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How much of a tree that is cut down is sold as timber?

For the average hardwood tree cut down to make timber, only about one-eighth of the original volume is sold. Half the total wood volume is left in the woods as tops, limbs, and logging residue; about a quarter is lost as sawdust, slabs, and edgings in the sawmill; and one-eighth disappears as shavings and machining residues.

Source: Pennsylvania Woodland News, vol. 5, no. 1 (January-February 1991), p. 2.

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