How Southern Pine Views Grade Simplification

By EARI M. McGOWIN Choirmon, Southern Pine Inspection Bureou, Chopmon, Alobomo.

From the very beginning of the NLMA grade simplification effort, the Southern Pine branch of the industry has cooperated and shown its interest. The idea of simplifying grades and standardizing quality has wide appeal. Everyone in the business naturally would favor measures that would make it easier for lumber to be specified and sold. It would be fine indeed if only a few grades would suffice in all species and for all species to be graded on a uniform basis and to be of uniform size and called by the same name.

At its first meeting on this subject in December 1960. our SPIB Board of Governors indicated its approval of the principle of grade simplification but emphasized"that this program should be undertaken only if all groups will make an all out efiort to improve, coordinate, simplify and stan&rdize bch the quality classifications and the size standards for the various items used in house construction, keeping in mind the con' clusions uniformly reached in all past surveys of lumber markets that there is a need for definite standards to be established and observed so that the industry as a whole may produce a quality product that can be identified and advertised as such."

An honest effort was made to find a satisfactory basis for compromising dif' ferences between the producing regions. Gradually it became evident that we were not compromising anything on a give and take basis, but differences were being resolved strictly on the basis of expediency with the effect of freezing practices that long have been criticized by distributors and consumers,

We feel the very life of our Southern Pine industry depends upon its success in maintaining a grading system that will meet its own manufacturing and trade needs. We cannot stand by and see our customers misled into believing that some other system is better, particularly when that system is as lacking as the present NLMA recommendations. Since the National Lumber Manufacturers Association is trying to sell this as a new and revolutionary plan, Southern Pine feels it. must do what it can to point out the deficiencies and emphasize the things that have caused it to refrain from approving these NLMA recommendations.

Now they talk about this as a new system developed over the last two and onehalf years, but it is precisely the same plan that was introduced and publicized widely by the West Coast Lumbermen's Association some ten years ago. \[/e have in our files letters as well as publicity from the West Coast Lumbermen's Association, beginning in 1952, which evidence the many conferences and attempts that were made to sell the idea to architects and retailers.

Well, after trying to establish the new system over a four-year period, the West Coast Association did not reduce the number of grades, did not simplify the basis of grading, and settled merely for new grade names in lieu of the A, B, C and D, and I to 4 that previously were used by nearly all divisions of the industry.

All of the elements of the plan that was unsuccessfully promoted by the West Coast division in 1952 were brought forth some two and ane-hCf years ego thrcngh NLMA councils for consideration by the entire lumber industry. This approach was proper because if there is any merit to the idea it should be considered jointly by all of the organizations that publish softwood grading rules and lumber specifiers and buyers.

When you sift down the present NLMA proposals, aside from the new idea of 'separate green and dry ALS sizes (which is a completely separate subject in no way related to the original grade simplification project), and simplified span tables (which if meritorious can be made efiective regardless of the other aspects of grade simplification), we find that these also end up with only one specific step and that is the adoption of uniform grade names for noncomparable qualities.

Our SPIB releases and our booklet o'What are the Facts About Lumber Standards" bring out the objectionable features of the NLMA plan. I do not believe any further explanation is necessary.

The proposal for separate green and dry ALS sizes was not originally a part of the grade simplification program but developed as a side issue about twelve months ago. I made every effort to have this handled strictly as an ALS matter, and not mixed with the grade simplification program, but was overruled. For a while we tried to work out a satisfactory basis for handling this ,but finally became convinced it would not be to the interest of the Southern Pine industry or of lumber consumers for this to be done.

The American Lumber Standards have at no time recognized or given any stand- ard status to green lumber. There are many good reasons for this. Aside from the many grave questions about the wisdom of such a move, the specific proposals for accomplishing it are deficient in many respects,

In our opinion, many of the statements being made in behalf of the new size proposals are unfounded. They say this change would not result in any reduction in the present FHA and other span allowanoes .on the theory that green lumber dressed to the 15/s" thickness has been used right along. Perhaps this is so, due to the lack of proper enforcement, but if the present criteria are continued there is question but what the span allowances for lL/2" dimension will be reduced. On the other hand, if a new criteria can be established on a basis that would entitle lVz" dry lumler tg .the preserrt spanso the-n it naturally would follow that ld/a" dry lumber could be used on longer spans.

The proposal for the dry lumber definitions to permit IO/o oI the pieces in any shipment to exceed I9/o moistute content not only is contrary to all past recommendations of government departments and technical groups, but would make it possible for lumber that has not begun to shrink to be stamped "dry." From firsthand experience we know that a l9/o maximum is necessary not only to assure satisfactory quality but in order to facilitate inspection. There is no effective way that a l9o,b average or a specification permitting l|fb oI the pieces to range up to 25Vo moisture content can be enforced. Further, this would mean that pieces almost if not completely green could be included in shipments of lumber sold as dry and stamped dry.

The mill inspection records of the SPIB bear out an interesting fact. In shipping under a l9/o maximum moisture content limitation, as is required by the Southern Pine rules, a tabulation of moisture readings in mill reports show the average moisture content at SPIB mills is between I57o and 16/o for dimension and slightly under I5/o ior boards. This means that the lumber for all practical purposes is in equilibrium with atmospheric moisture content.

Under the proposed plan, there would be nothing to prevent green shippers from dressing unseasoned lumber to the proposed dry sizes on shipments not required to be grade marked. If the future is to be judged by the past it is only reasonable to

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