The number of board feet in a single oak tree stopped me cold

I was reading through some forestry data last week from the USDA and found out a mature red oak about 20 inches in diameter can yield over 700 board feet of lumber. That's enough to frame out a small shed or build a dozen solid tables. I always figured trees were big but never sat down and did the math on how much actual usable wood comes out of one. It made me think about how much waste we really deal with on jobsites versus what a tree actually gives us. Has anyone else looked into log yield figures for common hardwoods we use every day?

2 comments

2 Comments

leo_campbell1mo ago

Yeah that number really does make you stop and think. But here's what I wonder about that 700 board feet number - how much of that is actually usable grade material versus what ends up getting cut around knots and defects? I've heard sawmills can lose 30 percent or more just from the log taper and squaring up edges. So are we really getting 700 good feet or is that the gross yield before all the waste?

taylor.jessica1mo ago

Really hits you different when you see the real numbers behind a single tree, doesn't it?