60 



TIMBER TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES 



slack cooperage was utilized in barrels for food, 

 hardware, and nails. 



Future trends in consumption of timber for 

 tight cooperage will depend in considerable part 

 upon Federal regulations relating to use of bourbon 

 barrels and to some extent on further changes in 

 technology and shipping practices. With a con- 

 tinuation of present regulations, it seems likely 

 that demand for tight cooperage will show some 

 increase. In the slack cooperage industry, on the 

 other hand, further declines appear likely as a 

 result of continuing competition from paperboard 

 and other types of containers. For the cooperage 

 industry as a whole it is estimated that future 

 demands for cooperage logs and bolts may con- 

 tinue to approximate the level of 1962. 



Poles.- — Use of wood poles for utility and other 

 construction has been relatively stable in recent 

 years. In the period 1953-62, for example, the 

 volume of poles given preservative treatment 

 averaged about 76 million cubic feet annually. 



Total pole consumption in 1962, including both 

 treated and a relatively small volume of untreated 

 poles, was estimated at approximately 7 million 

 pieces, or 92 miUion cubic feet. Numbers of 

 poles in use by utility companies have steadily 

 increased over the years with the rapid growth 

 in transmission lines. Use of poles in farm con- 

 struction has also been rising. In view of the 

 anticipated expansion of the Nation's economy 

 and construction activities and growing needs for 

 pole replacements, some further increase in con- 

 sumption of wooden poles over the next few 

 decades to an average of roughly 100 million 

 cubic feet per year has been assumed. 



Piling.- — Treated wood pihng used in the con- 

 struction of docks, bridges, and buildings averaged 

 about 15 million cubic feet a year in the period 

 1953-62. An estimated 10 million cubic feet of 

 untreated piling also was used annually in this 

 period. Total consumption thus averaged about 

 25 million cubic feet a year. In view of projected 

 increases in nonresidential construction, an aver- 

 age annual use of about 30 million cubic feet of 

 wood piling over the next several decades has 

 been assumed. 



Fence Posts. — Use of wooden fence posts for 

 farm fencing and other purposes such as highway 

 barricades and yard enclosures declined from an 

 estimated 900 million posts in 1920 to approxi- 

 mately 170 million posts (109 million cubic feet) 

 in 1962. This was a result of several factors 

 including substitution of steel and other materials, 

 greater use of wood preservatives, and changes in 

 farm practices and farm sizes that involve less use 

 of fencing. On the basis of expected trends in 

 farming and highway construction it is estimated 

 that future use of wooden posts may continue near 

 recent levels. 



Mine Timbers. — Use of round, split, and hewn 

 mine timbers declined from an estimated 174 mil- 

 lion cubic feet in 1923 to 108 million cubic feet in 

 1950 and to 48 million cubic feet in 1962. A modest 

 increase in use of roundwood in mining to approxi- 

 mately 60 million cubic feet by 2000 has been 

 assumed. 



Other Industrial Wood. — About 157 million cubic 

 feet of roundwood, plus an estimated 40 million 

 cubic feet of plant byproducts, was used in 1962 

 for a wide variety of products such as charcoal and 

 wood distillation products, shingles, excelsior, 

 hewn ties, turnery products, and miscellaneous 

 farm timbers. Past trends in use of these different 

 products have been mixed, and some further drop 

 in demand to an estimated 140 million cubic feet 

 of roundwood per year has been assumed. 



Total Miscellaneous Industrial Wood. — Total 

 consumption of the industrial roundwood products 

 described above amounted to 465 million cubic 

 feet in 1962 — roughly one-third less than consump- 

 tion in 1952. In addition to these roundwood 

 products, an estimated 40 million cubic feet of 

 plant byproducts was used in 1962, primarily for 

 charcoal. Several million tons of pine stumps 

 also have been used each year in the production 

 of naval stores, and until recently, dead chestnut 

 wood was used for tannin extract and pulp and 

 paper; estimates for these items have not been 

 included. 



Although use of most miscellaneous timber 

 products has been declining, it appears that in 

 many cases trends in consumption may have 

 leveled off, and for some products such as poles 

 and piling future demands seem likely to increase. 

 It has therefore been estimated that demands for 

 all miscellaneous industrial timber products com- 

 bined will continue at an annual rate of about 

 460 million cubic feet of roundwood. 



Demand for Fuelwood Substantial 

 But Declining 



The total volume of fuelwood consumed in 1962 

 was estimated at 27 million cords, or 2,025 million 

 cubic feet. This included approximately 517 

 million cubic feet of roundwood from growing 

 stock, 606 million cubic feet of roundwood from 

 other sources such as dead and cull trees, and the 

 equivalent of 900 million cubic feet of plant 

 byproducts such as slabs and edgings. Fuelwood 

 cut from roundwood was used almost entirely for 

 domestic heating and cooking. Plant byproducts 

 were used both for domestic purposes and for 

 steam power in wood processing plants. 



