Improved Utilization of Western Hardwoods By Modern Drying

Increasing amounts of western hardwoods are being cut commercially. Satisfactory drying of western hardwoods is a tremendously important consideration in their fuller utilization. Some western hardwoods are difficult to dry but have characteristics that make them valuable woods for many purposes, provided they can be processed properly. The estimate volume of hardwood sawtimber of red alder, black cottonwood, Pacific madrone, bigleaf maple, California black oak, and tanoak is given, totalling 23,000 million board feet. In air-drying western hardwoods the control of warp by adequate piling and the proper yard layout are prime considerations. Kiln-drying schedules have been published for the foregoing six western hardwood species now finding their way into the lumber trade. Commercial kiln operators have found that the color of red alder can be varied from nearly white to a chocolate brown, depending upon the initial temperatures and humidities used in kiln-drying the stock green from the saw.

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