At what point is the wood in my plantation of commercial value as a saw log?
To answer this question, we must first look at the finished product. The smallest, usable and marketable piece of wood that can be cut out of small diameter logs is either one piece of 4″ X 4″ or two pieces of 2″ X 4″. Marketable lumber is a minimum of 8′ in length, so the log cut in the bush to produce that 8′ piece of lumber will have to be 8′ 6″ (102″) in length. This is to allow for trimming of checked or split (from drying) ends. All lumber is the same nominal square dimension for the full length of the piece, but a log normally has a taper to it, being bigger at the bottom than at the top. The smaller diameter of the two ends of a log, or the smallest diameter within the length of a log determines what can be produced out of the log. So, we must look at the diameter of the tree approximately 9′ – 10′ above ground level (102″, or 8′ 6″ above where the tree would be cut at the stump) to determine if the diameter is great enough to produce an 8′ long piece of finished lumber. To pro
