A step forward to full hardwood utilization in Northwestern New Brunswick

Abstract

In New Brunswick, a problem exists related to hardwood quality and utilization. Hardwood of the best quality is being removed from the forest faster than the present forest structure permits development of wood of that quality (Baskerville, 1976). The great need for first quality hardwood in the northwestern part of the province, to produce furniture and the poor sawmilling practices have led to high-grading of the best hardwood stands. To fight this high-grading, Nadeau & Nadeau Ltd,, a furniture manufacturing firm located at St-Francois de Madawaska, New Brunswick, undertook a project to utilize hardwood logs of smaller size. These short logs, ranging from four to eight feet, are sawn to produce squares and turnings to be used in furniture manufacturing. This venture is another step forward to full resource utilization in the sense that 2.6 more cunits per acre in the form of short logs were harvested from stands where 1.9 cunits per acre and less in long logs form were harvested before. A survey shows the condition of the stand before and after the short log salvaging. The economic value of the finished product derived from this newly employed raw material ranges from 3 to ^,7 million dollars per year. Consequently, some fourty jobs were created. This project had a double beneficial action in that it helped to reduce the waste left on the felling sites and it made the existing long log stock last longer.