200 



THE OUTLOOK FOR TIMBER IN THE UNITED STATES 



Pulpwood consumed per ton of woodpulp 

 produced, 1920-70 with projection to 2000 



1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 I960 1990 2000 



Figure 74 



usually below 100,000 cords and were of little 

 significance (table 148). Beginning in 1965, 

 however, exports rose rapidly to a level of 2.0 

 million cords in 1972. Most of the increased 

 exports went to Japan and were composed of chips 

 produced from residues at sawmills on the Pacific 

 Coast. 



As discussed in Chapter IV, Japan is faced with 

 growing timber deficits and rising demands for 

 woodpulp and paper and board. It is thus likely 

 to be in the market for larger and larger quantities 

 of imported chips. Most of the presently avail- 

 able slabs, edgings, and veneer cores on the Pacific 

 Coast are being utilized, but there are still sub- 

 stantial volumes of logging and fine mill residues 

 in that area. With projected growth in demand for 

 pulpwood by U.S. mills, limitations on U.S. 

 timber supplies, and expectations of higher timber 

 prices necessary to permit utilization of material 

 now left as logging residues, it seems likely that 

 further increases in pulpwood exports will be 

 limited as shown in table 148. 



Imports of pulpwood. — Imports of pulpwood for 

 consumption in U.S. mills, nearly all from Canada, 

 have fluctuated between 1 and 2 million cords a 

 year for several decades (table 148). Because of 

 Canadian constraints on shipments of unmanu- 

 factured wood, and the relatively high trans- 

 portation costs of shipping pulpwood, no growth 

 is anticipated in pulpwood imports. 



Demand for domestic pulpwood. — Domestic pro- 

 duction of pulpwood in the United States rose 

 from about 5 million cords in 1920 to 73 million 

 cords in 1972 (table 148). Meeting projected 

 increases in pulpwood demand at U.S. mills after 

 allowing for exports and imports of pulpwood 

 would require an increase in U.S. pulpwood 

 production to 100 million cords by 1980 (medium 

 projection — 1970 relative prices) and to 160 million 

 cords by 2000. Rates of growth in these projections 

 of pulpwood demand decline rather rapidly — from 

 an average of 5.8 percent per year in the 1960's 

 to 2.3 percent annually in the 1990's. 



Pulpwood from plant residues. — Part of the 

 pulpwood consumed in U.S. mills and exported 



has come from slabs, edgings, veneer cores, saw- 

 dust, and other material produced at primary 

 manufacturing plants. Between 1950 and 1972 

 use of these materials increased from 1.2 million 

 cords to 25.3 million cords (table 148, fig. 75). 

 Although most of the economically available 

 coarse material and some fines were utilized, un- 

 used volumes of chippable residues in the United 

 States still amounted to 5.2 million cords in 1970. 

 Unused sawdust and other fine residues in 1970 

 composed an additional 7.6 million cords of 

 potentially usable material. 



Some of the residues of primary manufacturing 

 plants is so scattered geographically and in such 

 small volumes that it will not be economically 

 utilizable under foreseeable price increases. How- 

 ever, in estimating future demand for round pulp- 

 wood, it was assumed under all population, 

 economic, and price assumptions that by 1980 

 most coarse plant residues, much of the fines, and 

 some material formerly utilized as fuel would be 

 used for pulp products or for particle board. It 

 was also assumed that while greater use of smaller 

 timber will tend to increase the total volume of 

 residues, this would be offset by increased use of 

 thinner saws and more precise manufacturing 

 equipment which would reduce residue volumes. 



Under these assumptions volumes of plant 

 byproducts used as pulpwood are projected to 

 rise to 35 million cords by 2000. These estimates 

 of byproducts use are based upon the projections 

 of timber supplies likely to be available for lum- 

 ber and plywood production (with 1970 levels of • 

 forest management). 



Demand for domestic roundwood. — Projected 

 demands for domestic roundwood for pulpwood 

 were derived by subtracting prospective supplies 

 of plant byproducts from total projected demands 

 for domestic pulpwood. The medium projection 

 for roundwood at 1970 prices rises from 48. 1 million 

 cords in 1972 to 71 million cords in 1980, and to 

 125 million cords by 2000. 



Pulpwood production, by source of material, 

 1920-72, with projections to 2000 



hardwood* 



softwoods 



1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 



Figure 75 



