Hardwoods to the rescue

THE HARDwooD timber reI source, growing 24Vo faster than it is being harvested, may well provide the answers to some of the nation's timber and materials supply problems. Research underway at the Forest Products Laboratory can help uncover these answers more quickly.

In the 30 years following 1942, use of industrial wood products increased 65%. Ftrther substantial increases in demands for timber are expected. Our growing needs for housing and other products from wood can be met in the long run by improved timber management and by increased utilization of the material harvested. In the short run, better use of all types of wood can make more products available and help stabilize their price.

Economically available softwood sawtimber supplies are not expected to increase much above 1970 levels in the short run. Meanwhile, the supplies of hardwood timber are increasing but industrial use is limited by a shortfall in hardwood utilization technology.

In an effort to close the gap between wood supply and wood use, and thereby meet America's need for wood, the Forest Service has begun an accelerated research and development program. Technology to improve hardwood utilization will be developed through research at the Forest Products Laboratory and our four forest experiment stations.

The hardwood research effort will encompass appearance products, structural uses, ties and pallets, paper and chemical production, whole tree har-

Story at a Glance

Despite a faster increase in the basic suilply of hardwood over softwoods, present utilization of hardwoods remains limited by a lack of technology ongoing R&D programs at the nation's Forest Products Lab seek to correct the situation.

vesting, and energy. The Forest Products Laboratory, the Forest Service's national headquarters for forest products research, will concentrate on five of these areas in coordination with industry, universities, and other public and private agencies.

( I ) Hardwoods for Appearance Products

Furniture and fixture manufacture consume about half the domestic production of factory grade hardwood lumber and face veneer. Other important products are flooring, wall paneling, and trim. Although the overall supply-demand situation for hardwood sawtimber is favorable, the proportion of high-quality material available for use in appearance products is not.

Research to develop better sawing and veneering methods could significantly increase the current 5O% recovery rate for lumber and veneers'. An additional l5%-25% in parts yield and a reduction in manufacturing waste in the rough mill could result from the development of the automatic defect-sensing and computer controlled machining now being investigated by FPL scientists.

Another promising method to extend high-grade wood supplies is reduction of drying degrade losses. Optimizing drying sequence and timing should result in an estimated 5% increase in both grade and volume yield of furniture dimension parts, and result in a substantial reduction in overall drying costs and energy consumption.

(2 ) Hardwoods for Structural Uses

Housing and wood construction in the United States is traditionally a softwood-based industry. In recent years, inventories of hardwood sawtimber have increased while those of softwoods have decreased. Supplementing the supply of softwood building materials with equivalent products from hardwoods can result in a more economical supply of building materials.

By Erwin H. Bulgrin Forest Products Laboratory, Forest Service U.S. Department of Agriculture Madison, Wisconsin

Preliminary investigations show that efforts are needed to develoP efficient systems for processing the now nonused portion of the resource and to define engineering strength properties and design criteria for proper use of hardwood products. Already, limited results verify the argument that hardwood products perform as well as the familiar softwood products.

(3 ) Hardwoods for Ties and Pallets

In 1970, nearly 5 billion board feet of lumber was used in pallets and containers and almost I billion board feet was used for railroad ties. Hardwoods supplied most of this lumber.

Significant increases in wood consumption for these uses are likely. Pallet production doubled between 1960 and 1970, reaching 126 million units. Over 185 million pallets were made in 1973, and Forest Service projections indicate between 250 and295 million will be made in 1990. Industry projections suggest even higher rates of increase.

Demand for railroad ties is expected to increase at a similar rate if plans to maintain and revitalize the railroads are effected.

Proposed research will result in substantial additions to the raw material supply for these products. One aim is longer service life of pallets and ties. Another is to produce these products from presently unused materials, such as small or lowquality trees and recycled urban and industrial wastes.

(4) Hardwoods for Chemicals

Low-quality hardwoods hold promise as a raw material for chemical production. Log size and shape, knots, and decay present little obstacle to such use. Major raw material sources are defective or small logs, tops and branches currently left in the woods, and unused bark and wood residue at primary manufacturing plants.

Research is needed for solving the

(Please turn to page 50)