Market Outlook for the Southern Pine Glue-Laminating Industry

Church construction, which was the mainstay for southern pine structural laminates through the mid 1960’s, was at a level in 1969 nearly 30 percent below that of 10 years ago. Despite this, production of glue-laminated southern pine products increased throughout the 1960’s, though at a slower rate during the last half of the decade. The continued growth was possible because laminators developed markets for their products in industrial and commercial, community building, and residential construction. Throughout the period, school buildings accounted for about the same proportion of southern pine laminated timber production. The outlook is for increases in the annual volume of building construction in all categories except educational buildings and with only moderate increases in church construction. Thus, with the expected growth in the annual volume of construction, the outlook for wood laminates, as well as other construction materials, is good. Growth in annual volume of production will be possible if wood laminators are able to maintain current market shares. If they are able to increase frequency of consideration and use of wood laminates in construction jobs through promotion, their production potential will be further enhanced. Some southern pine laminating firms have attempted to market laminates for use in electric transmission line towers. While the need for transmission lines is ever growing, the obstacle to use of laminated wood structures as towers is mainly one of getting the electrical utilities to depart from established modes of. construction. The possibility of developing a major market for southern pine laminated members in transmission line structures makes future production prospects even better.

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