All You Need to Know About Wood

Wood is the most used building material and most sustainable building material you can find. There are many misconceptions about wood and how it is harvested. The harvesting of wood has become one of the most "green" things known to man. You have all these movie stars talking about the deforestation and the "raping" of the forests, but these people know nothing about what is actually going on. A good example is the spotted owl, at one time it was on the endangered species list but the loggers actually brought these birds back into the wild. They actually pose a threat to other species now because they are so abundant in our forests. It is these types of things that you won't here about on the national news, educate yourself and be smart about these issues.

Anyway, off my soap box, here is what you need to know about wood. The lumber dimensions that are most commonly used refer to its nominal size which means that after it's been cut and dried at the mill it is sold at a smaller size than advertised. Most lumber that you will come across will be surfaced on all four sides (S4S) and dried making it actually smaller than say 2x4. A 2x4 that you will buy at Home Depot or Lowes will be an actual size of 1-1/2"x3-1/2". Wood that is rough is closer to its actual size.

It might seem strange but wood in different parts of the country will vary in uses and sizes. In the south southern yellow pine is widely used for decking, fascia and other applications that are directly hit by the sun. Where in the mid-west these products would never be used unless it was an application inside the home. If you were to put southern yellow pine down as a decking in Colorado it would look like a wood ocean with 5' swells within a week. You have to take into consideration what region you live in.

Another important thing to realize it what lengths you will need. So many times a homeowner or builder will request 16' material for fascia or trim. Lumber is typically cut in lengths of 6' to 20' and there is a reason for this. If you are applying something that is going to be cut up don't request 16', first of all you don't need it and second of all you have to realize that 12' and 16' are premium lengths that the mill just can't keep up with. You have to realize that wood comes from trees, you are laughing now because everyone knows this! Well than you have to know that all trees that are logged aren't 12' and 16' tall. Think about it!!!!

Wood is a great product and actually helps our forest "problems", loggers these days are put up against the highest standards and trust me that now forest is being "raped" to give us these products. Wood is the most sustainable building product in the world and we should take advantage of this. The northwest depends on the building industry and they have been hurting lately due to the lack of building in this country

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