The U.S. Army announced plans to shift to using U.S. grown and milled white oak for the decking of U.S. Department of Defense flatbed trucks, according to the Hardwood Federation.
To aid the Army in assessing the availability and costs of domestic white oak, the Hardwood Federation is asking U.S. suppliers to fill out a survey by Dec. 28.
The Army had previously imported apitong and keruing species for its decking. The switch to U.S. hardwood comes after the listing of numerous apitong species as extinct, critically endangered or endangered. It is now reaching out to the U.S. forestry industry and to identify potential commercial sources for white oak trailer floorboards, the Hardwood Federation said.
The Army uses roughly 1 million board feet of hardwood each year.
