Not an expert in growing timber, but I've made some observations over my life.
Good timber doesn't come from growing "trees". They come from growing forests.
Look at the trees which did not grow up in forests or other similar stands were you have a lot of trees growing together. For example, trees that are planted in yards, widely separated from each other. They don't grow the same.
For trees to make good timber, they need to grow straight and tall. If they're "packed together", they do this because they're in competition with each other for light. They shoot up straight so they can reach it, with long trunks and fewer low limbs.
A lone tree will, of course, grow pretty tall depending on breed, location, etc. But their trunk develops and grows limbs down low, because they can get light down low. They may grow in a leaning/bent fashion, based on how the sunlight reaches them where they're at.
So if you want to grow timber, you have to plant a whole cr*pload over acres and acres in order to maximize the quality yield per tree.