Consumption and Timber Harvest Trends

 

Domestic

Consumption of hardwoods within the United States has risen in a more or less steady pattern of increase over a long period of time. In recent decades, hardwood consumption has risen at a more rapid rate than that of softwoods. As reported by Smith et al. (2004) "In 2001, about 36 percent of the volume of timber removals was hardwoods, compared to 31 percent in 1986. This reflects a trend toward rising hardwood removals in response to new product technology using hardwoods."

The most dramatic increases in hardwood consumption have occurred in the paper and paperboard and composite products industries (Figure 34); examination of Tables 10 and 11 shows that such increases have occurred in all sub-regions of the North and South. Over the 49 years preceding 2001, consumption of hardwood sawtimber and veneer logs increased by 60 and 23 percent, respectively. In contrast, consumption of hardwood pulpwood during this period increased 485 percent and consumption of hardwood for use in the manufacture of composite products, though still relatively modest in 2001, was totally unknown in 1952.

 

During the period 1965 to 1997 the consumption of hardwood roundwood for lumber production in the South Central and Southeast regions increased only slightly, whereas substantial increases occurred in the North Central and Northeast regions. Specifically, sawtimber consumption in the North Central and Northeast regions increased by 70 percent in the 32 years following 1965, while the South Central and Southeast regions experienced a 15 percent increase and 3 percent decrease, respectively (Luppold et al. 2002). Thus, the increase in U.S. sawtimber harvest shown in Figure 35 is almost totally due to increased hardwood lumber production in the North.

 

Figure 34
Components of Hardwood Roundwood Consumption,
Eastern U.S., 1952 and 2001

Table 10
Consumption of Hardwood Roundwood in the Eastern U.S. in 1965

Source: Luppold, et al., 2002.

Table 11
Consumption of Hardwood Roundwood in the Eastern U.S. in 1997

 

Source: Luppold, et al., 2002.

Data for the most recent several decades shows a 40 percent increase in the hardwood sawtimber harvest in the thirteen-year period from 1977 to 1990 but only a 6 percent increase in the subsequent seven-year period 1990 to 1997. Overall, the hardwood sawtimber harvest increased 49 percent between 1977 and 1997. During the same period, domestic hardwood lumber consumption increased 41 percent (Figure 36), with the difference in percentage increase between sawtimber harvest and hardwood lumber consumption largely traceable to increasing exportation of both hardwood logs and lumber in recent years.

As noted previously, the hardwood pulpwood harvest has increased at a significantly greater rate than the sawtimber harvest. Again considering the twenty-year period 1977 to 1990, the hardwood pulpwood harvest increased 64 percent from 1977 to 1990, decreased 3 percent between 1990 and 1997. Using 1995 rather than 1997 as the end year of the period (so as to discount the effect of the recession related steep decline in paper consumption in the late 1990s) yields an increase in hardwood pulpwood harvest of 102 percent.

 

Projections of future domestic consumption indicate an increase in softwood roundwood consumption of 47 percent between 1996 and 2050 and a 29 percent increase in the consumption of hardwood roundwood (Prestemon and Abt 2002); the same projection indicates increases in harvests of 30 and 17 percent for softwoods and hardwoods, respectively, over the same time frame. By 2050 the South is expected to provide 50 percent of the hardwood harvest, the North 44 percent, and the West 6 percent.

 

Global

The global wood harvest of 3.35 billion cubic meters in 2000 interrupted a steady rise in wood consumption going back prior to 1950; the decline in harvest from 1990 to 2000 was due completely to a drop in the industrial wood harvest, and largely due to declining harvests in the Former USSR coupled with a global economic slowdown. Harvests are now on the rebound, with annual increases of about 1.2 percent expected through 2010, bringing the global harvest to about 3.8 billion cubic meters.

 

While economic trends in the developed nations, where three fourths of industrial wood consumption has traditionally occurred, have typically determined industrial wood consumption, future consumption will be driven to a greater extent by developments in China and the Pacific Rim.

 

As noted by Meyer (2004) U.S. hardwood log and lumber exports have increased significantly over the past five years, while domestic hardwood lumber production has decreased.
Table 13
U.S. Wood Household Furniture Imports by Country of Origin,
1993-2003

 

Source: Mann, Amistead & Epperson, Ltd. as reported by Meyer, Hardwood Review, 2004.

 

Page url: http://www.fsclumber.us?hardwoodconsumptiontimberh.htm