High-Value Paneling from Dead Western White Pine

The substantial accumulation of dead western white pine in northern Idaho, caused by blister rust, has created a problem of increasing magnitude. When dead, the tree rapidly develops defects such as blue stain in the sapwood, center rot, wood borer holes, and cracks that all detract from lumber value, and to some extent, volume recovery. Hence, there is a greater tendency to leave the dead trees standing than to log and process them into conventional lumber products. An alternative to conventional lumber processing, however, is to manufacture specialty products such as interior paneling where defects in the wood are turned into assets rather than liabilities. A sample of dead western white pine was processed to determine the volume and value recovery of panel stock with these defect characteristics. Regression models were developed for the purpose of predicting volume recovery. From a gross scale of 4,244 board feet (Scribner) the panel stock recovered was 1,416 board feet, not counting an additional 1,000 board feet that could not meet panel stock length requirements but which were potentially valuable if processed into other products such as kitchen cabinets, picture frames, and furniture. The value recovered in the panel stock exceeded the value of the same material when processed into conventional lumber products.

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