California's hardwood resource: history and reasons for lack of a sustained hardwood industry

California's hardwood resource: history and reasons for lack of a sustained hardwood industry. Interest in utilizing California's forest-zone hardwoods for lumber and wood products has waxed and waned for more than 140 years. In spite of many unsuccessful ventures, strong interest is once again evident from landowners, processors, consumers, and policy makers. Their interest suggests a need to know past pitfalls, to recognize some realities of hardwood properties and related processing needs, and to build on knowledge gained from the past. A critical analysis of past hardwood practices and problems leads to 22 reasons for the failure of a sustained hardwood industry to develop. These include negative attitudes, higher logging and manufacturing costs, and numerous marketing problems. New developments such as changing attitudes, realistic view of costs, better processing techniques, new inventory and ecological information, marketing of secondary products, and development of problem solving organizations lead to guarded optimism that a successful hardwood industry in California can be realized. hardwood resource: history and reasons for lack of a sustained hardwood industry. Utilization of native hardwoods from the forest zone of California is an enigma. The resource is huge and should be important for lumber and wood products. But after 140 years and many unprofitable attempts, hardwood forests remain grossly underutilized or not utilized at all. Why? The central theme of this paper presents 22 reasons which, alone and together, consti tute the shoals upon which the California hardwood industry has foundered. Reasons for unsuccessful utilization of California hard-woods include a bad reputation, widely distributed trees, high logging and milling costs, poor estimates of hardwood volume and value, improper sawing and seasoning techniques, lack of log grade and lumber yield information, limited working capital, shortage of skilled workers, and a host of marketing problems. Each unsuccessful venture adds to the dubious reputation of California hardwoods and makes subsequent attempts even more difficult. Fortunately, one manufacturing enterprise in Oroville, Cali fornia provides an example of a successful hardwood processing and manufacturing operation. Alert management, innovative ideas, and willingness to take risk have kept this operation competitive over the years. Another fortunate development is taking place. It is a resurgence of interest in California hardwoods. And it is wide spread-landowners, foresters, loggers, mill owners, builders, and government agencies-all recognize that this large resource is too important to remain unmanaged and underutilized. New players, new reality, and new developments are the forces that give …