FUTURE DEMAND FOR TIMBER 



449 



for minor wood products from the medium pro- 

 jections because of the substitution of other 

 materials for wood. 



Cooperage Logs and Bolts 



The term "cooperage" apphes to barrels, kegs, 

 pails, and tubs, made of wood staves and head- 

 ing, bound together with hoops. Tight cooperage 

 is used for liquids, and slack cooperage for dr}' 

 materials. 



Fifty years ago, tight cooperage was used for 

 storage and shipment of products such as whiske}', 

 beer and ale, wine, molasses, vinegar, pickled 

 products, lard and oils, petrolemn products, and 

 chemicals. Out of this list the only product still 

 stored almost wholly in tight cooperage is whis- 

 key. For the others, there has been a drastic 

 displacement of tight cooperage by metal drums 

 and cans, and by glass containers. 



Slack cooperage has been used for storage and 

 shipment of flour, sugar, salt, lime, cement, nails, 

 rosin, and many other items. For many of these, 

 slack cooperage has been displaced by wooden 

 and fiber boxes, cotton bags, multiwall paper 

 bags, fiber drums, and various other containers. 

 Part of the trend away from the use of slack 

 cooperage containers has been due to the practice 

 of putting commodities in consumer-size packages 

 before they leave the factory. The old cracker 

 barrel, for example, has been replaced by sealed 

 packages containing quantities that the average 

 consumer is willing to buy at one time. 



In 1906, about 1.5 billion board-feet of timber 

 were used in the production of cooperage. In 

 1952, onlv 355 million board-feet were used (table 

 262). 



Looking ahead to 1975, it appears likely that 

 the trend in the consumption of timber for coop- 

 erage will be reversed. The displacement of 

 wooden cooperage by other materials has prob- 

 ably run its course. It is expected that because 

 of strength and ease of handling, there wUl be a 

 continuing demand for slack cooperage in the 

 packaging of certain materials, particularly for 

 export, and also for tight cooperage for storage 

 and shipment of whiskey and other spirituous 

 liquors. On the basis of these suppositions, m.e- 

 dium projected demand for cooperage logs and 

 bolts in 1975 is estimated at 600 million board- 

 feet and lower projected demand at 510 million 

 board-feet. 



The tight cooperage industry is very exacting 

 in its wood requirements, since the woods used 

 must be impermeable to liquids. For certain 

 commodities, it is necessary to use woods that 

 do not impart odor, flavor, or color to the con- 

 tents. White oak has long been favored, espe- 

 cially for whiskey barrels. Slack cooperage need 

 not be made of such high-quality wood as tight 

 cooperage, although freedom from odor, flavor. 



Table 262. — Consumption of timber for cooperage, 

 selected years, 1906-52 ^ 



[Million board-feet, 



log scale] 





Year 



All coop- 

 erage 



Tight 

 cooperage 



Slack 

 cooperage 



1906 



1, 478 



1,775 



1,706 



1, 486 



1, 149 



1, 136 



1, 182 



1,307 



1, 461 



843 



639 



758 



833 



786 



558 



369 



455 



427 



355 



562 

 682 

 742 

 725 

 547 

 489 

 544 

 698 

 779 

 468 

 336 

 455 

 415 

 388 

 275 

 148 

 197 

 164 

 92 



916 



1908 -. 



1,093 



1910 -._ 



964 



1919 .. -_ _ -- 



761 



1921 



602 



1923 



647 



1925 -- .- 



638 



1927 - - 



609 



1929 



682 



1931 



375 



1933 



303 



1935 -- 



303 



1937- .-. .-. 



418 



1939 



1947 



398 

 283 



1949 



1950 



1951 



1952 



221 

 258 

 263 

 263 



' Data for years 1906-25 from U. S. Forest Serv. Stat. 

 Bui. 21, American Forests and Forest Products; 1927-47, 

 from Bur. Census, Census of Manufactures; 1949-51 from 

 U. S. Dept. Com., N. P. A., Containers and Packaging 

 industry reports. N. P. A. reports on number of barrels 

 converted to timber volume by factor of 41 board-feet per 

 barrel for tight cooperage and 12 board-feet per barrel for 

 slack cooperage. 



and color is sometimes important. Oaks, gums, 

 poplar, southern pines, spruce, and Douglas-fir 

 are among the most widely used woods. The 

 proportion of hardwood used for both tight and 

 slack cooperage — one-thhd of the total — is ex- 

 pected to remain unchanged. 



Piling 



Wood piling is used chiefly in construction of 

 docks, building foundations, and railroad trestles. 



Information on the quantity of piling treated in 

 wood preservation plants has been collected for 

 many years, but little is known about the quantity 

 of untreated piling installed from year to year. 

 Partial surveys made in a few areas indicate that 

 about 40 percent of all piling installed may be 

 untreated material. This estimate, however, is 

 not very reliable. During World War II, a large 

 volume of untreated piling was installed. The 

 average annual volume of piling treated and total 

 consumption are estimated as follows: 



Volume ^'olume 



treated consu med 



(million (million 



cu.ft.) cu.ft.) 



1925-29 12.9 21.5 



1930-34 10.1 16.8 



1935-39 11.3 18.8 



1940-44 21.0 46.6 



1945-49 12.7 21.2 



1950-51 14.8 24.7 



1952 16.7 28.0 



