Two of the nation’s leading lumber companies--Weyerhaeuser...

Two of the nation’s leading lumber companies--Weyerhaeuser Co. and Georgia-Pacific Corp.--reported sharply higher earnings for the first quarter Thursday, the result of galloping wood prices.

Weyerhaeuser earned $229.5 million, or $1.12 a share, in the quarter, up 165% from $86.6 million, or 43 cents a share, a year ago.

Revenue climbed to $2.34 billion from $2.2 billion.

Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific saw profit climb to $44 million, or 47 cents a share, contrasted with a loss of $58 million, or 67 cents a share, just a year earlier.

That loss was partly caused by a $55-million charge reflecting changes in accounting practices.

Georgia-Pacific revenue rose to $2.94 billion from $2.83 billion.