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I helped my father build our house in the Seattle area back in the late 1960’s. I remember picking out 2x4’s with him back then.

A couple of months ago I was at the local lowes trying to pick out wood for the last bit of railing for our 40x24 porch and the ENTIRE STACK of 2x4’s were almost worthless. I didn’t need perfection and found the four boards I needed, but even they were flawed - cut from the edge of the tree with bark in large parts of the corner of the wood profile, or the bark gone. Those edges I could hide though.

But most of the boards were so TWISTED as to be literally unusable. I wondered if wood somehow changed in the last decade.

I avoid them now if I can help it.

I didn’t need perfection and found the four boards I needed, but even they were flawed - cut from the edge of the tree with bark in large parts of the corner of the wood profile, or the bark gone.

Using the proper terms about lumber, those imperfections are called "wane." Yes, wane mostly comes from the lumber milled from the out edges of the tree.

Most framing lumber you see at Lowes or HD are #2 SPF S4 which means they are a grade 3 or 4 in real terms. SPF is Spruce, Pine Fir, the S4 means surface dry 4 sides. Framing lumber is shipped at about 20% moisture content and dries in use to about 6 to 9$ moisture depending on where you are. The stacks at Lowes and HD are kept indoors in a conditioned space (heated and cooled) thus the are drying in the racks, as they dry in the racks they are un-restrained (as in not fastened in a structure) this is why they twist and warp.

I’ve been a builder over 40 years, yards I buy from the lumber is kept outdoors in the shade, the wood is more stable prior to use that way. Also lumber that is allowed to air dry to far will be harder to fasten (nail or screw) and split more easily. I try not to order material too far ahead as protecting it from sun damage ( more twisting and warping) is a problem.

That being said, as far as interior finish materials (wood) I try to buy them as far ahead as possible so they can be stickered (stacked with air spaces) inside to acclimate and harden off.