Lumbering

Production and Consumption.

The average annual produc tion of lumber in the United States for the five-year period, 1923 28, was approximately 37,000,000,000 bd.ft., of which 31,000,000 000 was softwood, and 6,000,000,00o was hardwood. In the five year period, 1933-38, it averaged 21,200,000,000 bd.ft. of which 17,700,000,00o bd.ft. was softwood, and 3,500,000,000 hardwood. In 1937 it reached a total of 26,000,000,000ft., about 4o% of which was produced in the South, including the Carolinas, and ap proximately 42% in the Pacific North-west and California. About 83% of the total production consists of softwoods, the leading species being southern pine and Douglas fir. Oak, gum, and maple are the principal hardwoods (see U.S. Bureau of Census). The United States is the world's largest lumber-producing country. It is also the largest consumer of lumber, using between 65% and 70% of its annual production for building and all other construc tion. About 8% of the total supply is consumed by the railroads for ties, timber, and planking, and 24% by manufacturers other than those remanufacturing lumber into building materials. In ad dition to the lumber and lumber products previously mentioned, approximately 3,620,000,000 cu.ft. of wood are removed annually for fuel from the commercial forests of the United States. The paper industry consumed approximately 10,400,00o cords of pulp wood in 1937. About 1,5oo,000 cords of pulpwood and tons of wood pulp were imported in 1937 (U.S. Department of Commerce).

In 1937 there were 7,647 establishments which reported produc tion of lumber and timber products only, valued at $5,00o or more. These establishments employed 323,928 wage-earners; paid wages amounting to $275,033,684 ; used materials, supplies, and fuel cost ing $345,800,156; produced products valued at $848,481,316. In the lumber and allied products industries (forest products indus tries) in 1937, there were establishments, employing approx imately 754,000 persons, earning wages and salaries totalling about $764,000,000, and producing products valued at $2,440,000,000.

Value of products included cost of materials, fuel, supplies, etc., of $1,174,000,000 and value added by manufacture of $1,266, 000,000 (Bureau of Census). In 1929, 3,250,000 railway cars were loaded with lumber and lumber products. In 1937 these car loadings were 1,828,000. Water shipments through the Panama canal in the fiscal year 1937 were 2,750,000 long tons. Exports of lumber and sawn timber in 1937 were 1,413,850,00o feet. Lumber imports in 1937 totalled 687,000,000 bd.ft., of which softwoods amounted to 572,50o,000ft. and hardwoods (including sawed cabi net woods) to 114,100,000 feet. Spruce is the leading species im ported. About 90% of all softwood imports are from Canada.

Biennial census figures for 1937 show forest products (including remanufactures) as fifth on a list of 15 general industrial groups in number of wage-earners and tenth in value of products. In the

States of Washington, Oregon, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Montana, Idaho, and New Mexico, lumber production (logging and sawmill operations) was the leading in dustry in 1937, based on average number of wage-earners. Lumber products in 1937 was the second most important industry, based on number of wage-earners, in Alabama, Arizona, California, South Carolina, Texas, and Wyoming (U.S. Bureau of Census).

Table H. Distribution of Saw-Timber Stands Lumber is also an important industry in many other States, giv ing rise to valuable local manufactures.

Timber Available for Lumbering Operation.

In consid ering the quantity of timber available in the United States for lumbering operations, we are confronted with several considera tions of varying character such as changes in the standards of lumber mill utilization, growth of small trees to saw log size, conditions of markets for other wood products which may at any time divert saw timber into other uses such as pulp, poles, piling, shakes, and ties, because of the higher prices offered for such uses. The tendency in many parts of the country is to increase the minimum size of trees cut in lumber manufacture by the prac tice of selective logging. We cannot forecast the portion of avail able timber to be used for lumbering; we can only indicate the quantities that probably will be so used if conditions continue to follow the present trends.

In Tables II. and III., classification has been made into regions by character of forest growth. The South extends from Maryland and the Ohio river to mid-Texas. The Mountain region is Ken tucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and parts of Virginia, and North Carolina. Piedmont and Coastal Plain include all other South to Louisiana and Arkansas. The West coast is western Washington and Oregon. Interior is eastern portion of these States with Idaho and Montana.

These tables are from a comprehensive survey on the timber situation recently completed by the U.S. Forest Service.

Recent developments in technique have made it possible to produce satisfactory pulp from species not previously useful for this purpose. A large newsprint industry is being established in the South, utilizing southern yellow pine. It is estimated that Table M.-Estimated Gross Annual Growth of Hardwood and Softwood Saw-Timber in the United States 75% of the rayon is manufactured from wood pulp. Increasing demand has made it practicable to utilize trees of saw-timber size for pulpwood. It is difficult to estimate the quantity of tim ber which actually will be made into lumber products and the quantity that will be devoted to other uses.