corn in a grocery store, he gets canned corn although there may be sev- 

 eral brands froni which to choose. If the same customer asks for lumber, 

 he must specify the dimensions among at least 10 different widths, 8 or 

 more different lengths, and 8 or more thicknesses. In addition there are 

 over 30 different species of trees from which lumber is commonly manu- 

 factured. But this is not the end; he may buy it green (unseasoned), air- 

 dried or kiln-dried. The boards may also be rough or finished; surfaced 

 one side, two sides, or both sides and edges; or worked in various pat- 

 terns. And yet more specifications are necessary, for the customer must 

 also indicate the grade, a means of distinguishing quality and possible 

 uses of boards. Many of these specifications came into common use be- 

 cause of the way trees grow, their form and quality. But they are also a 

 reflection of our manufacturing process — sawmilling — which was de- 

 veloped to convert logs into usable form as for shelter and, earlier, for 

 boats and ships. 



Using air dried white pine as an example, a seller would have to carry 

 in stock 3,200 boards, each of which would represent a specific grade and 

 size, if he were to have a complete line in this category. If he duplicated 

 his stock in unfinished, ungraded lumber, he would have to carry 640 

 more boards. All this would require 4,000 cubic feet of storage space and 

 he would have only one board in each dimension. 



Today lumber has competition from other wood products which are 

 converted from trees into a form suited to production methods rather 

 than the tree's form of growth (particle boards, plywood, chipboard, 

 flakeboard, etc.) 



Sawmills in New Hampshire are producing boards from most of the 

 local species and are meeting the grade and size specifications. Ninety- 

 nine percent of their hardwood lumber production is sold rough. Sixty- 

 three percent is shipped air-dried and the balance green. No hardwood 

 lumber was reported kiln-dried. This hardwood volume represents only 

 17 percent of the total lumber production: all the other is softwoods, 

 mainly white pine. 3 Principal species are red oak, white and yellow 

 birch, red and sugar maple, and beech. 



The specifications for the lumber reported by the wood-using indus- 

 tries depend upon the type of industry. Both softwoods and hardwoods 

 are utilized. Twenty-two plants use only softwoods. 16 hardwoods only, 

 and 15 use both. Of their total lumber purchases of 55.847.000 board feet, 

 32 percent was hardwoods, 24 percent western softwoods (Douglas fir 

 and soft pines), and the remaining 44 percent was Eastern softwood 

 (white pine mainly with some hemlock and spruce) . Eastern softwoods 

 and hardwoods were purchased as rough lumber; less than five percent 

 was finished. Western softwoods were purchased dressed or finished ex- 

 cept for one percent which was bought as rough lumber (Table 1) and 

 all the volume was kiln-dried. Only six percent of all other lumber was 

 kiln-dried (Table 2). Eastern softwoods were about 60 percent air-dried 

 and 40 percent green while two-thirds of the hardwood was green. 



Of the total volume nearly half was in grade one 4 , two percent was in 

 the lower common grades, and the balance was ungraded — mostly the 



3 Ibid. (Wallace & Amidon, 1958). 



4 Hardwoods — No. 1 common and hotter. 



Softwoods — No. 2 common and better, sterling, standard. 



