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Lumber Production
At the turn of the century, Indiana lead all
states based on volume of lumber produced. Indiana's forest resources,
a geographically strategic location in terms of lumber demand, and high
quality timber all lead to many interesting developments.
First, Indiana became a leading producer of manufactured wood products such
as furniture, cabinets, millwork, and other items. To the surprise
of many people, it remains in that position today. Entrepreneurs developed
equipment to better process the resource. Some of the equipment included
kiln drying equipment, improved saws, and even a machine to slice veneer,
which, up until then, was sawed. The veneer slicer was developed by
Capital Equipment Company in Indianapolis and the company is today's world's
leader in producing veneer slicers.
The quality of Indiana hardwoods, especially white oak and walnut, is known
around the world. Many foreign log, lumber and veneer buyers concentrate
their purchasing efforts on Indiana. The over-all continuous high quality
of Indiana timber is attributed to a number of reasons. Nearly all
of Indiana consists of rolling terrain and highly productive soils.
Although beautiful, higher altitudes common in the Appalachian region result
in many drier, non-productive sites. In Indiana rainfall is generally
abundant, unlike states to the west where timber is short and found mostly
along streams. Indiana is also located in an excellent latitude.
Areas to the north have short growing seasons, while areas to the south often
suffer from more insect damage, stain, and very fast growth. Thus,
nearly all of the forested land in Indiana is capable of producing quality
timber. Currently, about 4.4 million acres of Indiana is forested and
more timber is being grown than is being cut.
Solid as the Oak is our own USA
Cassens Trees
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