Abstract: Lumber sorting systems and methods that use adaptive lumber management to tailor the distribution of lumber to improve the yield and aesthetic properties of a product are disclosed. An adaptive lumber management system in accordance with the present disclosure may comprise a lumber scanner configured to record one or more characteristics of each board and create a data file for each board comprising information regarding the characteristic of the board. A processor may be configured to determine a target tray for each board based on the data files. The processor may be further configured to generate at least one mapping. The system may further comprise a sorting mechanism configured to sort the plurality of boards into their respective target trays and at least one tipple configured to select each board or the plurality of boards from the plurality of trays according to the at least one mapping.