124 



THE OUTLOOK FOR TIMBER IN THE UNITED STATES 



With higher prices and strong markets in 

 1971-72, volumes of residues are estimated to have 

 declined somewhat. Also, it has been estimated in 

 Chapter V that prospective expansion of the pulp 

 and particleboard industries will lead in a rela- 

 tively few years to essentially complete utilization 

 of coarse plant residues and much of the fine plant 

 residues produced. It was also estimated in 

 Chapter II that with rising timber prices much of 

 the roundwood now left on logging operations 

 would also be utilized in future years primarily 

 for woodpulp. Salvage of dead timber for both 

 solid wood and fiber products is also expected to 

 increase with higher prices and expansion of forest 

 road systems. 



Similar technical progress also was assumed in 

 converting projected product demands to round- 

 wood requirements in Chapter V. In the produc- 

 tion of lumber, for example, it was estimated that 

 with 1970 levels of research and development, 

 prospective improvements in technology in the 

 lumber industry would lead to increases in product 

 output from a given volume of roundwood of 2 to 

 4 percent per decade. This would be in addition to 

 the assumed 5 percent increase in recovery result- 

 ing from adoption in 1970 of new standards for 

 softwood lumber. Increases in product recovery 

 from such developments could be expected to 

 increase stumpage values and the attractiveness of 

 forestry investments, as well as extend timber 

 supplies. 



In addition to these developments in processing 

 timber products, other technological changes were 

 considered in Chapter V in estimating demands 

 for lumber and other end products, such as in- 

 creased efficiency in the use of timber products 

 in construction, and use of plastics in lieu of lum- 

 ber in the manufacture of furniture. 



Additional Opportunities for Improved Utilization 



There are nevertheless many additional oppor- 

 tunities for extending timber supplies beyond those 

 assumed — particularly with increased relative 

 prices of timber products. In the forest these 

 include further increases in use of logging residues, 

 use of wood fiber from nongrowing stock sources, 

 and more complete salvage of mortality than is 

 in prospect with 1970 management levels. In the 

 mills these include greater use of modern equip- 

 ment to increase output of lumber and other timber 

 products from available log supplies. Further 

 improvements are also possible in the use of wood 

 products in construction and other end uses. 



These possibilities for extending timber supplies 

 might be captured by a combination of accelerated 

 research and development efforts to gain new 

 knowledge, increased efforts to inform possible 

 users and to test new discoveries, subsequent 

 industrial investments in plant and equipment, 

 and in some cases changes in marketing practices 

 in the forest industries. 



The timing and extent of such further increases 

 in timber utilization will of course depend on such 

 factors as the rate of expansion of research and 

 development, prospective rates of return from 

 application of new technology, and the ability and 

 willingness of forest industries to invest the 

 required capital. In contrast to measures to in- 

 crease timber growth which take considerable time 

 to fully pay off, improved utilization of timber on 

 areas currently harvested and in processing plants 

 could have immediate as well as long-run results 

 in extending timber supplies. 



These potentials for further improvement of 

 timber utilization may be illustrated by the 

 following examples: 



1. Timber sale practices, particularly on public 

 lands, could be further modified to obtain more 

 complete use of wood materials now wasted. 



2. Research and development of methods of log 

 extraction that will permit less road construction 

 and minimize adverse environmental impacts 

 could make timber management feasible on areas 

 where timber harvesting is now uneconomic or 

 unacceptable. Major advances are considered 

 possible in use of aerial systems of logging, includ- 

 ing use of cables, balloons, and helicopters, and in 

 development of roads suitable for thinning 

 operations. 



3. Accelerated development and adoption of 

 new processing technology in lumber and ply- 

 wood manufacture could have the effect of ex- 

 tending available timber supplies. Much addi- 

 tional progress appears possible in adoption of 

 thin kerf saws to increase lumber yields, for 

 example, and in reducing or eliminating errors of 

 judgment in cutting logs for maximum yield and 

 optimum grade recovery. Lumber might also be 

 sawed with greater precision and smoother sur- 

 faces and used "rough sawn" as is the custom in 

 some foreign countries. Improved equipment for 

 more accurate grading of structural lumber also 

 could make possible greater efficiency in use of 

 wood in construction. 



4. Substitution of hardwoods for softwoods in 

 construction, pulp, and possibly other uses would 

 also help extend available softwood timber 

 supplies. 



5. Development of particleboards from residues 

 or underutilized roundwood could serve in lieu 

 of softwood plywood in various uses. Particle- 

 board is now being produced in limited quantities 

 for construction uses and current research indi- 

 cates that various types of board could be made 

 from a wide variety of materials of both softwood 

 and hardwood species. 12 



6. In the pulp and paper industry continued 

 development of higher yielding pulping processes 



12 Heebink, B. G., and Ray Dominick. Forest residues: 

 A future source of particleboard? Wood & Wood Prod. 

 76(11) :26-28. 1971. 



