24 



TIMBER TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES 



LUMBER AND PLYWOOD 

 CONSUMED IN NONRESIDENTIAL 

 CONSTRUCTION 



Per Dollar of Construction 

 Cost (1961 Dollars) 



.250 









square fee 



> O c 



^ 



1 fim 



ber 



^^ 



-:::-'-- 



'-^ -lUU 



o 



o (Tin 



,' 



Plywood 



•-.■»«rv 













Total Use 



12.5 

 10,0 



o 



o- 7.5 



5 5.0 

 o 



■-: 



2.5 





 1950 





;:-- 



^'' 



Plywood 







I960 



1970 



1980 



1990 



2000 



''Plywood measured in square feet, %" basis. 



Fi'sure 12 



1962, falling from an estimated 5.4 billion board 

 feet to 5.0 billion board feet (table 12 and fig. 12). 

 In contrast, plywood consumption increased 

 rapidly' — rising from an estimated 135 million 

 square feet in 1951 ^^ to 2.8 billion square feet in 

 1962. 



Surveys of wood used in sample construction 

 projects across the Nation indicated a wide range 

 in amounts of lumber and plywood used per 

 dollar of construction expenditures. For all 

 classes combined, wood use in 1962 averaged 

 0.15 board foot of lumber per dollar of expenditure, 

 or about 30 percent less than the estimated average 

 factor in 1952 (table 12). Use of plywood 

 averaged about 0.08 square foot per dollar. 



" Stanford Research Institute. America's Demand for 

 Wood 1929-1975. Tacoma, Weyerhaeuser Timber Co., 

 1954. 



Contractors interviewed in surveys of non- 

 residential construction indicated that use of 

 lumber per dollar of expenditure is likely to decline 

 further. Increasing use of metal scaffolds, sub- 

 stitution of rented metal forms for wood in con- 

 crete formwork, use of plastic-coated plywood with 

 a longer service life, the trend toward larger 

 buildings associated with gi'owing urbanization, 

 and changes in construction techniques which 

 result in increased use of steel floor joists and pre- 

 cast and prestressed concrete floor members and 

 panels all adversely affect use of lumber and 

 plywood. 



Structural wood items, on the other hand, appear 

 to have a growth potential in nonresidential con- 

 struction, particularly for arches, beams, rafters, 

 and trusses, and in certain classes of buildings 

 such as schools, churches, and warehouses. Wood 

 roof trusses with metal connectors have been used 

 increasingly in light construction. Recent trends 

 in architectural styles for such buildings as light 

 manufacturing industrial plants and schools also 

 indicate some increase in single-story structures, 

 where possibilities for lumber use are greater than 

 in multiple-story buildings and other heavy 

 construction. 



After weighing apparent trends in various 

 classes of nonresidential construction, it was 

 assumed that use of lumber per dollar of expendi- 

 ture may drop from 0.15 board foot in 1962 to 

 0.09 board foot by 2000 (table 12 and fig. 12). 



Table 12.^ — Lumber and plywood and veneer 

 consumed in nonresidential construction, 1952- 

 2000 





Lumber 



Plywood and veneer 



Year 



Volume 

 used 



Use per 

 dollar ' of 

 expendi- 

 ture 



Volume 

 used 



Use per 

 dollar • of 

 expendi- 

 ture 



1952 



1962 



Million 

 board feet 

 5,400 

 5,000 



Board 

 feet 

 0.21 

 .15 



Million 



square feet, 



Ys-inch 



basis 



Square 

 feet, 



Ys-inch 

 basis 



2,800 



0.08 



PROJECTIONS 



1970 



6,000 



0.14 



4,700 



0.11 



1980 



6,900 



.12 



5,600 



.10 



1990 



8,000 



.10 



6,800 



.09 



2000 



9,200 



.09 



8,500 



.08 



' 1961 dollars. 



