NOVEMBER 2022
small logs may get left behind as crews seek to maximize harvest values via sawtimber.
Potential Solutions
For now, viable alternative solutions are few, and mostly rely on higher pricing to create incremental sources. Private forests unfortunately offer little volumes of unutilized pulpwood, as logs are smaller and there is less defect in today's second growth. But there are a couple of options worthy of consideration:
1. Whole log chipping and/or buying sawmill residual chips from distant areas are potential options, though transportation costs may limit chip production in many areas. Depending on a consuming mill’s location, this could provide a temporary solution.
2. There are millions of tons of dead and dying timber in the dry-side National Forests, and a concerted whole-log chipping effort could produce significant volumes of chips from these wood resources. However, trucking costs remain exorbitant, and operators are generally suspicious of the USFS and unwilling to risk a large investment when the government is such an unpredictable partner.
Both of these options may only be temporary solutions for those who are geographically advantaged in the region — and longshots for those who are not. However, the PNW forest industry is going to have to develop some creative methods to address regional fiber stressors since political obstacles continue to burden the entire supply chain.