{"id":985,"date":"2021-09-30T20:50:08","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T20:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8009\/stories\/?p=985"},"modified":"2024-09-27T16:52:45","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T16:52:45","slug":"how-trees-become-lumber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forestrycareers.com\/stories\/how-trees-become-lumber\/","title":{"rendered":"How Trees Become Lumber"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Follow the journey as a group of trees from a Rayonier forest become 2×4 and 2×6 boards at a West Fraser sawmill. Lumber is primarily used to build new houses and in repair and remodeling projects.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Did you ever look at a smooth, straight board and wonder how it could come from a tree? What happens to the bark and branches? How can it be so straight, when trees sometimes aren\u2019t?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today we\u2019re going to see what happens from the moment a tree is harvested to the point its lumber is store-ready. This is the process that makes it possible to build homes, frame concrete, create DIY projects and do countless other tasks with wood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A Conner & Conner log truck, left, leaves a Rayonier forest in Kingsland, GA, to deliver logs that will be made into lumber. A pile of finished lumber, right, awaits transport to a store at West Fraser’s sawmill in Whitehouse<\/a>, Florida.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Growing the right trees the right way<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

For a forest products company, the first step is the most time-consuming part of our business. Growing the right trees takes decades!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our scientists ensure we plant only the best tree families. They choose the families that grow the straightest and resist disease and insects the most. Both \u201cparents\u201d are accounted for in controlled pollination, a process that allows us to determine which pollen fertilizes the pinecones in our seed orchards. You can see a video of how controlled pollination works here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Forester
Tree improvement forester Serenia O’Berry bags pinecones in the treetops. This prevents the “wrong” pollen from pollinating the cones.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Foresters known as Resource Land Managers plant the trees quite close together, which encourages them to grow tall rather than producing a lot of excess branches. That\u2019s important because branches make knots in the wood, weakening it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We nurture the forest, monitoring its growth and addressing any needs the trees may have for decades. Halfway through their lifecycle, we may \u201cthin\u201d the forest, removing unhealthy trees and trees that are too crooked to make good lumber. This gives the best trees more room to grow. Watch our video of a thinning operation<\/a> to see how the spacing improves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the U.S. South, where we grow Southern yellow pines, trees destined to become lumber grow for about 20 to 25 years. In the Pacific Northwest, where our forests are primarily made up of  Douglas-firs and western hemlocks, our trees may grow 40 years or longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
These Southern yellow pines were bred to grow straight with few branches in their trunks, ideal conditions for making lumber.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Harvesting and sorting the logs<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

When it\u2019s time to harvest the trees, foresters we call Timber Marketers work to find the best buyer. They want to get the best possible value out of the investment we put into the forest. Timber Marketers often work directly with nearby facilities, hiring loggers to prepare and deliver the logs to mills and exporters. They also can sell the standing timber to a dealer, who will then manage the logging and sale of the logs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A feller buncher cuts the tree and holds it in place, bunching it together with several other trees before setting them on the ground.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today, we\u2019re showing you what happens when we work directly with a customer. In this case, Timber Marketing Manager Rusty Cobb is selling a stand of loblolly pines in Kingsland, Georgia. He sells logs directly to the West Fraser<\/a> sawmill in Whitehouse, Florida. The logs have to meet West Fraser\u2019s standards for length, diameter, straightness and quality. Rusty hires Conner & Conner, a small logging company out of Hilliard, Florida, to harvest and prepare the logs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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