--: United States 

Department of &! Agr~cuture 

Forest Service 

Southern Forest 

Experiment Station 

New Orleans, 

io~.i~siana 

Research Pa~er 

SO-201 

December, 1983 

ents to 

Harold W. Wisdom, James E. Granskog and Keith A. Blatner 
Puerto Rico's importance as an offshore market for U.S. wood products is 

often overlooked. Because of Puerto Rico's unique Commonwealth status, 

trade flows between the United States and Puerto Rico are recorded separately 

and are not counted in the U.S. foreign trade statistics. In 1981, wood product 

shipments from the United States to Puerto Rico totaled more than $61 million. Softwood plywood and lumber, primarily southern pine, accounted for 

more than one-half of the total value. 
CONTENTS 

Page 

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... I 

BACKGROUND .............................................................................................. 1 

WOOD USE ..................................................................................................... 2 

U.S. SHIPMENTS ........................................................................................... 2 

Roundwood ................................................................................................ 2 

Lumber ......................................................................................................... 2 

Wood Panels ............................................................................................. 3 

Miscellaneous Manufactured Products ...................................................... 4 

FOREIGN SOURCES ................................................................................... 5 

Lumber ...................................................................................................... 5 

Plywood ........................................................................................................ 7 

DISCUSSION ................................................................................................ 7 

LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................... 7 

APPENDIX: Statistics on Wood Product Shipments from 

the United States to Puerto Rico, 1971 - 1981 ..................... 9 

Wood Shipments To Puerto Rico 

Harold W. Wisdom, James E. Granskog and Keith A. Blatner 

INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND 

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico enjoys a unique 

political relationship with the United States. As a 

"freely associated state," it has unrestricted access 

to the U.S. market. Goods flow freely between the 

island and the mainland, although certain goods 

entering Puerto Rico may be subject to Puerto Rico's 

excise taxes (e.g., automobiles). 

The special political arrangement between Puerto 

Rico and the United States creates confusion in 

reporting trade between the two political units. U.S. 

export statistics include exports from Puerto Rico to 

foreign countries. That is, Puerto Rico is treated 

merely as one more U.S. customs district, and 

exports from Puerto Rico are counted as part of total 

U.S. exports. Trade flows between the United States 

and Puerto Rico, recorded separately, are not counted 

in the U.S. foreign trade statistics, since Puerto Rico 

is not a foreign country. 

However, the reality that Puerto Rico is an island, 

dependent on ocean shipping for much of its needs, 

distinguishes its market from that of the continental 

states. Rather than as a region within the U.S. economy, Puerto Rico is perhaps more associated with 

exporting by mainland wood shippers. But because 

shipments to Puerto Rico are not listed among export 

statistics, its importance as an offshore market-particularly for the southern forest products industry - 

can be overlooked. 

This report describes wood product shipments 

from the United States to Puerto Rico. Data sources 

were unpublished microfiche copies and computer 

tapes of the Bureau of Census report EA 694, "U.S. 

Trade with Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands," 

and selected issues of the Puerto Rico Planning 

Board annual report, "Puerto Rico External Trade 

Statistics." 

Although Puerto Rico originally was largely forested with tropical species containing high quality 

'timber, its harvesting and processing of timber products in significant quantities ceased long ago. Clearing of privately owned lands for agriculture and the 

removal of timber from public lands early in this century left timber harvesting a marginal economic 

activity in Puerto Rico. By the 1940's, the natural 

forest area of Puerto Rico had declined to 6 percent of 

the land area (Birdsey and Weaver 1982). 

To encourage economic development and to reduce 

dependence on agriculture, Puerto Rico began to 

promote rapid industrialization in the late 1940's. 

The inability of wood products manufacturing to 

compete with new industries caused further decline of 

wood processing on the island. Fuelwood was 

replaced first by kerosene and later by electrical 

energy. Mass importation of furniture, beginning in 

the 1950's, almost eliminated what was formerly an 

important industry, the manufacture of furniture 

from local and other tropical woods. Rural workers 

migrated to the towns and cities to find jobs in the 

rapidly expanding industrial sector and wage rates 

increased rapidly. The remaining furniture and millwork industry modernized its equipment, making it 

intolerant of domestic lumber produced on crude 

mills with low quality control standards. A shift to 

concrete housing and the trend toward modern furniture styles further limited the market for domestic 

production. Increasingly, imported plywood replaced 

solid wood in the manufacture of furniture and in 

concrete forming. By the end of the 1950's, except for 

locally-grown posts for agriculture, these factors left 

the island virtually dependent upon imports to meet 

its wood needs. 

Harold W. Wisdom is Associate Professor, Keith A. Blatner is Graduate Research Assistant, Depztzent of Forestry and Wildlife 

Resources, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia. James E. Granskog is Principal Economist, Southern 

Forest Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service, New Orleans, Louisiana. This research was funded in part by cooperative agreement No. 

19-351 between Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the USDA Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station, 

New Orleans, LA. The authors thank Ralph C. Schmidt, Chief, Forest Service, Department of Natural Resources, Commonwealth of Puerto 

Rico, for providing Puerto ftico import statistics for lumber and plywood. 
WOOD USE 

Puerto Rico's use of wood is tempered by culture 

and climate. Concrete is the preferred housing construction material. The susceptibility of traditional 

wood houses to termites and hurricane damage has 

discouraged wood construction, except in the rural 

interior of the island. 

Softwood lumber and plywood, meanwhile, have 

become important in construction, but largely for 

scaffolding and concrete forming (fig. I. and 2). Structural use of lumber and plywood has been limited 

primarily to roof framing and roof sheathing. A 

smaller but active market is the decorative use of 

lumber, such as carports, fences, and recreation 

areas, where southern pine and Douglas-fir often are 

stained to look like redwood (fig. 3). 

However, tentative evidence suggests that the 

strong preference for concrete housing may be weakening. In very recent years, a growing use of wood in 

the construction of second floors on suburban homes 

has occurred (fig. 4). Wooden vacation homes also 

have increased in the interior of the island. Whether 

these changes represent an aberration or a beginning 

Photo by John K isdom 

Figure I.-The use of lumber in housing construction in 

Puerto Rico. 

trend, due to the current disparity in the costs of the 

two types of construction, remains to be seen. 

Given its almost complete dependence upon 

imports, Puerto Rico today is an important market 

for wood products. With more than 3 million inhabitants and the highest per capita income in the Caribbean, the island has significant purchasing power. 

The absence of trade barriers and proximity to the 

United States make Puerto Rico an attractive offshore market for wood products. 

U.S. SHIPMENTS 

U.S. shipments of wood products-roundwood, 

lumber, wood-based panels, and miscellaneous manufactured products-to Puerto Rico were valued above 

$61 million in 1981. Shipments by major commodity 

group since 1971 are illustrated in figure 5. Panel 

products accounted for about one-half of the total 

value in 1981, followed by Iumber with one-quarter of 

the value. Roundwood products, the smallest group, 

have exhibited the fastest growth over the decade, 

while miscellaneous manufactured products have 

experienced the slowest. 

Among individual products, softwood plywood 

and softwood lumber have accounted for more than 

half of the value of shipments in recent years. The 

values by year for the principal products shipped, as 

well as volume figures cited in the following discussion of product groupings, are reported in the! appendix tables. 

Roundwood 

Roundwood shipments in 1981 totaled $3.3 million, 

of which 90 percent was poles used by the government-owned electric-power utility. Shipments fluctuate according to the utility's program of line expansion and pole replacement. 

Prior to 1978, shipments of poles, piling, and posts 

were identified separately and by different measurement units (table 1). Since 1978, these products have 

been regrouped according to length and treatment. 

Most shipments in the remaining pole and post categories are treated products. 

The modest quantity of logs sent to Puerto Rico 

reflects the absence of a primary wood manufacturing 

industry. Except for a brief surge in 1975 - 78, log 

shipments have been less than 1 million board feet 

annually. Most softwood logs are southern pine; most 

hardwoods are oak. A substantial volume of the softwood logs may be poles and piling that have been 

incorrectly classified. 

Lumber 

Lumber shipments rose from 26 million board feet 

in 1971 to 55 million in 1980, before slumping to 41 

million board feet in 1981. Shipments have been 
Photo bv John Wisdom 

Figure 2.-The use ofplymood in housing construction in Puerto Rico. 

Table 1.-Roundmood shipments from the United Stntu.9 to Puerto 

Rico, 1971,1980, and 1981 

Product 1971 1980 1981 

Logs (thousand bd. ft., Scribner) 37 160 14 

Piling (thousand linear ft.) 38 * 

Poles and posts (thousands, no.) 2 37 23 

Wood chips (tons) 0 213 0 

*Piling is included under poles and posts. 

largely softwood, although hardwood climbed to 20 

percent of the total in 1981 (fig. 6). 

An increasing percentage of the softwood lumber 

shipments has been southern pine. Since 1974, the 

peak year for other softwood species. southern pine 

jumped from 63 to 95 percent in 1981. Douglas-fir is 

the other principal softwood lumber species shipped. 

A large majority of all softwood is dressed lumber, 

which is typical of lumber exports to Caribbean markets. 

Although hardwood lumber shipments are relatively small, they have been rising in recent years. 

Hardwood lumber is used almost entirely by the furniture and millwork industry. The bulkiness of assembled furniture compared with the raw material and 

high ocean freight rates have left furniture manufacture as one of the few wood-using industries to survive in Puerto Rico. Oak has been the most important 

hardwood lumber species shipped. 

Wood Panels 

Photo h\ Johr !"r 1-dom Softwood plywood, hardwood veneer, and particleFigure 3.-The use of lumber for decorative purposes En hozas- board dominate U.S. panel shipments to Puerto Rico. 

ing zn Puerto Rico (redwood and southern pine) Hardwood plywood shipments have been less than 
Photo by John Wisdom 

Figure 4.-The use of lumber in the second story ofurban housing in Puerto Rico. 

one million square feet annually in recent years, 

although volume was up in 1981. Softwood veneer 

shipments have been minimal. 

Substantial changes were made in the softwood 

plywood shipping classifications in 1978. Prior to 

1978, softwood plywood shipments were contained in 

two categories-interior and exterior plywood. A 

third category covered shipments of plywood faced 

with other materials and wood veneer panels. 

Since 1978, softwood plywood shipments have 

been classified according to species-Douglas-fir, 

southern pine, and other. Table 2 shows that southern pine accounts for most of the shipments. The 

other species category includes plywood covered with 

other materials, but not reinforced or backed wood 

veneer panels, which are now included under softwood veneer. Since most shi~ments are exterior 

grades used for concrete forming, southern pine likely 

constituted most softwood plywood shipped prior to 

1978. Douglas-fir may represent minimal interior 

grade shipments. 

Particleboard shipments almost equalled the value 

of softwood lumber shipments in 1981. Like softwood 

lumber, particleboard shipments are probably cornposed primarily of southern pine material, but source 

materials are not identified. Thus, Puerto Rico probably represents by far the largest offshore market for 

southern particleboard. Pafticleboard shipments to 

Puerto Rico averaged 34 million square feet in 

1980 - 81, while annual exports of southern particleboard recently have totaled only about 11 million 

square feet (Wisdom, Granskog, and Peeler 1983). 

Particleboard is widely used for furniture manufacture and in cabinet construction. 

Table 2.-C!S. softwood plywood shipments to Puerto Rico, by 

species proup, 1978 - 81 

Year Total Species Group 

Douglas-fir Southern pine Other species 

Hardwood veneer shipments also are largely used 

in furniture making. Hardwood plywood shipments 

have been relatively small, since Puerto Rico, like the 

United States, imports most of its hardwood plywood 

from foreign sources. 

Miscellaneous Manufactured Products 

A wide range of miscellaneous wood articles 

shipped to Puerto Rico reflects the nearly total dependence of the island on outside sources for needed 

wood. As a group, these shipments have had the slowest growth. Although some shipments show increases 

in terms of current dollars, they actually have 

decreased when adjusted for inflation (table 3). 

Among the various products, decorative wood articles-carved figures, picture frames, bookends, and 

jewelry boxes-are a large item. This category 

reflects importance, in part, of sales of wood carvings 

and curios to tourists. Fuelwood and charcoal shipments-mostly charcoal briquettes-also have 

increased significantly. 
On the other hand, builders' woodwork-once the 

most important product category-and cooperage 

have declined. The growth of the millwork and joinery 

industry in Puerto Rico has reduced imports of doors, 

window units, and other millwork. Cooperage imports 

by the island's large rum industry have slowed in 

recent years. 

FOREIGN SOURCES 

A review of the Puerto Rico wood market requires 

a look at foreign sources for lumber and plywood, the 

two largest imports. Of particular interest to U.S. 

producers have been the changes among the suppliers 

of softwood lumber. 

Lumber 

Table 4 shows average annual lumber shipments to 

Puerto Rico from dl sources for the period 1979 - 81. 

Receipts of hardwood lumber are small relative to 

soft.jvood. The United States supplies half of the 

hardwood lumber, while Latin America provides the 

other half. Being a more heterogeneous product than 

softwood lumber, the desired characteristics of the 

various hardwood species imported-primarily oak 

Table 3.-Actual and deflated ~ialue of miscellaneous manufactur~d 

product shipments 

Product Actual Deflated* 

1971 1981 1981 

Fuelwood & charcoal 

Cooperage 

Builders' woodwork 

Prefab. wood structures 

Decorative wood articles 

Wood handles 

Other 

Total 

--------- thousand dollars ------------. 

71 700 342 

268 282 125 

1,688 780 344 

284 322 159 

402 874 386 

152 388 149 

2,295 5,808 2,843 

5,178 9,104 4,348 

*Deflated using Producer Price Indexes for Vl-ood Products, 

1971 = 100. 

Table 4.-Arjerage annual lumber shipmerats to Puerto Rico from 

all sources, FY 1979 -81 

Source Hardwood Softwood 

Thousand % Thousand "0 

bd. ft. bd. ft. 

United States 5,854 5 1 39,906 39 

Canada 2 58,399 57 

Central America 270 2 2,113 2 

South America 5.329 47 2,455 2 

Total 11.455 100 102,873 100 

'Less than 0.5 percent. 

from the United States and mahogany from Latin 

America-determine sources of supply more so than 

for softwood. 

Canada currently supplies a majority of the softwood lumber. The United States and Latin America, 

primarily Honduras and Nicaragua, follow. In past 

years, however, substantial changes have occurred in 

the market shares held by the three major softwood 

lumber suppliers (table 5 and fig. 7). Southern pine 

from the United States dominated the softwood lumber market in Puerto Rico until the mid 1950's. But 

at that point, Canadian and Central American softwood imports began to increase until, by 1974, they 

constituted 83 percent of the market. Since 1974, the 

United States has recovered in part, increasing its 

share to about 40 percent, despite an overall decline 

in softwood lumber imports due to a recession in 

Puerto Rico's housing industry. 

Decline in the U.S. share of the Puerto Rico softwood lumber market resulted from differences in 

ocean freight costs between foreign and U.S. shipping, a decline in the availability of southern pine 

lumber, and aggressive marketing by export-oriented 

Canadian producers. First, the Jones Act requires 

U.S. shippers to use relatively expensive U.S. lines, 

whereas Canadian and Central American shippers 

can use less expensive carriers. Second, following 

World War 11, the declining southern pine lumber 

industry was dominated by many small operators 

who focused attention on domestic markets, while 

developing lumber industries in the competing supply areas included large-scale export operations. 

Thus, Puerto Rico's lumber importers could fill 

orders through a single supplier in Canada and Central America, whereas they often had to contact several southern suppliers. Lastly, Canadian suppliers in 

particular looked upon their export trade as a longterm commitment, whereas southern producers 

gained a reputation as "in-and-outers." That is, 

southern producers were perceived as interested in 

the Puerto Rico market only as an alternative to a 

depressed domestic market. 

The partial recovery of market share by the United 

States since 1974 reflects a decline in imports from 

Central American and more interest by southern 

lumbermen in shipping to overseas markets. Lumber 

from Honduras has risen in cost while quality has 

declined as the most accessible high-quality stands 

have been harvested; and political unrest has disrupted the flow of lumber from Nicaragua. Since 

1975, southern pine exports have risen dramatically, 

which demonstrates producers have increased efforts 

to sell lumber to all overseas markets in recent years 

(Granskog 1981). Canadian lumber has maintained its 

market share, although the volume imported has followed the overall decline in lumber imports due to the 

slowdown in housing construction. 
Table 5.-Softuood lumber shipments to Puerto Rico from all sources, selected fiscal years - 

Fiscal Total, United Foreim sources 

pear all sources States Total Canada Latin America Other 

Table 6.-Shipments ofplywood to Puerto Rico from all sources, FY 1980 

Source Hardwood Softwood 

Thousand sq. ft. '70 Thousand sq. ft. ~;'o 

United States 

Central America 

South America 

Asia 

Other 

Total 64,314 100 58,635 100 

+Although Puerto Rico government reports do not show receipts of U.S. hardwood plywood during the 1980 fiscal year, table A5 indicates average U.S. shipments for calendar years 1979 and 

1980 may account for about 1 percent of Puerto Rico's hardwood plyurood imports. 

*Less than 0.5 percent. 

LUMBER pLl l6 

PANEL PRODUCTS i3- 

- MILLION GOLL4RS 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 

Figure 5.-Value of wood shipments to Puerto Rico, by majorprod- Figure 6.-Lumber shipments from the United States to Puerto 

ucts. 1971 and 1981. Rico. 
1951 1956 '96' 1966 971 976 I98 

YEAR 

Figure 7.-Softwood lumber shipments to Puerto Riro, from all 

sources, 1950 - 81. 

Plywood 

Shipments of plywood to Puerto Rico from all 

sources for 1980 are shown in table 6. Most hardwood 

plywood, as noted, is imported from foreign sourcesone-half from Asia and the remainder largely from 

South America. South Korea and Taiwan are the primary Asian suppliers, while Brazil is the principal 

source in South America. 

Unlike the situation for softwood lumber, almost 

all softwood plywood is received from the United 

States. This predominant flow is largely explained by 

the competiveness of southern pine for the preferred 

uses and the U.S. tariff on softwood plywood imports 

from Canada. 

DISCUSSION 

The combination of a large and rapidly growing 

population, the highest per capita income in the Caribbean, complete dependence upon imported wood, 

and an absence of trade barriers make Puerto Rico an 

attractive market for wood products. For various 

reasons, however, the U.S. forest products industry 

has not taken full advantage of the large market at its 

shores. Despite the advantage of proximity and a virtual monopoly on the market until the 1950's, southern pine lumber steadily lost ground to foreign 

imports during the 1960's and early 1910's. Although 

recent events have enabled southern shippers to 

recapture a portion of that lost market, the statistics 

presented in this report suggest that southern pine 

shipments could be increased substantially, perhaps 

doubling in volume. Reaching this level will require 

more attention to marketing services, such as broad 

product mixes and security of supply. 

Lumber buyers in Puerto Rico place a premium on 

the stability of supply. While lumber normally makes 

up only a small part of the total cost of housing, it 

still is an essential ingredient of construction methods used. Delays in construction due to the absence of 

forming lumber are costly far beyond the direct cost 

of the material. Keeping in mind that all lumber must 

be imported and ocean shipments may take from 3 to 

4 weeks, one can readily see a secure supply is important to Puerto Rican buyers.' 

Finally, Puerto Rico's wood imports also may be 

viewed as representing a potential for the resurgence 

of a modest wood manufacturing industry on the 

island, based upon the utilization of domestic woods. 

Following the retirement of agricultural land, the forest area has been increasing during the past 30 years. 

About a third of the land area is now forested, almost 

half of which is classed as timberland (Birdsey and 

Weaver 1982). However, most desirable species are in 

young secondary forests, and existing sawtimber of 

generally poor quality is scattered. Given the nature 

of the timber and the substantial capital investment 

needed for economical production of commodity-type 

products, substitution for softwood plywood and 

lumber would be difficult; yet, opportunities for 

small-scale production of specialty items may exist. 

If forest management opportunities are pursued, 

Puerto Rico eventually may be partially able to 

reduce dependence upon wood imports, and provide 

much needed employment in the rural areas of the 

island. For the foreseeable future, though, the wood 

market in Puerto Rico represents a sizeable opportunity for U.S. wood producers. 

LITERATURE CITED 

Birdsey, R. A.; Weaver, P. L. The forest resources of 

Puerto Rico. Resource Bull. SO-85. New Orleans, 

LA4: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station; 1982. 59 

PGranskog, J. E. Southern pine exports revive! So. 

Lumberman. 242(3016):63 - 65; 1981. 

Wisdom, H. W.; Granskog, J. E.; Peeler, R. J., 111. 

Southern exports of wood products 1967 - 80. Res. 

Pap. SO-193. New Orleans, LA: U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Forest 

Experiment Station; 1983,20 p. 

'Personal interviews by the senior author with Mr. Raphael Del 

Corc and Mr. Eduardo Molino, major lumber dealers in San Juan, 

Puerto Rico. 

APPENIIIX 

Statistics on Wood Product Shipments from the United States to Puerto Rico 1971 - 81 

List of Appendix Tables 

Page 

Al. Value of wood product shipments from the United States to 

Puerto Rim, 1971 - 81 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 

A2. Roundwood shipments from the United States to Puerto Rico, 1971 - 81 .................. 10 

A3. Softwood lumber shipments from the United States to Puerto Rico, 1971 - 81 ......... 10 

A4. Hardwood lumber shipments from the United States to Puerto Rico, 1971 - 81 ........ 11 

A5. Wood panel shipments from the United States to Puerto Rico, 1971 - 81 .................. 11 

A6. Shipments of miscellaneous wood articles from the United States to 

Puerto Rico, 1971 - 81 ............................................................................................... 11 
Table A1.- Value of woodproduct shipments from the United States to Puerto Rico, 19Zl-81 

Commodity 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 

-------------------------------thousand dollars - - - 

Roundwood 

Softwood logs 1 24 63 101 1,186 1,050 1.062 531 277 27 2 

Hardwood logs 2 1 43 17 158 1,150 956 755 226 143 114 11 

Piling & Poles 59 348 963 2,097 5,629 1.711 4,304 917 1,317 3,041 3,022 

Other Roundwood pppp------p 

12 15 7 20 0 26 4 I75 161 496 299 

Total roundwood 93 430 1,050 2.376 7,965 3.743 6,125 1,849 1,898 3,678 3,334 

Lumber 

Softwood lumber 3,774 4,208 5,157 7,932 7,959 11,079 12,659 10.994 13,061 17,490 11,337 

Hardwood lumber pp--------p 

349 428 410 999 1.011 1.155 802 1,695 2,512 2,506 4,859 

Total lumber 4,123 4,636 5,567 8,931 8,970 12,234 13,461 12.689 15,573 19,996 16,196 

Wood Panels 

Softwood veneer 4 0 6 0 0 0 0 6 29 25 4 1 

Hardwood veneer ----------- 23 8 4 36 165 3 3 425 1,335 537 523 

Total veneer 27 8 10 36 165 S 3 431 1,364 562 564 

Softwood plywood 5,865 7,949 10,623 8,897 11,601 14,713 14,114 15,840 18,591 14,752 20,760 

Hardwood plywood ----------- 566 688 1,300 3.567 939 602 551 272 319 317 833 

Total plywood 6,422 8,637 11,923 12,464 12,540 15,315 14,665 16,112 18.910 15,069 21,593 

Particleboard* 479 572 745 3,740 733 2.371 3,502 5,036 4,772 6,570 10,568 

Total wood panels 6,928 9,217 12,678 16,240 13,438 17,689 17,170 21,579 25,046 22,201 32,725 

Miscellaneous Wood Products 

Charcoal & fuelwood 71 112 197 218 363 376 331 114 458 666 700 

Cooperage 286 678 730 473 494 660 476 216 779 297 282 

Builder's woodwork 1,688 1,351 1,560 1,493 1,183 1,270 810 752 698 873 780 

Decorative wood 402 599 775 560 448 418 862 925 2,016 923 874 

Other miscellaneous ---~~2,731 3,955 4,242 4,972 4,515 4,176 3,273 4,753 4,769 6,702 6,468 

Total miscellaneous 5,178 6,695 7,504 7,716 7.003 6,900 5,752 6,760 7,720 9,461 9,104 

Total Wood Products 16,322 20,978 26,799 35,263 37,376 40,566 42,508 42.877 50,237 55,336 61,359 

*Includes other reconstructed wood. 

Table A2.-Roundu~ood shipments from the li'nited State% to 

Puerto Rico, 1971 - 81 

Year Logs Piling Poles 

thousand bd. ft. thousand tin. it. NO. 

1971 3 7 38 2,366 

1972 194 1 6,466 

1973 290 5 20,243 

1974 623 10 30,674 

1975 7,402 36 70,980 

1976 6,704 138 28,304 

1977 4,881 0 29,452 

1978 1,192 10,848 

1979 400 * 12,069 

1980 160 * 26,909 

1981 14 22,789 

*Since 1918, piling has been included under poles. 

Table A3.-Softu~ood lumbershinments from the lrnited Stotes to Puerto Rico. 1,971 -81 

All softwood Southern pine Other softwoods* 

Year Total Rough Dressed Total Rough Dressed Total Rough Dressed 

------dhousund board feet 

16,870 4,111 

13,733 2,747 

13,073 2,228 

19,061 5,539 

28,016 9,534 

43,356 7,661 

40,947 5,370 

30,430 4,813 

34,507 6,133 

44,923 6,568 

31,051 4,581 
Table A4.-Hardwood lumber shipments from the United States to 

Puertoliico, by species, 1971 -81 

Year Total Ash & Oak Walnut Other 

Hickory 

--------------------------thousand bd, ft. 

1971 2,873 96 1,395 9 1,373 

1972 2,793 21 1,288 23 1,461 

1973 1,907 13 896 0 998 

1974 3,877 247 792 1,014 1,824 

1975 2,965 358 637 0 1,970 

1976 3,953 86 2,138 150 1,579 

1977 1,499 38 513 58 890 

1978 4,489 14 2,883 97 1,495 

1979 5,884 0 4,312 0 1,572 

1980 5,411 25 2,254 115 3,017 

1981 8,152 18 2.181 25 5,928 

Table A5.- Wood panel shipments from the United States to Puerto Rico, 1971 -81 

Veneer Plywood Particleboard 

Year Total Softwood Hardwood Total Softwood Hardwood Other 

tos square feet 

1971 839 16 823 41,648 39,301 1,204 1.143 3,431 

1972 184 0 184 46,929 43,663 1,939 1,327 5,135 

1973 233 205 28 49,214 44,629 2,380 2,205 4,914 

1974 1,280 0 1,280 57,452 48,048 5,408 3,996 22,194 

1975 3,340 0 3,340 68,152 64,961 1,122 2,069 4,229 

1976 190 0 190 71,384 62,831 709 7,844 13,694 

1977 79 0 79 49,500 48,069 442 989 13,167 

1978 10,766 136 10,630 89,168 88,202 880 86 4,374 

1979 44,808 233 44,575 53,051 52,039 476 536 28,750 

1980 19,558 396 19,162 47,866 46,726 839 301 39,538 

1981 23,957 383 23.574 78,956 75,025 3,725 206 28,630 

Table A6.-Shipments of miscellaneous wood articles from the United States to Puerto Rico, 1971 -81 

Year Total Fuelwood Cooperage Builder's Prefab wood Decorative Wood Other 

& 

charcoal 

wood work structures wood articles handles 
Wisdom, Harold W.; Granskog, James E.; Blatner, Keith A. 

Wood Shipments to Puerto Rico. Res. Pap. SO-201. New 

Orleans, LA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station; 1983. 11 p. 

U.S. shipments of wood products-roundwood, lumber, 

wood-based panels, and miscellaneous manufactured products-to Puerto Rico are presented for the years 1971 

through 1981. 

Additional keywords: Foreign trade, forest products, overseas markets.