THE OUTLOOK FOR TIMBER DEMANDS 



21 



study in one northeastern city, for example, indi- 

 cated that a doubhng of family personal income 

 was attended by an increase of about 25 percent 

 in living area in single-family houses.'^ 



Based on these various considerations, it was 

 estimated that average lumber use for all dwelling 

 units constructed would decrease to 7,110 board 

 feet per unit by 2000 (table 9) — 18 percent below 

 the 1962 average. A slower rate of decrease in 

 lumber use was assumed for the latter part of the 

 projection period (fig. 11) in the expectation that 

 in its remaining uses lumber will be able to with- 

 stand competition from competitive materials. 



Average Use of Plywood Per 

 Dwelling \Jnif Increasing 



Savings in on-site costs in use of sheet materials 

 has been a strong stimulus to expanded use of 

 softwood plywood for sheathing, subflooring, and 

 underlayment in residential construction. Ply- 

 wood has also become increasingly popular for 

 doors and cabinets, interior wall and ceiling panels, 

 partitions, and for use in prefabricated dwellings 

 and mobile homes. As a result of these and other 

 factors use of plywood has increased rapidly and 



'5 Zaremba, J., Economics of the American Lumber 

 Industry, p. 130, New York, Robert Spellers and Sons, 

 1963. 



in 1962 averaged about 3,010 square feet per one- 

 and two-family dwelling unit, about 1,800 square 

 feet per unit of multifamily housing, and 1,840 

 square feet per mobile home (table 9 and fig. 10) . 

 Some further increases in average plywood use 

 per dwelling unit are anticipated, especially m 

 single-family housing. On the basis of recent 

 trends and projections of housing types con- 

 structed, it was estimated that average plywood 

 use per dwelling unit will rise from 2,600 square 

 feet in 1962 to about 3,280 square feet by 2000 

 (table 9 and fig. 11). Much of this increase in 

 use of plywood is likely to be for roof sheathing. 

 There also appears to be room for expanded use 

 of plywood for subflooring and underlayment, 

 although this may be offset in some degree by an 

 anticipated rise in the proportion of single-family 

 houses built on slab foundations and use of 

 particleboard and hardboard in lieu of plywood. 



Use of Building Board 

 Also Increasing 



Consumption of building board in residential 

 construction also has increased in postwar years, 

 particularly in wall sheathing in single-family 

 homes. In 1962 an average of about 1,03,0 square 

 feet ('/(.-inch basis) of building board was used 

 per dwelling unit constructed (table 9 and fig. 

 10). Insulation board accounted for about 80 

 percent of this total and hardboard and particle- 



Table 10. — Lumber and panel products consumed in residential construction, by type of dwelling unit, 



1952-2000 





Lumber 



Plywood and veneer 



Building board ' 



Year 



All 

 types 



One- 

 and 

 two- 

 family 



Multi- 

 family 



Mobile 

 homes 



All 

 types 



One- 

 and 

 two- 

 family 



Multi- 

 family 



Mobile 

 homes 



All 

 types 



One- 

 and 

 two- 

 family 



Multi- 

 family 



Mobile 

 homes 



1952 



Million 

 bd. ft. 

 13,010 

 13,960 



Million 

 bd. ft. 



Million 

 bd. ft. 



Million 

 bd. ft. 



Million 

 sq.ft., 

 Ys-inch 

 basis 

 1,675 

 4,170 



Million 



sq.ft., 



Yi-inch 



basis 



Million 



sq.ft., 



Yi-inch 



basis 



Million 



sq.ft., 



Ys-inch 



basis 



Million 



sq.ft., 



Yi-inch 



basis 



Million 



sq.ft., 



Yz-inch 



basis 



Million 



sq.ft., 



Yi-inch 



basis 



Million 



sq.ft., 



Yi-inch 



basis 



1962 



11,780 



1,980 



200 



3,170 



790 



210 



1,650 



1,390 



150 



110 



PROJECTIONS 



1970 

 1980 

 1990 

 2000 



14,390 



11,810 



2,270 



310 



5,250 



3,970 



960 



320 



1,990 



1,630 



190 



15,890 



12,860 



2,710 



320 



6,580 



5,010 



1,230 



340 



2,590 



2,150 



250 



17,870 



14,200 



3,330 



340 



7,930 



6,000 



1,560 



370 



3,480 



2,960 



320 



20,620 



16,120 



4,140 



360 



9,510 



7,110 



2,000 



400 



4,630 



3,990 



420 



170 

 190 

 200 

 220 



' Includes insulation board, hardboard, and particleboard. 



