2566 Chapter 22 



increases in prices for hardwood lumber in the Appalachian region resulted in 

 only slight increases in the value of sawlogs (see tables 22-6 and 29-38). 



By 1980, lumber cut from red oaks in the Midsouth more than doubled in 

 value over that indicated by Martens for 1964 in the Appalachian region; lumber 

 from upland oaks was significantly more valuable than that for southern lowland 

 oaks, as follows (data from veteran lumber manufacturer H. M. Vick): 



Log grade Upland red oaks Lowland red oaks 



— Dollar si thousand hd ft of lumber sawn, FOB sawmill — 



1 310 233 



2 246 207 



3 220 191 



How much can a sawmill operator afford to pay for his sawlogs? Adams 

 (1970) developed a computer program that can provide the operator with the 

 answer to this question. Adams (1972) also published a detailed illustration of 

 this SOLVE computer program to derive dollar values for sawlogs delivered to 

 the yard for individual milling situations. Improved procedural guides for the 

 SOLVE technique, including analysis design, data collection, and computer 

 card preparation and use were provided by Adams and Dunmire (1978). 



Mill operators frequently have opportunities to sell sawlogs for some higher- 

 value product such as veneer. For operators faced with pricing wood sold in such 

 transactions, Screpetis (1979) provided a procedure for examining the economic 

 benefits of selling versus sawing. 



Hardwood lumber price history is shown in figure 29-43 ABC; predicted price 

 to 2005 is graphed in figure 29-44. Readers interested in an econometric model 

 of the hardwood lumber market should read Luppold (1982). 



A mill manager with decades of sucessful experience sawing hardwood lum- 

 ber for the furniture trade cautions that concern with log grades should begin 

 while the trees are still growing in the forest; his recommendations follow; in 

 brief, do not wait until a log arrives at the sawmill to start emphasis on grade 

 recovery: 



• Prior to purchase, determine the grade of logs each timber tract will 

 yield. 



• Compute value of the timber on the basis of log grade. 



• Conduct harvesting operations with log grade as focal point. 



• Saw, yard, and ship the lumber to maximize value recovered. 



Drying and planing. — Lumber drying procedures are described in chapter 20 

 in text sections as follows: 



Section Subject 



20-2 Air-drying 



20-3 Forced-air fan predrying 



20-4 Heated low-temperature drying 



20-5 Low-temperature drying with dehumidifiers 



20-6 Drying in conventional heated kilns 



20-7 High-temperature drying 



Storage of dry lumber is discussed in section 20-13. 



