Short communication. Lumber yield and production time in sawmilling of pallets in Durango, Mexico

Aim of study: Evaluate times and yields in the transformation of pine logs to pieces of pallets.Area of study: Four sawmills of the forest region of El Salto, Durango, Mexico.Material and methods: The sample size was 388 logs with 32.91 m3 as volume without bark grouped in four diameter classes and five taper classes. The transformation time was estimated using the “Snap-back timing” method, and yield was defined as the ratio between pallets and log volume.Main results: The time required to obtain 1000 bft of pallets is approximately 5.8 hours and the mean yield is 56%. This means that for each cubic meter of logs without bark, it is possible to obtain 240 board feet of pallets (bft). In addition, 4.16 m3 of logs without bark are required to obtain 1000 board feet of pallets. The estimated mean productivity was 0.54 m3/h.Research highlights: As the log diameter increases, yield also increases. The taper of the logs was not significant in the transformation yield.Key words: Indicators of productivity; pallets; diameter logs; taper; sawmilling process; lumber yield; raw material; Mexico