Hardwood trees such as red alder, bigleaf maple and Oregon white oak grow across millions of acres in Oregon and Washington. They shade streams, support wildlife and contribute to forest resilience.
A better understanding of the barriers facing hardwood manufacturers can help strengthen the systems that connect forest management, wood utilization and rural communities while supporting more resilient forest landscapes across the Pacific Northwest.
Yet for decades, forest management systems and wood products infrastructure in the region have centered on softwoods. As a result, many hardwood logs harvested alongside softwoods are chipped, burned or sold at low value.
For rural communities and forest-based economies, that represents missed opportunity. When hardwood use is limited by uncertain supply, technical challenges and fragmented markets, landowners have fewer reasons to retain or manage for mixed wood forests. At the same time, small manufacturers working with hardwoods face unstable supply and limited specialized guidance.
Victoria Diederichs, then a graduate student in Oregon State University’s College of Forestry, examined how the region’s hardwood manufacturing sector operates within that environment and how information moves among companies that rely on these underutilized species.
Diederichs’ research formed the basis of her master’s thesis.
She combined 15 in-depth interviews with hardwood company owners and managers with a survey of 34 companies. Using social network analysis, Diederichs mapped how firms share technical knowledge — such as drying, milling and finishing practices — and how they exchange market information about customers, pricing and product trends.
Her analysis found that hardwood manufacturers operate in a specialized and often uncertain niche. Unlike large softwood mills, most do not own timberland. They depend on logs generated during mixed-species harvests or urban and rural salvage. Access to usable material often hinges on relationships with loggers, foresters, arborists and landowners willing to sort and deliver hardwood logs rather than treat them as waste.
Her research also found that technical expertise specific to western hardwoods is limited compared with the well-established knowledge base for softwoods. As a result, companies rely heavily on in-house experimentation and learning by doing. Peer networks and mentorship relationships help spread technical know-how across the sector, while some manufacturers also seek guidance from hardwood-dominant regions and adapt it to western species.
Trust and proximity shape information flow
Market information, by contrast, tends to flow more cautiously. Companies are more likely to share customer and pricing information through reciprocal, trust-based relationships. Geographic proximity also matters. Firms are more likely to exchange information with others located nearby, reinforcing the role of regional industry clusters.
Together, the findings point to bottlenecks that affect hardwood utilization: inconsistent supply chains, limited specialized technical resources and fragile information networks. Those constraints are influenced not only by markets, but also by long-standing management norms and the incentives created by forest practice requirements and reforestation expectations. They also shape how often harvest residues become usable material rather than waste.
Findings can inform forest management
The research highlights the link between markets, information access and forest management. Mixed wood forests can enhance ecological diversity and resilience, but landowners need workable pathways for hardwood use if they are to retain or manage those species over time.
By identifying where supply chain friction and information gaps occur, the research offers insight into how technical assistance, training and coordination could improve hardwood utilization and support more informed decisions across the forest sector.
Public value
As timber markets remain volatile and communities seek to make the most of working forests, this research helps clarify why underutilized hardwood resources so often go unused.
A better understanding of the barriers facing hardwood manufacturers can help strengthen the systems that connect forest management, wood utilization and rural communities while supporting more resilient forest landscapes across the Pacific Northwest.