value, their role in maximizing it, and how it affects the company’s long-term viability, the result is more than just a more efficient mill; it becomes a workforce personally invested in the industry’s success.

WHAT IS A YIELD STUDY?
An NHLA Yield Study is a customized, on-site analysis of your mill’s operations, from log intake to final product. NHLA’s National Inspectors evaluate every process step, identify where value is lost, and deliver a detailed report with actionable recommendations. It’s a low-disruption, high-impact service that helps you maximize every log, boosting profitability, reducing waste, and empowering smarter decisions across your team. Just as important, the insights you gain become part of a larger story that shows the hardwood industry is continuously improving, working smarter, and advocating for a sustainable future.

Big Picture Thinking: Why Yield Studies Matter for the Whole Industry
The true strength of the NHLA Yield Study lies in its ability to provide individualized insight, helping mills understand how they perform and why. As Peachey noted, “I believe yield studies can help the entire industry by helping each company realize their strengths and weaknesses in different areas. What is a perfect log for one mill might be a loss for another mill. It’s almost impossible to be all things to all people.” On a broader scale, this kind of data-driven precision gives the hardwood industry a stronger voice in policy and sustainability conversations. When we understand and articulate our operations through facts and metrics, we not only improve our businesses but also equip the entire industry to advocate with clarity, credibility, and purpose.

Insight into Industry Leadership
The Yield Study is more than a performance check. It’s a path to leadership. In a market where every decision counts, this program helps sawmills survive and thrive. In one 12-month period alone, NHLA Yield Studies helped mills collectively recover nearly $3.9 million in lost profits. However, the actual impact goes further: by participating, mills contribute to a more innovative, accountable industry that can advocate for itself with clarity and credibility. The hardwood community is strongest when it leads with data, and the Yield Study is how we get there, together.

To learn more or request a study, contact NHLA Chief Inspector Dana Spessert at [email protected] or nhla.com/yield. Thanks to a generous grant from the U.S. Forest Service, 75% of the study cost is covered for NHLA members, making this one of the most accessible and impactful investments you can make in your operation’s future.

By BRENNAH HUTCHISON, Content Strategist & Editor