Most of my big diy home construction projects happened to overlap with the pandemic, and when I described the wet lumber problems to a local with more building experience he was so confident their lumber was properly kiln dried he attacked my ability to measure and cut properly...

I'm not sure if I should feel better or worse about the situation knowing home depot has been doing this long before the pandemic.

I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge that the lumber from the big (blue and orange) box stores is incredibly lacking in quality.

That wood from Stimson is the worst ever. I don't think you can buy worse. I've used all sorts in my life and HD consistently has lumber that cannot even be used to start fires until you dry it.

Plywood is fine, but if you need anything you build to last, buy pressure treated at HD, or buy plain lumber somewhere else.

(I bought some 2x4s for a non-permanent project during the pandemic. It was so soft and wet that when I fired a railgun into one of the pieces, the nail went all the way through. That should not happen)

Whenever I go to Lowes, I always like to go by the lumber section (even when I'm not there for lumber) just to see how warped the dimensional lumber is. It's always a depressing experience.

Just making sure you're not buying the pressure treated wood?

HD sells pressure treated wood that's then kiln dried (KDAT), if you would like to open up a large line of credit with them.

No, just garden variety 2x4x8 kiln-dried studs. Normally a few bucks apiece but going for closer to ten right now.

YMMV, but for people who need actual kiln-dried wood it's usually a better option to go to a real lumber yard.