ANNOTATION: This paper will cover the definitions of the composition and composite materials, provide a brief history of this segment of the forest products industry, describe types of building materials now being produced or possible to produce, discuss recent developments, and present the role of forest residue raw materials. Considerable research has been conducted on the use of dead standing trees of western white pine and lodgepole pine for use in various composition board materials. Economic analyses have shown that there are no particular cost penalties associated with the use of the dead material in comparison with standard green material after the raw material has been delivered to the plant site.