DEMAND FOR TIMBER PRODUCTS 



179 



Table 134. — Timber products consumed in shipping 

 by products, specified years 1948-70, with pro- 

 jections of demand (1970 relative prices) to 2000 



Table 135. — Timber products consumed in mis- 

 cellaneous uses, 1 1962 and 1970, with projections 

 (1970 relative prices) to 2000 







Veneer and 



Hardboard 



Year 



Lumber 



plywood Cl- 



Cs-inch 







inch basis) 



basis) 





Million 



Million 



Million 





board feet 



square feet 



square feet 



1948— 



4,957 



1,674 



NA 



I960... . 



4,214 



1,144 



16 



1965 



4,885 



682 



39 



1970 



5,725 



591 



58 



Low projections 



1980— 



1990 



2000.— 



7,090 

 8,360 

 9,390 



670 

 810 

 940 



80 

 120 

 150 



Medium projections 



1980... . 



1990 



2000 



7,710 



9,390 



10,910 



710 



890 

 1,070 



90 

 130 

 170 



High projections 



1980— . 

 1990..-. 

 2000— 



8,360 

 10,530 

 12,560 



740 



980 



1,220 



90 

 140 

 200 



Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 

 1948 — Wood used in manufacture, 1948. Forest Resource 

 Rep. 2. 1951 ; 1960 — Wood used in manufacturing industries, 

 1960. Stat. Bull. 353. 1965; 1965— Wood used in manu- 

 facturing industries, 1965. Stat, Bull. 440. 1969; 1970 — 

 Forest Service estimates based on pallet production, value 

 of shipments of containers, and trends in timber products 

 use in dunnage, blocking, and bracing. 



Projections: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 

 Service. 



SUMMARY OF DEMAND PROJECTIONS FOR 

 LUMBER, PLYWOOD, AND BUILDING BOARD 



Lumber Consumption and Demand 



Lumber consumption in all uses in 1970 was 

 39.5 billion board feet (tables 136 and 137, fig. 

 69; Append. V, table 15). This was about the same 

 as the average annual consumption in the 1950's 

 and 1960's. In 1972 lumber consumption rose to 

 47.4 billion board feet — 20 percent more than 

 in 1970 and above the record levels attained in 

 the early 1900's when lumber was the chief raw 

 material used in the U.S. for construction, manu- 

 factured products, and shipping materials. 



Per capita consumption of lumber in the 1960's 

 fluctuated around 200 board feet a year (Append. 

 V, table 15). This was far below figures for the 

 early 1900's when per capita use reached a high 



Year 



Lumber 



Plywood ( 3 / 8 - 

 inch basis) 



Building 

 board Cl- 

 inch basis) 



1962— 



million board feet 

 6,450 

 8,460 



million square feet 

 3,356 

 5,626 



million square feet 



1970— 



2,683 



Low projections 



1980— 

 1990— 

 2000— 



10,040 

 11,160 

 11,540 



8,080 



9,625 



10,480 



4,615 

 6,125 

 7,520 





Medium projections 





1980— 

 1990— 

 2000— 



10,610 

 12,060 

 12,930 



8,470 

 10,305 

 11,640 



4,840 

 6,575 

 8,400 



High projections 



1980 



1990 



2000— 



11,230 

 13,040 

 14,670 



8,885 

 11,010 

 13,185 



5,065 

 7,100 

 9,575 



1 Includes upkeep and improvement of nonresidential 

 buildings and structures; farm construction except 

 housing; mining; made-at-home projects such as furniture, 

 boats, and picnic tables; made-on-the-job products like 

 advertising and display structures; and a wide variety of 

 other miscellaneous products and uses. 



of over 500 board feet, and substantially under 

 the average of 250 board feet in the early 1950's. 



Nearly a third of the lumber consumed in 1970 

 went into the production of new housing (table 

 136). Residential upkeep and improvements ac- 

 counted for 12 percent and nonresidential con- 

 struction 9 percent of the total. Of the remainder, 

 14 percent was used in shipping, 12 percent in 

 manufacturing, and 21 percent in all other uses. 



Projected demand for lumber with alternative 

 growth assumptions. — Projected demand for lumber 

 at 1970 relative prices shows a rather sharp rise 

 to a 1980 level of 51 billion board feet (medium 

 level), or 224 board feet per capita. This growth 

 is attributable largely to the projected rise in 

 demands for housing and for pallets. 



After 1980, and mostly because of the leveling 

 off in the demand for housing, projected demand 

 at 1970 prices increases more slowly to about 62 

 billion board feet in 2000 (medium level) — a 

 volume some 1.6 times that of 1970. 



In recent decades softwoods have composed 

 around four-fifths of the lumber consumed. This 

 proportion is expected to be maintained without 

 much change. 



547-966 O - 74 - 13 



