Also read one of Tom Clancy's novels: At the beginning of the book, they make a big deal of some Japanese getting three perfect specimens that were long like that for some religious building or church or something. Huge $$$ for the loggers. I forget the name of the book, but the logs get loose from a ship during a storm and one of our subs runs into it, damaging it.
Probably power poles. They are a premium value item. 115 KV distribution lines require them that long. Still cheaper than concrete, steel, or wood laminate poles. Could also be for piling.