Northland Forest Products Inc

Decent selection of hardwoods at a good price. Pick your board by hand and cut the size if needed. Perfect for the average weekend woodworker.

Great selection, self serve in the retail area so you can find what you want.

Quick unloading
Nice staff
Over night parking by entrance

Good source of commercial wood. Call ahead to see their updated prices as often don’t match the website

I've tried this place a few times and now pass on it in order to buy from HIghland Hardwoods, just up the road a mile or two. The only advantage I can see is that their prices are about 10% less than HH and visible on downloadable price sheets, but there are these disadvantages:

1. Limited species and size selection.
2. A significant portion of wood is stored above easily accessed heights and since the lumber barn is self-serve (unless you traipse back to the 2nd floor office and interrupt an office worker to come pull a board for you.) If you want to select from high bins, forget it unless you like balancing on a ladder with a heavy board half way out of the bin.
3. No mezzanine for easy selection.
4. No cheerful, helpful yard person to pull boards or help load.
5. No shorts bins.
6. I don't know if they will cut boards for you.

I have no interest in either Northland or Highland. I'm just an amateur woodworker.

If the owners of Northland could invest in a mezzanine, , provide barn help, expand species selection, allow cutting and provide a shorts bin, it would make them more competitive. But then they might not be the low-priced alternative.