Use and production of solid sawn timbers in the United States

Although timber production has grown steadily over the last decade, information about the use of timbers and the corresponding resource remains in short supply. This study adds to the available literature on solid sawn timbers by compiling data on timber production and uses. The major categories of solid sawn timbers researched were railroad ties, timber bridges, and other transportation structures. The outlook seems relatively bright for railroad ties. The demand for wood railroad ties has grown with the railroad industry, and there is no reason to think that this demand will not continue to grow for many decades to come. Of all uses of solid sawn timbers, timber bridges have the least promising outlook. Steel and concrete are the major materials used by the bridge industry. Other markets for solid sawn timbers are smaller than that for railroad ties, and timbers in these markets will also face competition from other materials. The research reported here helps quantify an important segment of the wood products industry in the U.S. economy. 2001 This article is in PDF format (file size: 207 kb). To download this article, right click on the link immediately below and choose "save target as". To view the article, left click the link immediately below.
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Use and production of solid sawn timbers in the United States   (2001)

Although timber production has grown steadily over the last decade, information about the use of timbers and the corresponding resource remains in short supply. This study adds to the available literature on solid sawn timbers by compiling data on timber production and uses. The major categories of solid sawn timbers researched were railroad ties, timber bridges, and other transportation structures. The outlook seems relatively bright for railroad ties. The demand for wood railroad ties has grown with the railroad industry, and there is no reason to think that this demand will not continue to grow for many decades to come. Of all uses of solid sawn timbers, timber bridges have the least promising outlook. Steel and concrete are the major materials used by the bridge industry. Other markets for solid sawn timbers are smaller than that for railroad ties, and timbers in these markets will also face competition from other materials. The research reported here helps quantify an important segment of the wood products industry in the U.S. economy.

Author: Jackson, Gerry.; Howard, James.; Hammett, A. L.

Source: Forest products journal. Vol. 51, nos. 7/8 (July/Aug. 2001).:p. 23-28.

Citation: Jackson, Gerry.; Howard, James.; Hammett, A. L.  2001.  Use and production of solid sawn timbers in the United States   Forest products journal. Vol. 51, nos. 7/8 (July/Aug. 2001).:p. 23-28..