Assessing the Volume of Wood 

Products Used to Build and 

Maintain Recreational Structures 

on the Tongass National Forest: 

Potential Opportunities for Alaska 

Wood Products Substitution 

Randall A. Cantrell

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Forest Service

Pacific Northwest 

Research Station

General Technical 

Report

PNW-GTR-621

January 2005
The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the principle of 

multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of wood, 

water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation with the 

States and private forest owners, and management of the National Forests and National 

Grasslands, it strives—as directed by Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to 

a growing Nation.

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program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET 

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call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

USDA is committed to making its information materials accessible to all USDA customers 

and employees.

Author

Randall A. Cantrell was a research forester, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Forest Service, Alaska Wood Utilization Research and Development Center, 204 

Siginaka Way, Sitka, AK 99835-7316. He now is a market research analyst, National 

Association of Home Builders Research Center, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772-8731. 
Abstract

Cantrell, Randall A. 2004. Assessing the volume of wood products used to build 

and maintain recreational structures on the Tongass National Forest: potential 

opportunities for Alaska wood products substitution. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNWGTR-621. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific 

Northwest Research Station. 20 p.

Although the Tongass National Forest (TNF) possesses abundant stands of redcedar 

(Thuja plicata Donn), yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach), 

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.), and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg), most of its buildings, bridges, and trails are constructed from 

imported materials. The costs incurred in importing lumber building materials to 

the TNF seemingly could be offset by manufacturing a slightly more costly product 

from within the region. To better understand the potential opportunities foregone by 

southeast Alaska’s lumber manufacturers, this study explores the market volume of 

wood products required to build and maintain the recreational structures (buildings, 

bridges, and trails) on the TNF. Findings suggest that after accounting for the estimated 23 percent of native materials used in trail construction, the wood products 

market potential arising from an additional 77-percent Alaska wood species substitution could be, on average, approximately 1.1 million board feet annually. This 

volume represents 1.3 percent of the regional output for 2000 and increases overall 

demand in southeast Alaska by 13.9 percent for this same period. These same figures for 2002 are more dramatic with the TNF potential consumption representing 

2.8 percent of the region’s output and increasing its overall demand by 57 percent. 

Keywords: Buildings, trails, trailways, pedestrian bridges, utility bridges, 

structures, infrastructure.
Contents

 1 Introduction

 1 Methods

 1 Determining the Volume of Wood Products Used for Tongass National Forest 

 Buildings

 3 Determining the Volume of Wood Products Used for Tongass National Forest 

 Trails

 5 Assumptions and Estimates for Calculating Wood Use in a Typical Unit of 

 Trail

 6 Determining the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build Tongass National 

 Forest Utility Bridges 

 8 Assumptions and Estimates in Calculating Wood Use in Tongass National 

 Forest Bridges

 9 Results

 9 Number of Tongass National Forest Buildings 

 11 How Demand Is Dispersed for Wood Products Used in Tongass National 

 Forest Buildings

 11 Number of Miles of Trails on the Tongass National Forest

 12 How Demand Is Dispersed for Wood Products Used on Tongass National 

 Forest Trails

 13 Number of Utility Bridges on the Tongass National Forest

 13 How Demand Is Dispersed for Wood Products Used in Tongass National 

 Forest Bridges

 15 The Projected Annual Demand for Wood Products Use on the Tongass 

 National Forest

 16 The Volume of Regionally Produced Lumber for Potential Use on the 

 Tongass National Forest

 17 Conclusion

 19 Acknowledgments

 19 Metric Equivalents

 19 Literature Cited
1

Assessing the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build and Maintain Recreational Structures on the Tongass National Forest

Introduction

The Tongass National Forest (TNF), a temperate rain forest in southeast Alaska, is 

the largest national forest in the United States (USDA FS 2003). As such, it requires 

extensive infrastructure and maintenance. This study finds that a disproportionate volume of imported wood is used to build and maintain the infrastructure of 

the TNF. If the TNF could be maintained exclusively with Alaska wood species, 

a substantial increase in demand for local building lumber would be realized. 

However, Alaska lumber production is plagued by high extraction, transportation, 

and manufacturing costs. One reason for the high manufacturing costs relates to 

substandard quality control that allows for sawing variation that adversely affects 

lumber uniformity (Kilborn 2002). Additionally, Alaska lumber products have not 

been used extensively in construction because, until recently, they were not manufactured in finished form (kiln dried, surfaced, and graded). This study focuses on 

the potential of using Alaska lumber products as building material in the construction and maintenance of buildings, trails, and bridges on the TNF.

The market potential for Alaska lumber products on the TNF may be more 

clearly understood by approximating the volume of wood that has been used to 

build existing structures, analyzing maintenance and replacement schedules, and 

considering future construction projections. Researching and assessing potential 

market size for building material substitution increase our understanding of how 

to best foster interest in manufacturing building materials in the region. However, 

it should be noted that this is an exploratory study and is therefore not intended for 

determining with precision (1) design specifications, (2) wood volumes required for 

the various types of designs included in this study, and (3) future production and 

consumption figures. 

Methods

Determining the Volume of Wood Products Used for Tongass 

National Forest Buildings

The USDA Forest Service Infra Database was used to approximate the number of 

existing buildings and bridges on the TNF. The data-gathering and dissemination 

processes were conducted in collaboration with TNF engineers, landscape architects, and recreation lands planning staff. 

The USDA Forest Service TNF intranet Web site for engineering facilities 

and recreation provides a conditions survey for all existing recreational structures 

within the TNF. However, for the purpose of this exploratory research, much of the 

detail within this segment of the database had to be condensed because the goal 

A disproportionate 

volume of imported 

wood is used to build 

and maintain the 

infrastructure of 

the TNF.
2

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-621

was to approximate the volume of wood utilized in building and maintaining TNF 

recreational structures. Various types of structures were described in the database 

(for example, storage facility, duplex; see fig. 1), but most structures were distinguished as serving either housing or nonhousing functions.1

 After inspection of 

the design variation between these two categories of structures, and for purposes 

of comparison, certain assumptions were deemed necessary. First, the volume of 

dimensional framing lumber used in nonhousing structures was estimated to be 

one-half that used in structures identified within the housing category. Structures 

identified as nonhousing were generally open spaces with various storage functions, 

and therefore, did not incorporate the same degree of interior walls as did housing. 

Second, the volume (board feet [BF]) of flooring, roofing, and exterior siding for 

both categories of structures was estimated to be three-fourths the amount of the 

structure’s area (square feet [SF]). Although a board foot measures 1 in thick, the 

typical application for roofing, flooring, and siding measures approximately threefourths that thickness. Because square footage was the only unit of measure 

1 Only those buildings listed as having a wood-based exterior sheathing were considered 

within this study.

Figure 1—Construction of a Tongass National Forest building. 

Figure 1—Construction of a Tongass National Forest recreational building. 
Assessing the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build and Maintain Recreational Structures on the Tongass National Forest

3

available within the database, totals were amassed for each category, and the aforementioned approximation multipliers were then assigned. 

Estimates were converted from area measurements (SF) to volume measurements (BF) for specific types of building materials (National Association of Home 

Builders 2001). For instance, under the housing category, a structure measuring 

approximately 2,100 SF in area was typically built with the following quantities 

of wood: 13,127 BF of framing lumber, 2,325 SF of exterior siding, 6,212 SF of 

sheathing, and 3,100 SF of roofing (this study assumes an allocation of 2,100 SF for 

flooring). Furthermore, an additional wood volume of 20 percent of the whole was 

allocated for structures falling under the housing category and 10 percent for the 

nonhousing category to account for such material as doors, windows, millwork, 

and cabinetry. 

Determining the Volume of Wood Products Used for Tongass 

National Forest Trails

The data used for this study were derived from the APPLIX trail data supplied 

by the USDA Forest Service, Alaska Region Program for Wilderness, Trails, and 

Recreation Special Uses. Specific assumptions and estimates had to be used during 

the first phase of this exploratory research.

After initial dialogue with many TNF designers and building professionals,2

a USDA Forest Service landscape architect and I went on a site visit of a trail under 

construction (see fig. 2). This provided me with a fuller appreciation of the construction process and the materials used in trail building. After the construction site 

visit, contracts from previously completed work were reviewed for ideas on developing a profile of a “typical” trail used on the TNF. The challenge with this process 

is that according to trail designers and planners, there is no such thing as a typical 

trail on the TNF. This made the data-gathering process difficult, and alternative, 

less conventional methods had to be used for the trail estimates. Capital Investment 

Program (CIP) submittals from past projects were reviewed as a source for additional information. These submittals were largely for requests to build additional 

phases on existing trails.

By using data from these sources, approximations were derived for determining 

the wood products used to construct a typical mile of TNF trail, the average number 

of units used per mile, and the conversion of BF per unit used in constructing typical components for building a trail. These approximations are not inclusive of every 

component but rather reflect the items that compose the greatest volume of wood. 

2 Although more than a dozen advisors were consulted, not all input used in this study was 

recorded as being attributable to specific individuals (that is, no citations).

According to trail 

designers and 

planners, there is 

no such thing as a 

typical trail on the TNF.
4

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-621

Table 1 summarizes the assumptions and estimates that were used to approximate 

the amount of wood products. This analysis depicts the calculations as representing 

typical 1-ft sections of wood components used in trail construction. 

Figure 2—Tongass National Forest wood trail. 

Table 1—Assumptions made in estimating wood products used in a typical mile of Tongass 

National Forest traila

 Board feet (BF)

Construction item Unit Units per mile per unit BF/mile

Bridge (log or lumber) Lineal feet (LF) 44.1 LF 38.1 BF/LF 1,680.2

Boardwalk or puncheon LF 704.2 LF 24.7 BF/LF 17,393.7

Stair tread (timber or lumber) Each 18.3 each 17.7 BF/each 323.9

Sign post Each 4.0 each 6.6 BF/each 26.4

Bench (timber or lumber) Each 2.3 each 106.0 BF/each 243.8

Average volume of wood use NA NA NA 19,668.1

NA = not applicable.

a This table does not include data for docks, picnic shelters, pavilions, tables, or signs. 

Note: The volume of wood used and the product value are not insignificant. The cost of a new Douglas-fir picnic table ranges from 

$700 to $1,100. 
Assessing the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build and Maintain Recreational Structures on the Tongass National Forest

5

Assumptions and Estimates for Calculating Wood Use in a 

Typical Unit of Trail

It was determined that a typical mile of trail on the TNF uses approximately 19.7 

thousand board feet (MBF) of wood. This includes estimates of 1.7 MBF of bridge 

work, 17.4 MBF of walkway, 323.9 BF of stair treads, 26.4 BF of sign posts, and 

243.8 BF of benches. The following calculations were used to arrive at these estimates. 

• A typical pedestrian bridge uses 38.1 BF per lineal foot (LF), and there are 

44.1 LF per mile. This includes: 

o A typical 37.9-BF-per-LF deck bridge, which uses on average, 28 in of 

2-in planking per LF or 4.7 BF per LF; three 6- by 16-in stringers or 

8.0 BF per LF; and 25.2 BF per LF of 4-in2

 posts and 2- by 6- by 4-in 

top and side railings. 

o A typical 38.2-BF-per-LF log bridge, which uses, on average, 20 in of 

log diameter, or 13.0 BF per LF; and 25.2 BF per LF in posts and top 

and side railing.

• A typical stretch of wood trail way uses 24.7 BF per LF, and there are 704.2 

LF of wood trail per mile. This includes averages for a typical boardwalk or 

puncheon, which uses two 2- by 14-in planks3 or 4.7 BF per LF and one 

17-in diameter log, or 19.0 BF per LF.

• A typical stair tread uses 17.7 BF, and there are 18.3 of them, on average, 

used each mile. This includes 16.5 BF per lumber stair tread and 18.8 BF 

per log riser. These calculations approximate the volume of lumber for a 

single (3- by 12-in) 30-in-long stair tread or 7.5 BF, which includes two 

(3- by 18-in) 1-ft sections of connecting stringers or 9.0 BF. Each log riser 

is estimated to use, on average, a 2-ft section of 12-in-diameter log. 

• A typical sign post uses 6.6 BF, and there are 4.0 of them, on average, used 

each mile. This calculation estimates the volume for a single 5-ft sign post 

to be made from a 4- by 4-in post. 

• A typical log bench uses 106.0 BF, and there are 2.3 of them, on average, 

used each mile. This calculation estimates the volume of a single bench to 

be made from a 5-ft by 18-in log. 

3 Because 2- by 14-in planks are difficult to obtain and are considered a special order, they 

are not being used today as much as previously. More typical would be two 2- by 10-in or 

three 2- by 8-in planks.
6

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-621

Determining the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build 

Tongass National Forest Utility Bridges 

The Infra Database was sufficiently complete to determine bridge inventories. Attempts at using standard drawings to create “average units” of bridge work were not 

as effective as the assumptions used for buildings and trails, but it is clear that the 

TNF wood utility bridges can be categorized as being either timber log or timber 

lamina (see fig. 3). For estimation purposes, specific assumptions and estimates 

were used. 

By using standard drawings from the TNF intranet Web site for engineering 

structures, approximations were derived for determining the wood products used to 

construct a typical 1-ft unit for log and lamina utility bridges as well as the associated timber decks used for log, lamina, and steel bridges (see fig. 4). Total lineal 

and board footage for each type of utility bridge was calculated. As was the case 

for buildings and trails, these approximations are not inclusive of every component 

but rather reflective of the items that make up the greatest volume of wood. Table 

2 summarizes the assumptions and estimates that were used in deriving an approximation of the wood products used in TNF utility bridges. However, there were 

insufficient data available for including estimates for timber pilings. 

Figure 3—Tongass National Forest wood bridge.

TNF wood utility 

bridges can be 

categorized as 

being either timber 

log or timber lamina.
Assessing the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build and Maintain Recreational Structures on the Tongass National Forest

7

Figure 4—Tongass National Forest wood deck on steel superstructure.

Table 2—Assumptions for estimating the volume of wood products used in 

Tongass National Forest utility bridges 

 Superstructurea Deckb

Item Volume Item Volume

Thousand Thousand

board feet board feet

Girder 1,100 Distribution beam 62.5

Footingc 96.8 Planking 3,200

Foundation 560 Curbing 768.4

Abutment 135 Blocking 307.4

Log stringer 462.6 Post and railing 211.4

Subtotal 2,318.4 4,549.7

Unlabeled (7.2%)d 3,300

Total 10,168

a Includes structural materials for glu-lam, stress-lam, nail-lam, and log bridges.

b Includes decking materials for timber and steel bridges.

c Does not include timber pilings.

d Database did not specify whether bridge was log, lamina, or steel. 
8

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-621

Assumptions and Estimates in Calculating Wood Use in Tongass 

National Forest Bridges

There are approximately 125 lamina beam or stringer bridges (that is, glu-lam, stresslam, and nail-lam) totaling approximately 8,128 LF, with average spans of 65 ft. 

• A typical bridge of this type uses three 8 3/4-in by 5-ft girders or 131 BF 

per LF for a total of 1.1 million board feet (MMBF). These girders are supported by three 4- by 3-ft by 10 3/4-in footings at each end, or 774 BF, per 

bridge, for a total of 96.8 MBF of TNF footings. A typical footing rests on 

768 BF (1 by 4 by 16 ft) of foundation, with an average of six footings per 

bridge or 4.6 MBF of foundation work for a typical bridge, for a total of 

576.0 MBF of TNF lamina bridge foundation work. 

• There is, on average, a 46.1-BF (that is, 5 1/8- by 6-in by 18-ft) lamina distribution beam spaced, every 6 LF of bridge work, for a total of 62.5 MBF 

of TNF lamina deck distribution beams. Each end of the bridge has, on 

average, a 60-BF (that is, 12- by 12-in by 5-ft) mud sill for a TNF total of 

15.0 MBF. The abutment and backwall superstructure, on average, support 

each end of the bridge with eight 6- by 12-in girders of various lengths that 

average 10 ft for a TNF total of 120.0 MBF. 

There are approximately 362 utility log bridges on the TNF with average spans 

of 41 ft, for a TNF total of 14,922 LF. 

• The superstructure of a typical utility log bridge uses 31 BF per LF, or five 

2-ft-diameter log stringers for a total of 462.6 MBF of log stringers. 

A typical utility bridge (that is, log, lamina, and steel) uses wood for the deck 

and railing. A typical deck uses 4- by 12-in planking and is 18 ft wide. Therefore:

• A typical 1-foot cross section of deck uses 72 BF, and there is a total of 

38,422 LF of utility bridge decking for a TNF total of 3.2 MMBF. A typical 

1-ft cross section has 10 BF per LF of 10- by 12-in curbing on each side of 

the bridge for a TNF total of 768.4 MBF, and 20 BF of 6- by 12- by 40-in 

curb blocking on each side of the bridge that are spaced at 5-ft intervals for 

a TNF total of 307.4 MBF of curb blocking. Each side of a typical 1-foot 

cross section of utility deck bridge uses one 2- by 6-in top rail and two 2- 

by 4-in side rails, or 2.3 BF per LF, totaling 88.4 MBF of TNF deck railing. 

On both sides of a typical bridge, rails are affixed to an 8-BF (that is, 4- by 

6- by 48-in vertical post, spaced at 5 ft (maximally), for a TNF total of 

123.0 MBF. 
Assessing the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build and Maintain Recreational Structures on the Tongass National Forest

9

Results

Number of Tongass National Forest Buildings 

Buildings were aggregated into two categories according to general design function: housing and nonhousing. To gain a broader understanding of the volume of 

wood required for building and maintaining buildings on the TNF, each of its major 

land divisions is summarized and then the divisions are aggregated. 

Table 3 shows that seven district/multidistrict “areas”4 make up the TNF and 

contain an estimated 4.5 MMBF of wood products. This is the volume required to 

build and maintain the various buildings on the TNF. Of this total volume, 74 percent is made up of structures most closely aligned with having a housing design (for 

example, residence, office, cabin; see fig. 5), whereas the remaining 26 percent possesses designs more closely aligned with having a storage function. The average age 

for all buildings on the TNF is 28 years.5 On average, housing units are 30 years 

old and nonhousing are 22 years old. Using these figures for a baseline allows for 

comparisons between the various district/multidistrict areas making up the TNF. 

Table 3—Current regional totals and ages of Tongass National Forest buildings (housing and nonhousing)

Tongass National Forest (TNF) district/multidistrict “areas”

 Craig/Thorne 

 Bay (Prince Yakutat Juneau/ Ketchikan/ 

 of Wrangell- (Skagway- Admiralty Misty

 Attributes TNF Wales) Petersburg Angoon) Island Sitka Fiords Hoonah

Housing

 MBFa 3,219.8 1072.1 772.9 523.8 322.7 332.7 292.4 3.0

 Avg. age 30 yrs 30 yrs 28 yrs 30 yrs 26 yrs 32 yrs 32 yrs 31 yrs

Nonhousing

 MBF 1,162.4 132.8 266.9 76.6 226.8 163.7 198.5 0.1

 Avg. age 22 yrs 16 yrs 17 yrs 33 yrs 25 yrs 21 yrs 21 yrs 22 yrs

Total 

 MBF 4,482.2 1,205.0 1,039.8 600.4 549.5 496.6 490.9 3.1 

 % of TNF 100.0 26.9 23.2 13.4 12.3 11.8 11.0 0.07

 Avg. age 28 yrs 28 yrs 26 yrs 31 yrs 26 yrs 29 yrs 27 yrs 31 yrs

% newer or

 older than 

 TNF avg. age 0 0 7 11 7 5 5 11

 (Baseline) (Baseline) (Newer) (Older) (Newer) (Older) (Newer) (Older)

a Thousand board feet. 

4 The Infra Database for buildings listed seven district/multidistrict “areas”; therefore, 

for consistency, this “area” format is used throughout this study. 

5 Owing to various building components possessing differing design lifespans, it was 

infeasible to approximate a typical building design lifespan. 

Seven district/

multidistrict “areas”

make up the TNF and 

contain an estimated 

4.5 MMBF of wood 

products.
10

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-621

The distribution of wood products volume used to build and maintain 

TNF buildings is:6

• 26.9 percent in the Craig/Thorne Bay (Prince of Wales) area,

• 23.2 percent in the Wrangell-Petersburg area,

• 13.4 percent in the Yakutat (Skagway-Angoon) area,

• 12.3 percent in the Juneau/Admiralty Island area,

• 11.8 percent in the Sitka area,

• 11 percent in the Ketchikan/Misty Fiords area, and

• a negligible amount in the Hoonah area.

The average age for TNF buildings is 28 years. In comparison,

• Yakutat (Skagway-Angoon) and Hoonah buildings are 11 percent older,

Figure 5—Tongass National Forest building interior. 

6 Although not specified in the database, TNF buildings typically use spruce (Picea spp.) 

for larger beams, hemlock (Tsuga spp.) for framing, and redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn) for 

siding.
Assessing the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build and Maintain Recreational Structures on the Tongass National Forest

11

• Sitka buildings are 5 percent older,

• Craig/Thorne Bay (Prince of Wales) buildings are average age,

• Ketchikan/Misty Fiords buildings are 5 percent newer, and

• Juneau/Admiralty Island Wrangell-Petersburg buildings are 7 percent 

newer.

Table 3 summarizes the wood volume used and ages of buildings found 

throughout the various multidistrict areas of the TNF. 

How Demand Is Dispersed for Wood Products Used in Tongass 

National Forest Buildings 

Construction and maintenance of buildings in each area of the TNF differ according to the volume of wood products used and the age of the buildings. Although the 

Yakutat (Skagway-Angoon) area has the oldest buildings, it requires only about half 

as much wood products in its buildings as does the Prince of Wales area, which has 

buildings that are average age for a typical TNF building. Similarly, the Sitka and 

Hoonah areas have older than average-age buildings, but their use of wood products 

for buildings is approximately half the volume used in the Wrangell-Petersburg area, 

which has buildings that are 7 percent newer than average for the TNF. The Juneau/

Admiralty Island and Ketchikan/Misty Fiords areas combine to use almost one-quarter of the demanded wood products for buildings on the TNF, and on average, the 

buildings in these regions are 6 percent newer than buildings found on the TNF. 

Number of Miles of Trails on the Tongass National Forest 

Trail is a general term for walkway. The National Trails Management Classes 

(USDA FS 2001) actually distinguish trails according to their general use. Trail 

classes are (1) primitive and underdeveloped, (2) simple/minor development, 

(3) developed/improved, (4) highly developed, and (5) fully developed. The significance of these classifications to this study is twofold. First, trail classes 1, 2, and 

3 are constructed from native materials; class 4 uses a mix of native and imported 

materials; and class 5 uses imported materials. Second, the lower numerical class 

designations use less wood products in their construction. Table 1 shows that 

a typical mile of trail way on the TNF is estimated to use 19,668 BF of wood products in its construction.7

 If this volume is assumed to be a baseline figure, then 

7 Although not specified in the database, TNF trails typically use redcedar and yellowcedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach).

Trail classes 1, 2, and 

3 are constructed 

from native materials; 

class 4 uses a mix of 

native and imported 

materials; and class 

5 uses imported 

materials.
12

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-621

approximations for volumes used in the various classes of trails are as shown in 

table 4. Based on their general-use classification, this study estimates that:

• Class 1 uses 25 percent of the baseline volume per mile

• Class 2 uses 50 percent of the baseline volume per mile

• Class 3 uses 75 percent of the baseline volume per mile

• Classes 4 and 5 each use 100 percent of the baseline volume per mile.

There are an estimated 458 mi of trails on the TNF, of which approximately 346 

(75.5 percent) are constructed from 4,370.5 MBF of native materials. This leaves 

112 mi (24.5 percent) that are constructed from 2,200.5 MBF of imported materials. 

How Demand Is Dispersed for Wood Products Used on 

Tongass National Forest Trails 

Table 5 summarizes the demand dispersion for wood products on TNF trails and 

shows that construction of trails is not dispersed uniformly throughout the various 

areas of the TNF. The Juneau/Admiralty Island area has the most miles of trails 

(158.4), accounting for 34.6 percent of all TNF trails and constructed from 3,112.5 

MBF of wood products. The Wrangell-Petersburg area has 92.6 mi of trails, represents 20.2 percent of TNF trails, and used 1,821.3 MBF of wood products in its 

construction. The Ketchikan/Misty Fiords area makes up 16 percent of the TNF 

trails system, which is built with 1,443.6 MBF of wood products. The fourth longest 

trails system on the TNF is in the Sitka area, which represents 10.7 percent of the 

entire TNF trails system and is constructed from 961.8 MBF of wood products. 

The Craig/Thorne Bay (Prince of Wales) area has 7.3 percent of the TNF system 

and uses 654.9 MBF of wood products in its construction. Rounding out the sixth 

and seventh rankings are the Yakutat (Skagway-Angoon) and Hoonah areas, which 

combine to make up 11.25 percent of all TNF trails, using 622.5 MBF and 391.4 

MBF of wood products, respectively, in their trails construction. 

Table 4—Trail classes, quantities, wood volumes, and origins

Trail Number Miles TNF Average baselinea Wood use on Typical origin of

class of trails of trails trails wood use TNF trails materials used 

Thousand

- - - - - Percent - - - - - board feet

1 14 23 5 25 111 Native

2 86 166 36 50 1,630 Native 

3 51 92 21 75 1,351 Native 

4 49 130 28 100 2,557 Mix 

5 44 47 10 100 922 Imported

Total 247 458 100 NA 6,571 NA

NA = not applicable. a Baseline of 19,668.1 BF/mi.

Demand dispersion for 

wood products on TNF 

trails is not dispersed 

uniformly throughout 

the various areas of 

the TNF.
Assessing the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build and Maintain Recreational Structures on the Tongass National Forest

13

Number of Utility Bridges on the Tongass National Forest 

Utility bridges (see fig. 6) on the TNF use approximately 10.2 MMBF of wood.8

This includes estimates for 2.3 MMBF of bridge superstructure, 4.5 MMBF of 

bridge deck work, and 3.3 MMBF of bridge work for which the stringer type (log, 

lamina, or steel) is not labeled in the Infra Database (approximately 7.2 percent). 

Therefore, when equally distributing these unlabeled bridge types, there are approximately 125 + 7.2 percent, or 134 lamina bridges (glu-lam, stress-lam, and naillam), totaling approximately 8,128 LF and having average spans of 65 ft. There are 

approximately 362 + 7.2 percent, or 388 utility log bridges on the TNF, with average 

spans of 41 ft or a total of 14,922 LF. Although the approximate 278 + 7.2 percent, 

or 298 steel bridge superstructures on the TNF do not account for wood usage, their 

deck work does. Table 6 summarizes the number of TNF utility bridges by type, 

total lengths, and average spans. 

How Demand Is Dispersed for Wood Products Used in 

Tongass National Forest Bridges

Table 7 shows that construction of utility bridges (log, lamina, and steel) is not 

dispersed uniformly throughout the various areas of the TNF. The WrangellPetersburg area has 264 utility bridges, or 30 percent of all TNF utility bridges. 

The Sitka area has 225 or 25 percent; the Craig/Thorne Bay (Prince of Wales) area 

has 157 or 18 percent; the Hoonah area has 148 or 17 percent; the Ketchikan/Misty 

Table 5—Demand dispersion for wood products on Tongass National Forest (TNF) trails 

 Total MBF at Total MBF at

TNF district/multidistrict areas Trails TNF 100% of baselinea

 73% of baselineb

 Miles Percent Thousand board feet

Juneau/Admiralty Island 158 35 3,113 2,270

Wrangell-Petersburg 93 20 1,821 1,329

Ketchikan/Misty Fiords 73 16 1,444 1,053

Sitka 49 11 962 702

Craig/Thorne Bay (Prince of Wales) 33 7 655 478

Yakutat (Skagway-Angoon) 32 7 623 454

Hoonah 20 4 391 286

 Total miles of trails on the TNF 458 100

 Subtotal volume of wood use 9,009 

 Total volume of wood use 6,571

a Baseline of 19,668.1 BF/mi. 

b 73% of baseline is reflective of an approximate average used for the five trail classes (that is, somewhere around trail class 3).

8 Although not specified in the database, TNF bridges typically use spruce (Picea 

sitchensis (Bong.) Carr) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.). 

Construction of utility 

bridges (log, lamina, 

and steel) is not 

dispersed uniformly 

throughout the various 

areas of the TNF.
14

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-621

Table 6—Number of lengths, and average spans of Tongass National Forest 

utility bridges 

Length of each Average

Bridge type Number of bridges bridge type span

Lineal foot Feet

Log 362 14,992 41

Laminate 125 8,128 65

Steel 278 15,372 55

Subtotal 765

Unlabeled 124

Total 889 38,492 NA

Figure 6—Tongass National Forest wood utility bridge.

Table 7—Demand dispersion for wood products on Tongass National Forest (TNF) utility bridges 

Percentage of TNF Newest 50% Oldest 50% built 

TNF district/multidistrict areas Number of bridges utility bridges built between: between/before:

Juneau/Admiralty Island 27 3 1959–1981 1958

Wrangell-Petersburg 264 30 1982–2002 1965–1981

Ketchikan/Misty Fiords 62 7 1970–1982 NA

Sitka 225 25 1982–2002 19??–1981

Craig/Thorne Bay (Prince of Wales) 157 18 1982–2002 1965–1981

Yakutat (Skagway-Angoon) 6 Negligible 1975–1982 NA

Hoonah 148 17 1982–2003 19??–1981

 Total 889 100

NA = not available.
Assessing the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build and Maintain Recreational Structures on the Tongass National Forest

15

Fiords area has 62 or 7 percent; the Juneau/Admiralty Island area has 27 or 3 

percent; and the Yakutat (Skagway-Angoon) area has 6, a negligible percentage. 

Future TNF timber sales may necessitate bridge construction. However, when 

viewed strictly from date of construction, the most significant maintenance and replacement of utility bridges will be required in the Sitka and Hoonah areas. Of the 

oldest half of the bridges in these two areas (132 and 74, respectively), some were 

built as far back as the early 1900s and through 1981. Although the Juneau/Admiralty Island area has bridges similar in age to those of the Sitka and Hoonah areas, 

it has far fewer bridges than these areas. The Wrangell-Petersburg area will require 

almost as much attention in the future because it has the second highest number of 

bridges on the TNF, of which half (132) were built between 1965 and 1981. In the 

Craig/Thorne Bay (Prince of Wales) area 78 bridges will require substantial attention because they also were built between 1965 and 1981. The Ketchikan/Misty 

Fiords and Yakutat (Skagway-Angoon) areas may not require substantial bridge 

replacement in the foreseeable future because together they make up only about 

7 percent of the bridges on the TNF, all built since 1970.

The Projected Annual Demand for Wood Products Use on the 

Tongass National Forest 

One of this study’s original objectives was to estimate the number of new and 

replacement buildings, trails, and bridges needed as well as the volume of wood 

products required to maintain these existing structures. However much of these 

data are either currently being amassed or simply nonexistent and, therefore, the 

estimation ultimately proved to be beyond the scope of this study for the following 

reasons:

• The average service life for subassemblies in buildings on the TNF (for 

example, roofing, flooring) varies in duration. However, buildings on the 

TNF are between 21 and 31 years old, with an average age of 24 years. This 

indicates that in many instances, the first phase of subassembly replacement 

already has been required to maintain these buildings, and the second phase 

of subassembly replacement is imminent. 

• The amortization schedule for trails has been adjusted so that their service 

life is equated to their economic payback period, typically 30 years. 

• Experts who could indeed qualify their estimates regarding necessary future maintenance and replacement needs suggested that despite associated 

planning intentions, all future construction was dependent on government 

budgeting. 

Future TNF timber 

sales may necessitate 

bridge construction.
16

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-621

Table 8 shows that the three classifications of structures studied were built with 

an estimated 21.3 MMBF of wood products. This estimate is, most probably, conservative because of the broad generalizations used in calculating “typical units” of 

structures. As previously stated, inventories of TNF structures have been and continue to be amassed in an effort to update the Infra Database. Given that these current estimates of TNF structures are most probably conservative, and components 

of the Infra Database currently remain under construction, an alternative method 

for projecting future demand of wood products use (that is, new and replacement 

construction as well as maintenance) is used to forecast various growth scenarios. 

These growth scenarios represent feasible ranges of occurrences from low to high. 

Table 8 displays the results of a 2.5- to 10-percent annual demand schedule for 

wood products used to maintain and construct new and replacement buildings, 

trails, and bridges on the TNF. A low assumed demand of 2.5 percent would require 

an associated supply of 533 MBF per year, 5.0-percent assumed demand requires 

1,065 MBF, 7.5-percent demand equates to a 1.6 MMBF annual supply, and an 

optimistic demand scenario of 10 percent would result in a required supply of 1.9 

MMBF per year. In total, the annual demand for wood products used to build and 

maintain the TNF structures is estimated to be between 533 MBF and 2.1 MMBF 

or, on average, 1.3 MMBF per year. 

The Volume of Regionally Produced Lumber for Potential Use on 

the Tongass National Forest 

Although mill closures have dramatically reduced the volume of lumber produced 

in southeast Alaska (McDowell Group 1998), a limited output is still generated and 

distributed throughout the state. The most recent data available suggest a decline in 

Table 8—Current volume and projected annual demand for wood products use on the 

Tongass National Forest (TNF)

 Current volume of 

Wood use wood products used

classification on the TNF 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0

Million board feet

(percentage of total) - - - - - - Thousand board feet - - - - - -

Buildings 4.5 (21) 113 225 338 450

Trails 6.6 (31) 165 330 495 660

Bridges 10.2 (48) 225 510 765 1,020

 Total TNF wood use 21.3 (100) NA NA NA NA

Total potential

 annual demand

 for TNF wood use NA 533 1,065 1,598 2,130

NA = not applicable.

Percentage of projected annual demand

The annual demand for 

wood products used 

to build and maintain 

the TNF structures 

is estimated to be 

between 533 MBF 

and 2.1 MMBF or, on 

average, 1.3 MMBF 

per year. 
Assessing the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build and Maintain Recreational Structures on the Tongass National Forest

17

southeast Alaska lumber mill production and regional sales between 2000 and 2002 

(Kilborn and others 2004)—and more recent anecdotal evidence indicates that this 

trend is continuing.9 

Because the trend appears to be downward, table 9 addresses the multiple 

changes occurring from 2000 to 2002 rather than focusing on the averages for this 

period. There was a 54.3 percent decrease in regional output during this 2-year 

period, but more remarkably, regional sales fell by 76.1 percent. However, after 

deducting the estimated 4.4 MMBF of native materials used in trail construction 

from the total 21.3 MMBF of TNF wood use (see table 8), the wood products market potential for Alaska wood species substitution is estimated to be approximately 

1.1 MMBF annually. This volume represents 1.3 percent of the regional output for 

2000 and would have increased overall demand in southeast Alaska by 13.9 percent. 

These same figures for 2002 are more dramatic, with the TNF potential consumption representing 2.8 percent of the region’s output and potentially increasing its 

overall demand by 57.1 percent. However, even with the inclusion of the TNF projected demand, overall regional market potential reflects a net decrease of nearly 

28 percent between 2000 and 2002. 

9 Parrent, D.J. 2004. Personal communication. Wood utilization specialist, Juneau Economic 

Development Council, 204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, AK 99835.

Table 9—Most recent southeast Alaska lumber production versus regional sales

 Regional sales TNF regional TNF potential Regional market

 as a percentage demand as a percentage potential as a

Calendar Lumber Regional of total percentage of increase on percentage of

year production sales production total production regional demand total production

Thousand board feet - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - Percent - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2000 87,117.0 8,135.5 9.3 1.3 13.9 10.6

2002 39,801.6 1,942.5 4.9 2.8 57.1 7.7

Conclusion

This study’s findings provide the following insights regarding the potential for 

Alaska wood products substitution. 

• The average annual estimated demand projection for maintenance and 

replacement of buildings, trails, and bridges on the TNF would have 

represented an increase in regional market potential of nearly 14 percent 

for 2000 and 57 percent for 2002. This suggests that there is potential for 

manufacturers in southeast Alaska to increase capacity or reallocate their 

current production and distribution to meet overall demand on the TNF.

The wood products 

market potential for 

Alaska wood species 

substitution is 

estimated to 

be approximately 

1.1 MBF annually.
18

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-621

• Craig/Thorne Bay (Prince of Wales) and Wrangell-Petersburg areas make 

up over 50 percent of all buildings on the TNF (26.9 percent and 23.2 percent, respectively), and buildings in these areas are, on average, 27 years 

old. This suggests that there is potential for local manufacturers who specialize in residential-type wood products to increase capacity or reallocate 

their current production and distribution to meet demand in these specific 

areas of the TNF.

• It is estimated that over three-quarters of the wood products used in constructing TNF trails are native materials (23 percent of all wood products 

used to build and maintain the TNF). This suggests that local manufacturers that produce wood products used for constructing trails would be best 

served not by attempting to meet overall demand for trail building supplies, 

but rather by focusing on the 25 percent of required imported trail materials.10 Additionally, the 75-percent native supply may suggest a niche market 

for regional producers interested in meeting these market demands.

• Utility bridge construction requires the greatest volume of wood consumption for building and maintaining TNF structures (48 percent of the total 

demand for wood products on the TNF). This suggests that bridges account 

for approximately 2.3 times more wood than do buildings on the TNF and 

nearly 1.5 times more wood than required for trail work that uses nonnative 

material. 

• Wrangell-Petersburg and Sitka areas make up 55 percent of all the bridge 

work on the TNF that involves wood products, and 245 bridges are at least 

23 years old. Craig/Thorne Bay (Prince of Wales) and Hoonah areas account for another 35 percent, of which 153 bridges are at least 23 years old. 

Thus, the strongest likelihood for future bridge maintenance and repair is 

in these areas.11 

10 Much of the 25 percent of imported trail material requires pressure treating and is not 

available from Alaska manufacturers because pressure treatment facilities currently do not 

exist within the state. However, this study is intended to point out the volume of Alaska 

species that could be used if such facilities and processes were made available.

11 Note that, in general, bridge designs require longer service life than trails and buildings. 

Therefore, their replacement schedules may not have as much impact as their maintenance 

demands. 

Utility bridge 

construction requires 

the greatest volume 

of wood consumption 

for building and 

maintaining TNF 

structures.
Assessing the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build and Maintain Recreational Structures on the Tongass National Forest

19

The findings produced by this study appear to warrant future research that 

examines the presumably greater market potential for maintaining and replacing 

buildings, trails, and bridges in southeast Alaska that are external to TNF jurisdiction. Additionally, a similar analysis conducted and applied to other Alaska forest 

land would serve as a means for understanding how Alaska wood manufacturers, 

in general, can be made aware of their local and regional projected demand. 

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Barth Hamberg, Dom Monaco, Molly Murphy, Eleanor Oman, 

and Dan Parrent for their technical assistance. 

Metric Equivalents

When you know: Multiply by: To find:

Inches (in) 2.54 Centimeters

Feet (ft) 0.3048 Meters

Square inches (in2

) 645 Square millimeters

Board feet (BF) 0.002358 Cubic meters

Square feet (SF) 0.0929 Square meters

Lineal feet (LF) 0.3048 Lineal meters

Literature Cited

Kilborn, K.A. 2002. Lumber recovery studies of Alaska sawmills, 1997 to 1999. 

Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-544. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 15 p. 

Kilborn, K.A.; Parrent, D.; Housley, R.D. 2004. Estimating sawmill processing 

capacity for Tongass timber. Res. Note PNW-RN-545. Portland, OR: U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 

16 p.

McDowell Group. 1998. The Alaskan market for value-added lumber products. 

The Forest Products Manufacturing Project: a joint project prepared for the 

Alaska Science and Technology Foundation and Industry Network Corporation, 

Anchorage, AK. [Pages unknown].

National Association of Home Builders. 2001. National association of home 

builders (NAHB). www.nahb.com. (April 15, 2004). 
20

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-621

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 2001. Makin’ TRACS: Forest 

Service guide to trail assessment and condition surveys. [Pages unknown]. 

On file with: Alaska Wood Utilization Research and Development Center, 

204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, AK 99835-7316.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 2003. Tongass National 

Forest (TNF). http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/Tongass/. (May 15, 2004).
Assessing the Volume of Wood Products Used to Build and Maintain Recreational Structures on the Tongass National Forest

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