Pecan: pie, ice cream or furniture?

FfECAN brings to mind for most Fpeople pie, ice cream and furniture, not always in that order, but to the lumberman, pecan means a premium cabinet hardwood with strength, beauty and excellent finishing qualities.

In fact, the pecan prized for its delicious edible nut crop is not the same tree as the one providing wood for the lumber industry. Commercial pecans come from grafted hybrid trees produced by nurseries while commercial lumber comes from the wild pecan tree which has nuts that are edible, but not of commercial value. Rumor has always had lumbermen cutting timber from old over-mature pecan orchards or endangering the future supply of pecan nuts by cutting producing trees, but none of this is true.

The pecan of the lumber industry is a species of hickory: sweet pecan, bitter pecan, bitternut hickory and nutmeg hickory. Usually you cannot tell wood from these four trees apart. Some old timers say there is a difference in texture between sweet pecan and the rest of the group, but it is more likely that the difference is caused by locality and growing conditions more than species.

Because pecan is related to walnut, the two woods have a similar grain appearance. Pecan heartwood is a characteristic rich reddish brown color. Sometimes there will be slightly darker streaks. The sapwood is almost white. Although not as hard as hickory, pecan is harder than oak, birch, hard maple or any of the commonly used commercial hardwoods. It has a lower shrinkage tendency than any of these woods. It also shrinks and swells less when dry than other heavy hardwoods.

Pecan is characterized by small grain configurations caused by bird pecks. These usually are not objectionable and are compatible with the fashion of distressed wood finishes. The grain of the pecan is attractive and accepts a variety of finishes well.

The furniture market is the largest user of pecan although it is an excellent flooring material for public buildings, dance floors, gymnasiums, roller skating rinks, industrial plants and warehouses. Pecan also is used in large amounts for truck stakes, trailer parts, flooring and bracing in vehicles as well as railroad car decking.

Pecan veneers are as beautiful and practical as the most expensive hardwoods. For this reason they are widely used in the furniture industry for tables, cabinets, and such. Pecan wall paneling also is popular.

Other uses for pecan include tv and hifi cabinets, folding camp cots and chairs, shipping containers, baseball bats, wood novelties and miscellaneous planing mill products.

Pecan is a Southern wood, found extensively in Louisiana, East Texas,

Story at a Glance

Pecan is a species ol hickory .. .Beautiful, durable wood prized for furniture, paneling, flooring, industrial uses.

Found only in Southern states ...Total volume of saw timber undetermined.

Mississippi and Arkansas. In addition, it grows throughout the Mississippi Delta region eastward through the Gulf States, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. The largest tree is the sweet pecan which has been known to reach 170 feet in height with a diameter of 6 feet.

Botanical designations for the four varieties are Caryo illinoensb (sweet pecan), Carya aquatica (bitter pecan), Carya cordiforzrs (bitternut hickory) and Caryo myristicaeforrus (nutmeg hickory).

Although the total volume of standing saw timber has not been accurately determined, the U.S. Forest Service believes that the total stand is about 4 billion board feet. Production levels are thought to be around 150 million board feet a year with Louisiana being the leading state.

Oregon Shipping Coop Forms

In an effort to gain more advantageous treatment from the railroads, a group of eight producers in southern Oregon have formed The Siskiyou Shippers Association.

They have incorporated the cooperative under Oregon law and hired a consultant who has determined that by shipping jointly the group has the volume necessary to negotiate with the railroads.

At present the association is seeking additional members. When contracts have been secured from the railroads, plans call for establishing an office and staff to conduct further negotiations and interact with other transportation firms.

Sun Studs, Inc., Roseburg; Gregory Forest Products, Inc., Beavertoni Spalding and Sons, Inc., Grants Pass; Eugene F. Burrill Lumber Co., Medford; Superior Lumber Co., GIendale; C & D Lumber Co., Riddle; Rough & Ready Lumber Co., Cave Junction. and Herbert Lumber Co., Riddle, are current members of the association. Although shipping is now being done from individual mills with no reload sites, it is possible to combine loads.

CUST0MERS came from as far awav as Japan to Sierra Pacific lndustries 6th anhual ooen house. Sept. 13. in Redding. Ca Shinobu Ogura of Tokyo won lirst place among those recognized by emcee Ron Hoppe for traveling far. (1) George Emmerson, Red Emmerson,

Gary Penberthy. (2) Terry Diehl, Ron Hoppe, Renee Hixenbauqh (3) Jack Van 0lmen, Bill Evenson. (4) Brian Bonnington, Paul Trueb. (5) Mike Schmidt, Elvin Ackley, Gary Ackley. (6) Sam Witzel, Ted Pollard, Perry Adcox. (7) Jim Macy, Bud Chenowith, Jack Davies.

H0N0RED LUMBEBMAN at the 21st annual Shasta Lumbermen's Invitational Gol{ Tournament al River View Countrv Club. Redding, Ca.. Sept. 14 was (1) Drjtch Wiseman shown with chairman and MC Don Cherovsky. (2) Terry Diehl, Dennis Byerly. Bill Bouroaize and Sam Witzel. all oolf winners. (3) Bbb Smith, Paul Trueb. (4) Kent Weaver,

Don Lincoln. (5) Bob Shepherd, John Sylvester. (6) Don Porter, Jim Hunter (7) Dave Pearson. Dave Schaller. (8) Dorman

Dane, Bill Webster, Lee Turner. (9) Wayne Chamberlain, Bob Turner. (10) Dave Rix, Al 0'Brien, Don & Bob Reaqan. (11) Bob Dirham. Ted Hewitt. (12) JoE Bambino, Bob West. (13) Dick Sellanen, John Dimeling.

(14) Rich McKenzie, Larry Fuller. (15) Ed Bockman, Joe Derra. (16) Frank Regier, Tonv Gallaoher. (17) Jim Murrav, Marvtn Keil. (18) T'tlcr f tardo. Darrel Mbss. (19) Phil Barnett, Chris Pooser. (20) Bill Anderson. John King, Brian Bonnington. (21) Dick Johnson. Mike Webster (22) Bob Berger. Jack Martin.

Housing Market Grows

Lumber sales in California alorrg with its housing market will prosper for the rest of the decade, according to a survey by the University of California, Berkeley.

Researchers discovered that more people in the state are reaching the homebuying age than ever before. Compared to 400,000 a year in 1979, Californians this year are turning 30 at the rate of 500,000. Another 250,000 people moving into the state each year also contribute to the homebuying population.

Greatest demand will be for single family residences with the demand for condominiums dropping. ln 1983, 156,486 homes were built in California, but the report states that the housing market for the rest of the '80s will be more like the market in 1950 than in 1970.

Famous Sink Search Begins

Elkay Manufacturing Co. is celebrating its 65th year with a worldwide search for the most "famous" Elkay sink installation, based on unusual location, type of installation and,/or ase.