The prices of good boards are at an all-time high. The E.P.A. is shutting down the mills that make plywood. The timber companies have less old growth forest to choose from. Most of the affordable timber is being cut from new-growth pine. In the Midwest, the standard 2x4 is made primarily from spruce.
Boards made from cherry, oak, or poplar are expensive.
The easy solution to this lumber crisis is for the woodworker to make his own boards from the trees of his choosing. I know that there are a lot of really fine products available for turning logs into lumber, from band saw sawmills to chainsaw attachments. I've seen a lot of these at work, too, and most of them are actually terrific pieces of equipment, if you're interested in producing a large quantity of dimensional lumber. Old Growth Forests. Phil Goetz's interesting and informative article on the importance of OGFs.