Trends in lumber processing in the western United States. Part I: Board foot scribner volume per cubic foot of timber

This article describes trends in board foot Scribner volume per cubic foot of timber for logs processed by sawmills in the western United States. Board foot to cubic foot (BF/CF) ratios for the period from 2000 through 2006 ranged from 3.70 in Montana to 5.71 in the Four Corners Region (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah). Sawmills in the Four Corners Region, Alaska, and California had the highest ratios, with each state's BF/CF ratio greater than 5.0. Among the states using the Eastside Scribner scale, the Four Corners Region had the highest BF/CF ratio (5.71), followed by California (5.03). Among states using primarily the Westside Scribner scale, Alaska had the highest ratio (5.29). All states or regions, with the exception of Alaska, have shown declines in BF/CF ratios over the last three decades. Montana has had the largest estimated decline (29%), followed by Oregon (23%). The increase in Alaska was the smallest change among states (<2%). Two major factors in the western United States appear to have largely influenced BF/CF ratios: changes in log diameter processed by western sawmills and the use of Westside versus Eastside variants of the Scribner Log Rule.