Our forests provide timber for a multitude of manufactured products. Softwood trees, mostly pine, are used to produce structural lumber, plywood, poles, timbers, and decking. Loblolly, slash, shortleaf, and longleaf pine comprise more than 85 percent of all products made from the pine species.
Hardwood timber is much more diverse, with many more commercially important species. The wood from hardwood trees varies widely in structure, strength, texture, and color. Many species such as red oak, white oak, ash, poplar, and pecan are used for lumber and veneer. Companies use hardwood timber to manufacture lumber, furniture, cabinets, molding, flooring, picture frames, caskets, and many other products.
The potential end use for your timber has a strong influence on the price a buyer can pay for standing timber.
Knowledge of forest products is fundamental to effectively market and sell timber. For example, if a timberland owner fails to realize that 30 percent of his pine timber can produce poles, he is less likely to receive that added value. Therefore, a basic understanding of the major forest product groups is essential to helping timberland owners get the highest price when selling timber.
Pulpwood (also chipwood, paperwood)
Pulpwood has been an important forest product in the United States for many years. Pulpwood accounts for about one-third of the annual harvest of forest products. It is defined as wood cut primarily to be a source of wood fiber for the production of paper, fiberboard, or other fiber products. Pulpwood usually brings the lowest price per volume of wood compared to other end uses.
Trees of any size can be used for pulpwood, but trees in the range of 4 to 8 inches D.B.H. (diameter at breast height) are normally used. These trees are cut following a sawtimber harvest, during a thinning cut, or as a salvage cut following wind or ice damage. Sometimes, low-quality stands are completely harvested for pulpwood to allow regeneration of more desirable species. Larger trees unfit for producing lumber due to disease of defects can be sold as pulpwood.
Pulpwood is measured in cords or tons. A cord is a stack of wood containing a volume of 128 cubic feet. A typical stack is 4 feet high, 8 feet long, and 4 feet wide, including wood, air, and bark. Cords are a measure of volume, and the amount of wood in a cord varies somewhat depending on the size of the logs in the stack. A cord of 20-inch logs will have less air space than a cord of 8-inch logs. For this and many other reasons, the forest industry has begun to favor weight measurement of pulpwood.
At one time, there were only markets for pine pulpwood; however, the paper industries have increased their use of hardwoods for pulp production. Today, the markets for pine and hardwood pulp are fairly evenly split. In most cases, hardwoods will bring more money sold as firewood instead of pulp. It may be advantageous to market your pulpwood sized oaks and hickories as firewood instead.
Chip-n-Saw
"Chip-n-Saw" is a registered trade name for a sawing machine that produces lumber and chips from medium-sized logs in a single operation. This type of product has been around for almost 25 years. Chip-n-Saw logs are usually between 6 and 12 inches D.B.H., although some mills can process up to 22-inch logs. Tree-length logs are usually brought to the mill where they are debarked and edged on four sides to make a square cant that is further sawn into dimensional lumber. The chips produced in the process are used for various types of chipboard. Since Chip-n-Saw material is used to make lumber and chips, they bring higher stumpage prices than pulpwood.
Chip-n-saw logs, however, are not just large pulpwood. Because they will be used to make lumber (typically 1 by 4's, 2 by 4's or 2 by 6's), the qualifications are more strict. Specifications vary by mill, but usually include a minimum butt diameter, minimum top diameter, a minimum length, and a low allowance for defects such as disease or crookedness. More timberland owners are beginning to recognize the added value in Chip-n-Saw and it is becoming common to see profitable Chip-n-Saw thinnings.
Chip-n-saw is commonly purchased and handled in tree lengths like pulpwood, with prices being quoted by the cord or ton; however, prices can also be quoted by thousand board feet (MBF), similar to sawtimber.
Poles and Piling
Poles and piling are a special category of pine logs. Although in other regions of the country hardwood species have been used for poles and piling, most of the market is currently dominated by softwoods. Southern pine is a major species used for poles and piling because of its strength and treatability.
Poles are used for applications such as electrical and utility transmission lines, streetlights, outdoor billboards, pole buildings, and many others.
Piles are poles or heavy timbers that are driven into the ground to provide a secure foundation for structures built on soft, wet, or submerged sites. Piling is used for buildings, wharfs, and bridge foundations constructed near water or on soft soils.
Specifications for poles and piling are very exact and are described by the American National Standards Institute. To qualify as a pole or piling, a tree must meet criteria for diameter, length, straightness, grain, knots, and rate of growth, among others. Poles are divided into 15 classes each with minimum size and length requirements.
Trade in the smaller class poles is the most consistent business for pole companies. These utility poles used for distribution lines usually range in length from 35 to 50 feet. This means that poles can be merchandised out of sawtimber and sometimes chip-n-saw sales; so don't forget the pole market as a possibility. As few as 5 to 10 utility poles per acre, or just 2 larger poles (80 feet or longer) per acre, can be an acceptable cut.
Poles are purchased on a per thousand board (MBF) feet basis like sawtimber or by the piece. Contact pole companies in your market area to explore the opportunities for selling poles before making a timber sale.
Sawtimber (also Sawlogs)
Sawtimber is the most important category of forest products and accounts for nearly two-thirds of the annual US harvest value. Both pine and hardwood species are harvested each year, but the pine sawlog harvest volume is usually more than twice that of hardwood.
Sawtimber or sawlogs are defined as trees large enough to be cut into lumber. Specifications for sawlogs refer to length and diameter inside the bark (d.i.b.) at the small end. Minimum sawtimber trees are 14" DBH or larger with at least one 16 foot long log. Log specifications are regional and vary between pine and hardwood. Most mills have log specifications based on the type of equipment being used in their particular mill. Some industries purchase sawlogs using exact specifications for special products they manufacture.
Sawtimber is usually measured in board feet. A board foot is a unit of measurement defined as a board 1 inch thick, 12 inches long, and 12 inches wide. Board feet is used as a measure because the aim of lumber manufacturing is to produce rectangular lumber from cylindrical logs. Board feet gives an estimate of how much lumber a certain size log will yield.
Log rules are used to estimate the lumber volume in logs. A log rule is a mathematical formula that predicts lumber yield based on log measurements and sawing variables. There have been hundreds of log rules developed since the 1800's. Common log rules are the Doyle rule, the Scribner rule, and the International 1/4-inch rule. Each rule uses the diameter and height of the log to estimate usable board feet for lumber production. Pine sawlogs bring more value than pulpwood or Chip-n-Saw material. For hardwoods however, veneer logs can be the highest value of any product.
Veneer Logs (peeler logs, plywood logs)
Both hardwood and pine logs are used to make veneer. Pine logs are used mostly to make veneer for structural plywood. Hardwood logs produce veneer that is used for many interior and decorative purposes such as furniture, paneling, trim, cabinets, doors, baskets, plywood, flooring, etc. Veneer logs need to be a minimum of 12" DBH (15" DBH is preferred), straight, tall, and free from defects.
Pine veneer logs are often purchased from timberland owners by a procurement forester as sawtimber. You may increase your odds of capturing this value by asking plywood companies to bid when you market timber or seek a buyer familiar with the market. Pine veneer logs are normally purchased by MBF.
It is less common for timberland owners to market veneer hardwood logs directly. Usually, veneer logs are sold as part of a hardwood sawtimber sale and then re-sold into the veneer market from the mill. There are several reasons why. The primary reason is that hardwood log value depends on a grading system. Few timberland owners are experienced enough to recognize that they have veneer grade material and how to interpret the different grading categories. It is also difficult to determine the quality of a veneer tree until after it has been felled which complicates the buyer's ability to determine an offer. Finally, veneer logs typically represent a very small portion of the total sale volume. Therefore, the mill is a logical and efficient place for a veneer buyer to purchase logs.
However, if you have a stand with a sufficient volume and quality of veneer grade trees, you should explore the veneer market. As a first step, consult a forester to see if your trees meet the veneer grade.
Unique Species and Uses
Periodically, very specialized demands and markets arise for specific products or species. Many of these markets are regional and localized, such as mine timbers in West Virginia, charcoal wood in Tennessee, persimmon for golf club heads in Mississippi, and cooperage (wood used to make barrels) in Illinois. Timberland owners who stay informed about the local timber market can make substantial income from specialty products at various times.
