Lumber recovery from small-diameter ponderosa pine from Flagstaff, Arizona

Thousands of acres of densely stocked ponderosa pine forests surround Flagstaff, AZ. These stands are at high risk of fire, insect, and disease outbreak. Stand density management activity can be expensive, but product recovery from the thinned material could help defray removal costs. This project evaluated the yield and economic return of lumber recovered from small-diameter, suppressed ponderosa pine. A sample of 150 trees ranging from 6 to 16 inches in diameter at breast height was selected. Half of the sample was sawn into dimension lumber and the other half into appearance grade lumber. This study yielded about 25 percent No. 2 and Better Common for appearance lumber with the majority of lumber (66 percent) graded No. 3 Common. About 50 percent of the dimension lumber was No. 2 and Better, with very little of the highest grade, Select Structural, produced. Volume recovery was slightly higher for dimension lumber, yet the lumber from the logs sawn for appearance grade was worth significantly more than that from the logs sawn for dimension lumber.