What percentage of the average tree turns into sawdust, chips, or bark during the milling process?

During the milling process, a significant amount of the raw material from trees is converted into byproducts such as sawdust, chips, and bark. The average figure for the amount of usable material extracted from a tree typically hovers around the 50% mark. This means that approximately half of the tree’s volume is turned into the desired lumber products, while the other half results in byproducts, which often includes sawdust and wood chips.

Understanding this ratio is important for forestry workers as it highlights the efficiency of wood utilization, the importance of managing waste, and the potential for recycling or repurposing byproducts in other applications. This knowledge is critical for making informed decisions about logging practices and resource management within the forestry industry.