Southern pine reemerges as a preferred appeatance product

By Brian Greber, Ph.D. Product Development Manager Weyerhaeuser Co. -Southem Lumber Business

A CCORDING to a recent article in flCrow's, "Of the many species to emerge in the competition for market share, southern pine is prominent."

Interestingly enough, while southern pine's characteristics make it well suited to use in today's interior trims, mouldings, doors, flooring, windows and a host of other millwork applications, we are not witnessing its market premier. In fact, southern pine, together with Douglas fir, ponderosa pine and western white pine, were the dominant commercial species used in millwork production from the turn of the century until about 1950, when much of the supplies were depleted.

Now with increasing availability, unsurpassed appeal and superior machinability, southern pine is once again reemerging as a preferred appearance product, even in the West.

Southern pine, once commonly referred to as soft pine or yellow pine, is a general name for a group of close- ly-related species consisting of shortleaf, longleaf, loblolly and slash. Tables of characteristics of southern pine may be misleading, since they often treat the four species as a group. Loblolly is the most common type and is found naturally from Maryland south to Florida and westward to eastern Texas, often growing in association with shortleaf pine.

These two soft-textured, easilyworked pines growing in Arkansas' mountain region are the principal species processed at Weyerhaeuser's Mountain Pine. Ar.. mill. The wood is lighter and less dense than longleaf and slash. Typically free from excess pitch, it has a light, soft, lustrous texture and fine grain, ideal for appearance products. Still, the durable wood offers adequate strength for all construction-related stresses and loads.

While southern pine offers tremendous rnoulding, millwork and trim options, these offerings would not have been possible without changes in cutting, grading and drying methods, says Rick Wilson, green end mgr. at Mountain Pine. With the closing of Weyerhaeuser's Klamath Falls, Or., mill, Mountain Pine inherited many of that facility's key production personnel as well as its "West Coast mentality."

Changes in cutting and grading methods resulted in the processing of high quality logs into optimal

5/4 and 6/4 random width lumber and 414 clear boards.

Since experts agree the key to producing quality lumber products rests in the drying process, Weyerhaeuser outfitted its facilities with special kilns that allow lumber to dry on a computer-controlled, extended cycle that incorporates steam conditioning.

Not only reasonably priced for companies operating in the South, southern pine has proven to be cost attractive for manufacturers on the West Coast as well. Dorris Lumber & Moulding, with facilities in Dorris and Sacramento, Ca., is a 74-year-old, fourth generation family business. Its primary business is the production of lineal mouldings using a variety of pine and fir species.

"Our company's use of southern pine in the production of lineal mouldings is a recent innovation in the last fbur to five years," says v.p. of sales Bob Reynolds.

He sees southern pine's viability as appearance lumber rising as West Coast supplies continue to dwindle. "There is a growing acceptance of southern pine's use in the manufacture of specialty wood products," he said. "While there is still a historical misconception regarding the quality of the wood, most of our customers accept the f'act that technological advances in drying and conditioning have corrected problems associated with the wood when it entered the market 15 to 20 years ago."

Equally important, says Reynolds, southern pine offers tremendous machinability as a result of genetically improved trees and the application of proper drying techniques. "And as altruistic as it sounds, our company prides itself on using American wood in our products," he said. "This is becoming an important consideration given the influx of foreign pines on the market."