, FOREST SURVEY RELEASE, NO, 51 

. I 

PRIMARY'WOOD~PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES 

, ,IN THE LOWER SblJTH 

By 

. H.F.Smith 

Specialist in 'Forest Industries 

A Progress Report by 

THE SOUTHERN FOREST SURVEY 

I. F: Eldredge, Regional Survey Director . . 

SOUTHERN FOREST EXPERIMENT STATION 

E. L. Demmon, Director 

New Orleans, La. 

NOVEMBER 29, 1940 
1',."' . 

. ' " 

FOREHORD 

The Nation-wide ForentSurvey, being conductedby"th~U~ited States Forest Service, was authorized by the McSweeileY-McNarYForest 

Research Act of 192El. Its five~i'old, object is: ,(1): TO'makean;ih., 

ventory of the present supply of timber and other ~orest:produpts; 

(2) to ascertain the rate at which this supply is being :ihcr.·easSd· 

through growth; 0) to determine the rate at which this supply,is" 

being diminished through 'industrial and local use; windfall! fire; 

and disease; (4) to determine the present requirement 8.\1d, the ,PI"'oe,aou.e' 

future trend in the requir,ement for timber and"other 

and (5) to correlate these findings with 

economic conditions" in. order .,tha t pOLLeJ.eo, 

effective use Of land sui tablil; ·,~~~,~~,~,.}')?~':l~:~~'L~~ .c>Iil;,t,hEl',',South; 

-the -F{)f'e(ltSurvElY functions',lS ' , ' 

" ..... -......... Experimenf,'~tation,Viiih headqu£tit"rsa 

. ", .'--~-,.---~--:~-- . 

This relealle·-is',based 

determine the number, ",'c ,'l1a,ra,e 

plants, andio asceJr,t!'.irl,t,he annn ,a€~'\:c,no 

for both industr,ial, d"d')T!H3s1;i'c;'jlurpo 

for fuel ,andfatm needs, 

should be regarded a13' apro'gresi(repott only, ',', , 

Survey data that will be"included!' in complete,~eP9I'ts 

later; such data,although'constdered' ' , " 

or amplification as the 'work ofeomputa 

',report was distribuiedih'1937' as Survey,Releaseil1o;, 

informatiOl\ on savnnills,somei'lha,t revised· 

in this report, with the, addition Of data 

- . ,-, , ... ,' , -, :'- ,,:.-.' _ 'j. ;, 

Information ,on'equipment,:logging;and 

'by the Forest SurveyinI934:,and,1935.The ' 

character, and location of:iildustrialplants , ,,< 'W_OL""," 

and 193El and revi13ed currently for 'someof',th:e'.ihdus+~·"";" 

major nonlumber plants and the, and,large-'si' 

visited by investigators carryJ.ng!,a q R"',,"i,,,"" 

number of small sawmills ,itwaspossib,le.,;, t, 0,; e;xarri~lile"orllJt;'lb'3u,t/1O 

cent of them ; for ',the,r.emainder,,':1nfor:mati,on, vla$,.otlt,8lhle(l!;[ii(:lii~e(}:tly:,,:;\,W 

from sources considered. ',reliable ;,: ;Th~;rE3,J,a t;l VEl ,{ac)C)lJ:'~c;rOf} tble',if;i:neli)lgi§r:s 

is greater for the 'large,'.mills ,.than, for 'the:smalJ,', ' 

,,'Assisting , , 

P. R. Hheeler; Forest Economist 1 

Note: Assistance in the preparation of these 'mater-i,als: 

the personnel of Hork projects Aclminis.trfltion. ,. - "; ... , 
PRIMARY WOOD-PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES IN THE LOWER SOUTH 

The region' covered by the Forest Survey in the lower South embraces 

the commercially timbered areas of the Gulf States, Georgia, and parts of 

Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nissouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky. 17 This region is 

divided into four subregions, the longleaf-slash pine, the delta-hardwoods, 

"and two pine-hardwood areas, 'east and west. The longleaf-slash pine area, 

which is the seat of the naval stores industry, is characterized by forests 

of longleaf and slash pine, with a varying admixture of hardwoods, cypress, 

loblolly, and other pines. In the two pine-hardwood subregions the forests, 

are chiefly loblolly and shortleaf pines with a considerable volume of 

intermixed hardwoods, alt\1ough in parts of southeastern Texas and,south~ 

western Louisiana longleaf pine is also important from a production,standpoint. The forests of the Mississippi River bottoms are almost entirely 

hardwoods. ' 

In figure 1 is shown an allocation by product of the total volume of 

wood cut from the sound-tree growing stock of the lower South, which in 1937 

was 41,302,000 standard cords. The volume considered commercial, of course, 

is that which entered the direct channels of trade. The volume s\1own as 

noncomm,ercial, no less important in its use value, was utilized chiefly by 

farmers and landovmers, though small quanti ties of fuel wood and fence posts 

were sold locally . 

• 

FIGURE I. - PERCENTACES or TOTAL DRAIN FROM SOUND TREES FOR VARIOUS 

COMMODITY USES, 1937. 

PREPARED BY rOREST SURVEY, SOUTHERN rOREST EXPERIMENT STATlml-RELEASE NO. 51. 

liThe data for the Delta portions of Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee 

have been combined with Arkansas Survey Unit No. 2 in the text and tables, 

but kept separate on the maps throughout the report. 
Lumber ranks first among the commodity drains· on the forest, causin 

53 percent of the total depletion for all commodities. Present indicationg 

are that the manufacture of lumber will continue to be the major forest in~ dustry, notwithstanding the steady expansion in the manufacture of other 

forest products such as pulp and paper, cellulose, and veneers. 

The standing of the states or parts of states itt each of six important 

industrial forest uses is shm'min figure 2. For. many commodities the rela~ 

ti ve standing of the states in the region' is not the same for any leng'th of 

time. In 1937, for instance, Alabama led in cubic-foot volume removed from 

the forest for the manufacture of lumber; the previous. year (:l936), ~\iss:i,ssippi had the lead;. and 5 year:s from now the leadership in this USe may be 

in some state.not now in the first three. 

CROSS TIES 

1m Hi I!f. 1: .. , ... ... ... ... .B ... ... IiTi 

::: rrr: ... if .. , ... .. . .. .. , .. , .. .. .. . ... ... .. ii ... ... ... n .. . ::: ... ... ijjf ... .. ... :: :: ... ... ... ... ... .. . .. .. ... ... :: H .. . ... .. ... ... ... ... ... . .. :: ... '" :HIIm1 .. , ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. :: ... .. :t: '" ... .. ... '" .. • ALA. MISS. LA. ARK. TEX. GA. FLA. OKLA . FLA. MISS. ARK. LA. "TEX. GA. ALA. OKLA. 

COOPERAGE 

'I I • • -'1 'I II •• • I I 1&: • i II I I I, . ~I I I II II I I I II fI1 Ilffi " P0t! ~ 

FLA. MISS.ARK. GA. LA. ALA. TEX. OKLJ.. ARK. MISS. LA. AlA. GA. FLA. OKLA. TEX. 

PULPWOOD 

:1111 : ..:.....' :l.~. [,.;, ....:.,~:: :f ... ....... :: ...~ :~.. :i ~.: i, l'l~------j liii' ~. :).:I .. ~ :I.::!.:::.:i.:;rw .. t I ml iii::::: !~: ill @l MISS. L.A. ALA. ARK. GA. FLA, TEX. OKLA. 

POLES 8. PILES 

;; roc C' ,\, 

.ie, = m 

"{;i i:c' ",",', 

':::-; 1,; 

l~~ ;s,~ 

:;~, 

.j.' .~:., 

. ~-\,,', i'~~\ :,;.' ~~;:; 

MISS ALA. L.o\. TEX. GA. ARK. FLA. OKLA 

FIGURE 2.- RELATIVE STANDING Of THE STATES IN CHIEf ITEMS Of 

COMMERCIAL DRAIN, 1937. 

PREPARED BY fOREST SURVEY, SOUTHERN rOREST ElSPERIMtNT STATION - RELEASE NO.:l1. 

- 2 -
, 

" 

The Lumber Industry 

The productibnof lumber, as an iJtdustry of the South, began in the 

early days, but until about 1875 the forests were logged mainly for local 

consumption, except along the Atlantic Ooast Vlhere ali. export trade had long 

e~isted. A commercial expansion gradually developed, which ,received added 

impetus in the late eighties, when the progressive exhaustion of northern 

timber supplies turned the larger mills southward. For the next 40 years 

great areas of virgin forest, particulnrly longleaf pine, throughout the 

South were bought up in extensive consolidated tracts and subjected to' 

rapid, large~scale mechanized exploitation. Similar liquidation of the 

hardwood and shortleaf pine forests of the lower South did not begin so 

,early and has not progressed so rapidly. 

'As the larger pine operators, particularly those who had logged their 

holdings less intensively, relinquished certain areas, small mills began to 

appear; as the residual stands were bolstered up with second growth; the 

number and production of these plants increased. In the bottomland hardwood 

districts, the large mills are 'succeeded not so often by small savnnills as 

by plants manufacturing slack staves, handle stock, cross ties, and other 

no~lumber commodities. 

Classes of sawmills 

In 1937 there were in the entire area more than 8,000 sawmills of all 

sizes, both portable and stationary. They ranged in size from the smallest, 

producing a few thousand board feet per annum for local use, to the largest, 

cutting as much as 80 million board feet a year. The total number of Sawmills is listed in table 1 by states, further classified'according to size 

and; for the mills with a daily capacity of 20 M board feet and over, by 

pr~ncipal ~necies cut. The map (fig. 3) shows the approximate location of 

the' mills.Y 

The three species groups into which mills are classified are pine, 

hardwood, and cypress. All mills cutting more than 50 percent of their 

volume from pine species in 1937 are classified as pine mills. Hardwood 

mills, the second group, are those that cut more than 50 percent of their 

total production from hardwood species. Similarly, to be classified as a 

cypress mill, a mill must cut more than 50 percent of its production in cyprtss lumber. In many cases, a mill manufacturing pine, hardwood, or cypress 

at the time of the survey may 'have changed later to some other species. 

All mills listed as having a daily capacity of 40 M board feet or more 

are' stationary mills, operating generally throughout the year. In the Delta 

regfon, hardwood mills of 20 to 39 M board feet capacity are usually stationary also. Nany of the, pine mills of this size remain on one site for a long 

time, but others are occasionally moved to new blocks of timber. Most mills 

of a daily capacity of 19 M board feet and less are easily moved and shift 

Y It will be ,noted that table 1 shows the number of savnnills in the region in 

1937, the latest year for which data on all plants were complete. The map 

(fig. 3) showing the location of plants. was revised to the latest year for 

which data were available; in the states west of the Alabama-Mississippi line, 

the locations are as of 1938; in the eastern states the Ibcations are as of 

1937. 

- 3 -
Table l.--UlL'nber of Bav-mills in the lower South. 1937 

Speoies group and size olass of mill (IO-hour M feet b.m. oapaoi ty) 

survey unit Pine , Hardwood Oypress All mills 

SO+- 140 .. 19120 .. 39 80+ 140-79120-39 80+ 140-79120-39 80+ 140-7912o-3911-19ITotal 

Alabama #1 1 5 13 - 4 3 - - - 1 9 16 83 109 , #2 1 2 25 - - 4 - - - 1 2 29 130 162 

" #3 1 2 9 - - 13 - - - 1 2 22 396 421 

" #4 1 2 10 - - 2 - - - 1 2 12 341 356 

" #5 - 3 14 - - 1 - - - - 3 15 636 654 

" #6 - - - - - - - - - - - - 508 508 

TOtal llabama 4 14 n - 4 23 - - - 4 18 94 2 094 2 210 

Arkansas 

~;;; - - - 1 7 5 - - - 1 7 5 130 143 

" - - - 2 2 7 - - - 2 2 7 234 245 

" #3 8 7 35 1 - 4 - - - 9 7 39 250 305 

" #4 2 - 5 - 1 - - - - 2 1 5 163 In 

TOtal Arkansas 10 7 40 4 10 16 - - - 14 17 56 777 864 

• 

Florida #1 3 - 7 1 1 1 3 - 6 7 1 14 153 175 

" #2 2 5 18 1 3 1 - - - 3 8 19 176 206 

" #3 2 2 10 - - 1 - 4 3 2 6 14 152 174 

" #4 - 1 10 - - - - - 1 - , 1 11 39 51 

TOtal Florida 7 8 45 2 4 3 3 4 10 12 16 58 520 606 

Georgia. #1 - 2 10 - - 7 - - - - 2 17 222 241 

" #2 - 1 13 - - 2 - - - - 1 15 102 118 , #3 - 3 9 - 3 2 - - - - 6 11 516 ,,533 

" #4 - - - - - - - - - - - - 369 369 

" #5 - - - - - - - - - - - - 346 346 

.Total Georgia - 6 32 - 3 11 - - - - 9 43 1 555 1 607 

Louisiana #1 - - 1 2 7 4 - - - 2 7 5 89 103 

" #2 - - 4 - 11 10 - 1 2 - 12 16 123 151 , #3 9 5 3 3 6 - - - - 12 11 3 69 95 

" #4 2 1 4 1 - 1 1 - - 4 1 5 59 69 

" #5 1 6 22 - 2 4 - - - 1 8 26 104 139 

TOtal l.Ouisiana 12 12 34 6 26 19 1 1 2 19 39 55 444 "557 

Mississippi !II - - - 1 2 10 - - - 1 2 10 109 122 

" #2 - - 3 - 3 6 - - - - 3 9 681 693 

" #3 4 8 22 - 2 13 - - - 4 10 35 551 600 

" #4 4 1 7 1 3 - - - - 5 4 7 198 214 

Total MiSSissippi 8 9 32 2 10 29 - - - 10 19 61 1 539 1 629 . 

Oklahoma #1 3 - 2 - - 1 - - - 3 - 3 69 75 

Texas #1 12 10 31 2 2 5 - - - 14 12 36 146 208 

" #2 2 2 22 - 1 2 - - - 2 3 24 301 330 

Total Texas 14 12 53 2 3 7 - - - 16 15 60 447 538 ,. 

Grand total 58 68 309 .16 60 109 4 5 12 78 133 430 7 445 8 086 

!I Inoludes Delta portion of Llissouri, Kentucky, and Tennesseej refer to map (fig. 3). 
- ' 

, . 

" ,. 0 , • 

d"1 ~ ~ ! " 8 , 

, 

I • 

I 

i t > 

> 

, ~ g' ! 0 

0 5 ! 0 

, 

• 

• , 

• ~ • ~ " 

~ 
_' fl'equently from place to place as new timber supplies are purchased. A considerable number of this group, however, particularly some of the smallest 

mills, operate with the surplus power of cotton gins, grist mills, etc., 

s,trictly fOr local needs, and are therefore stationary. 

, 

Of the total number of', mills (table 1), approximately 1 percent have 

a capacity of at least 80 M board feet per 10~hour day, 2 percent have a 

daily capacity of 40 to 79 M board feet, 5 percent are in'the 20 to 39 M 

class, and 92 percent are small units with a capacity less than 20 ~I board 

feet. Of the large mills' (40 11 board feet and over), about 60 percent are 

classified as pine mills, 36 percent as hardwood, and 4 percent as cypress. 

In the medium~sized class (20 - 39 M board feet), 72 percent are pine, 25 percent are hardwood, and 3 percent are cypress.' 

The small mills' (1 - 19 M board feet) are not subdivided on the basis 

of species classification in the 1937 tables; however, in the DeHa region 

these mills generally cut hardwood, whil'e in th,e uplands most of the mills' 

'cut pine. Small portable mills can be set up to cut several thousand to 

several million board feet of timber at a "set," and if logs are available; 

can be operated economically from a few weeks in'a season to a full working 

year .. Ordinarily this 'type of mill does not accumulate large inventories, 

but works on a "hand-to-mouth" basis. Such mills may cut any quality and 

size of timber, but usually operate in small second~groVith stands. 

Ooncentration yards 

Throughout the pine regions, pine lumber sawed by groups of small 

mills is generally seasoned, surfaced, and graded either at nearby planing 

mi~ls or at concentration yards. These yards are usually equipped with dry 

kilns, planers, and adequate grading, storage, and shipping facilit~es. 

From them a considerable proportion of the pine lumber finds its way to markets, both local and distant. In the lower South there are about 500 of 

these, concentration yards, and more than 500 sawmills which act in this ca~ 

·P{lcity. Most" of them (over four-fifths) are located in the pine-hardwood 

's,ubregion (east), the area with the greatest number of small mills. The 

remaining one-fifth are divided between the longleaf-slash pine area and the 

pine-hardwood area (west). '" , 

In the production of hardwood lumber, concentration yards do not play 

an important part, and rough air-dried lumber produced by small mills is 

usually shipped directly to one of the manufacturing plants throughout the 

country for final finishing and fabrication. 

Lumber cut by mills of the various size classes 

The growing share of the small sawmills in the total amount of lumber 

,cut has been apparent for many years, particularly during the past two decades, when many of the large mills of the earlier period discontinued opera~ 

tions. 'The proportion of tl,e 1937 lumber production cut by mills in the 

different size groups and in the different· subregions is shown graphically in 

figure 4 for pine, figure 5 for hardwoods, and figure 6 for cypress. 

The small mills, constituting 92 percent of all mills, accounted for 

44 percent of the total production of pine lumber in 1937. In Alabama and 

- 5 -
LEGEN 0 

MILLS WITH A IO-HOUR 

DAILY CAPACITY OF: 

D 1-I9M 8D,fT. 

~ 20-39M 80.FT. 

• 40M BD.f'T.!'OVER 

LEGEND 

MILLS WITH A 10-HOUR 

DAILY CAPACITY OF: 

D I-19M BD.fT. 

m 2o-J9J.! 8D.fT. 

• 40M BD.fT.&OYER 

LEGEND 

MILLS WITH AID-HOUR 

DAILY CAPACITY Of: 

o }-19M BO.fT. 

~ 20-391.1 BD. fT. 

• 40M BO.fT.&OYER 

FIGURE 4,-PERCENT Of PINE LUMBER cur By 

MILLS Of Dlff£REtiT SIZE CLASSES - 1937 

IN -3 SUBREGIONS. 

fU;URE 5·-PEROEtiT Of HARDWOOD LUMBER CUT BY 

MILLS or DlFfEft£tH SIZE CLASSES _ 1937 

IN 4 SUBREGIONS, 

....... ~~ 

FIGURE 6.- PEROEIH OF CYPRESS lUMBER CUT BY 

MILLS or DlffER£NT SIZE CLASSES 1937 

It1 -3 SU8REGIONS. 

< ~ •• ~1 .~ 

~ ~ ... " . 
northwestern Louisiana, information procured from operators during the 1935 

canvass indicated that about two~fifths of the small-mill pine production 

was cut by mills that moved at least once in three years. It is probable 

that this was characteristic of small-mill pine production throughout the 

lower South in 1935". Movement of mills at that time was at a low point, owing 

to the small volume of business. The proportion cut by migratory mills was " , 

undoubtedly much greater in 1937. 

,The large mills, which amounted to only 3 percent 'of the total number 

of 'mills, cut 37percent of the pine lumber. The mills in the medium-sized 

class made up 5 percent of the total number of mills and accounted for the 

remaining 19 percent of the pine-lumber production. Although the large lnills 

out only a little more than a third of all pine lumber, the value of their 

production 'is considerably greater ,than a third of the total value of pine 

lumber produced, because the lumber manufactured in these mills is of higher 

quality»and is graded and marketed to better advantage. 

Of the hardwood cut in the region, approximately 51 percent, is produced by large mills, 27 percent by the medium-sized mills, and 22 percent 

by small mills. 

At present, the cypress mills are located chiefly in Florida and 

sou~hern Louisiana. Of the cypress lumber produced in the territory covered 

by the survey 68 percent is cut by large mills, 20 percent by medium-sized, 

and 12 percent by small mills. 

The number of small mills is steadily increasing, and their production, although it rises and falls with the demand for lumber, is also in~ 

creasing in amount and in proportion of the total cut. Between 1935 and 

19~0, 45 large mills--including the largest mill in the South--with a total 

yearly production capacity of more than a billion board feet, ceased operatlon. ~Ioreover, many mills in "this and the medium-sized class reduced their 

capacity and now fall within a smaller class. A few of the mills in the two 

upper size groups switched from the production of one species group to ano,ther. A majority of the large mills that have ceased operation were set 

up on a forest depletion or liquidation basis, chiefly in the original longleaf pine stands. 

Sawmill equipment 

As to equipment, savmills in the lower South vary from the completely 

equipped mill, containing headsaw, resaw, gang-saw, dry kiln, planer, and accessories' such as edgers and trimmers, to the portable mill with a headsaw only. 

In 1934-35, the Survey recorded the type of equipment used by 901 representative mills visited, to obtain a pattern of equipment used. The sample 

includes data for 178 large mills, 264 medium-sized mills, and 459 small mills 

distributed over the 4 forest subregions somewhat in proportion to the total 

number'of mills in each; Figure 7 shows the equipment pattern found. Band 

saws were used by 88 percent of the large mills, 45 percent of the medium mills, ' 

and about 3 percent of the small mills. Vlhile most of the circular-saw mills 

were in the small-sized group, there were a few large mills still using circular 

headsaws, generally old mills whose original equipment had never been replaced. 

- 7 -
PINE-HARDWOOD SUBREGION - WEST 

LARGE 

BA!lIS-13t..1ILLS 

ME:OIUM 

BA.3Il)-GG 1.11 LLS 

SMALL 

BA!lI"'-GI"'ILL.3 

~~iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieiii'iR=.c:;'lNT Of MILLS gy KINO Of HE;ADSAW USED 

C"C~~~~'. '" .. 1 =,. 1 rl' --------",.1 PEF/CI':NT Of MILLS WITH BAND SAWS HAVING EQUIPMI':NT 'N .... ''-''. T __ "'AWS .. AC:CCS_ 

"'ORI£.3 2.!:!J.:! 

PLANERS 

DRY KI LN,S 

RCSAWS 

CANG-SAWS 

ALL EQUIPMEN 

!--,. 

, 

" 

" '" 

~-" " 

" !I' , S~t ,OOT '-OTE .J/ 

PERCENT Of MILLS WITH CIRCULAR SAWS HAVING EQUIPMENT INDICATED 

.sAW", .. Ac:c:t.:!-

SORICS 2!!!1t 

PLANERS 

DRY KILNS 

RE:SAWS 

GANG-SAWS 

ALL EQUIPMI':N 

•• 

., 

" 

., 

iii'" ., 

" •• 

" eo .. .. -" , 

DELTA HARDWOOD SUBREGION 

LARGE MEOI UM SMALL B""I:I-~""I.L.3 .. """"'-3,,,""1.1.'" Il .... s,,,-..g .. ILL,. 

PCRCENT Of MlLLS BY KINO or H£ADSAW USCD 

c"c~~:~!/iiii, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirri.i1'1 =" . I =0:-'------,,,1 PERCENT or MILLS WITH BAND SAWS HAVING t:OUIPMENT INDICATED 

.3.o.w" .. ACC£S 

.:!ORICS 2..!:!U 

PLANERS 

DRY KILNS 

RESAWS 

GANG-SAWS 

ALL EQUIPMEN , , 

" 

" " ,. 

PERCENT OF' MIL.L.;:' WI I M 

SAW.:! & "CCt .. - f 50lOItS!!I!.br .0 

PLANERS 0 

DRY KlLNS 

RESAWS 

GANG-SAWS 

ALL EQUIPMENTtt'=-____ ~----

" 

set rOOT NOT~...!/ 

HAVING E:QUIPMENT INDICATED 

;;::---, 

::" . " 

" 

" 

• 

PINE-HAROWOOD SUBREGION - EAST 

LARGE 

""''''I''-24''''I.I.S 

MEDIUM 

9"SIS-"-~MILL" 

SMALL 

8 .... "" .. _1101.111.1..3 

~iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiei'iRic~'~N~T 0 f MIL L S BY KIN D 0 f H E ADS A W U SI:': D 

C<RC~~~~!' "'jl., " I t, ".1 PERCENT Of MILLS WITH BAND SAWS HAVING f;QUIPME:NT INDICATED 

O~~:,,'. ~.- i' !IIIIIIIII 

_., 

" PLANERS g~ 

DRY KILNS G3 

RESAWS ~ 11 

GANG-SAWS 

:'It:, fOOT '-OTt ..t/ 

., " 

ALL EQUIpMENT ,~===-"_ .• ______ _ 

PERCENT Of MILLS WITH CIRCULAR SAWS HAVING EQUIPMENT INDICATED 

"AWS .. ACC&$ 501'11::> !lli1l 

PLANERS 

DRY KILNS 

RESAWS 

GANG-SAWS 

ALL EQU1PMEN 'TO 

.. "' " 

" " " 

LONGLEAF-SLASH PINE SUBREGION 

LARGE. MEDIUM SMALL 

~""ln" .... M'LLS 9A!1I"'-70""I.I.,,, "".3''''-IIQM'L~'' 

PERCENT OF' MILLS BY KIND or HCAOSAW useD 

C,"c:~:~·jiii=iiiiiiiiii" iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~·''li =" ., I t, ".1 

S"W~ L Acel:~_ 

SOl'lII: .. 2!:!!::.! 

PLANE:RS 

DRY KILNS 

F'lESAW$ 

GANC-$AWS 

ALL EQUIPMEN 

..... W~ ~ J.CC&"_ :SOlO,l: .. ~ 

PLANERS 

DRY KILNS 

RESAWS 

CANe-SAWS 

ALL EQUIPMEN 

PE:RCENT or MILLS WITH BAND SAWS HAVING EQUIPMENT INDICATED 

" " ,. .. " ., " .:!~~ POOT Norc...1/ 

" 

PERCENT OF' MILLS WITH CIRCULAR SAWS HAVING EQUIPMENT !NDICATED 

" 

" .. " .. " .. • 

.l/ 'THC ""MPU: IN Tl<t:ll: C,""""S'I'ICATlOW" WM,. NOT 

CO .... IOI:I<I:O., RtPIOCSCNTATlVC tNouGIi TO PERI.IIT 

eo .. C!.,USIVC PIOC':lI::NT"TlON or 0", ..... FIGURE 7.- SAWMILL-EQUIPMENT PATTERN . 1'1\(;1''''"1:,0 BY rOFlI:ST ,,"'IOVty 

SOuTH':"" rORI:ST CXl"CIIIMtNT 5T.o.T!ON 

(BASED ON SURVEY OF 1934-35) IOEI.':;",,,,, NO. "I. 
· More than half of the small mills sampled had only headsaws, with or 

without accessories. A few of the large and one~fourth of the medium-sized 

mills.were found to have similarly limited equipment. Dry kilns alld planers 

were found in mills of all sizes, but less often, of course, in small mills, 

and 'rarely in portable mills. Resaws and gang-saws were found chiefly in 

the large mills. . Less than one-tenth of the large mills had all four items. 

Few ·.of the medium and none of the, sman mins were so equipped. 

Transportation of logs 

Moving logs to the place of manufacture generally includes two separate steps: The bunching or yarding in the woods or on the roadside, and 

the final transportation to the mill. In a large portion of the lower 

Coastal Plain, termed the "flatwoods,." the logs are loaded directly 011 trucks 

and taken to the mill without any preliminary yarding. This practice is 

.carried on chiefly by small mills. DUring the canVasS in 1934-35 the Survey 

gathered information to obtain a general pattern of the logging practices of 

sawmills. This pattern is shovm in figures 8 and 9 for the two operations. 

111 the bunching process, a majority of the sawmills sampled were using 

animals, chiefly. mules, either skidding the logs or hauling them with high 

wheels or wagons. Some of these mills used animals in combination with 

'tractors, or with skidders propelled by gasoline or steam engines. Although 

horses were found on a few operations, oxen were being employed on about one 

out of every eight •. 

Figure 8 shows graphically for each subregion the percentage of the 

mills in each size class using specific types of equipment for bunching, 

singly or in' combination. . Each bar should be considered' individually, .for 

it represents the percentage of all mills of the size class in the subregion 

,using a: given type, even though other methods are used also. 

IIi the transportation of logs from the bunching area in th" woods to the 

log pond or mill deck, about 90 percent of the small and medium mills and 60 

pel' cent of the large.mills used trucks, logging and common carrier railroads 

, 'and water tl'ansport being the means used in other instances. Logging railroads, although stin used by a number of mills, chiefly large installations, 

are gradually being abandoned in favor of trucks. Many of the large mills 

use a oombination of trucks and raill'oads. The haul by truck is as much as 

40 miles in some placesl that py rail may reach 150 miles. Combinations of 

water and truck transportation are being utilized in some sections of the 

South, distances up to several hundred miles being traversed by inland watel'-

Ways; 

Figure 9 shows graphically, by subregions, the percentage of mills in 

each size class using specific types of equipment for transportation to the 

mill, either solely or in combination with other equipment. Since 1934-35, 

when. the samples were ,taken, the use of tractors, trucks, and small gas 

skidders has increased and the employment of animals, heavy steam skidders, 

and logging railroads has declined. The increase in mileage of improved 

roads throughout the South has made, and is still making, the use of trucks 

in the haul to the mill more general. At the same time the volume of logs 

hauled by common carrier railroads has increased somewhat as the use of 

private logging railroads. has declined. 

- 9 -
STEAM 

SKIOOERS 

GAS SKIDDERS 

PULL BOATS 

TRACTORS 

TRUCKS 

MULES 

AND HORSES 

OXEN 

STEAM 

SKIDDERS 

GAS SKIDDERS 

STEAM 

SKI DOERS 

GAS SKIDOEAS 

PULLBOATS 

TRACTORS 

TAUCKS 

PINE-HARDWOOD SUBREGION -EAST 

PCRCENT OF MILLS USING INDICATED KINDS 

LARGE BASIS - 24 MILLS 

21 

~1111·1133 

~iil.II.1I1I1I1I171 

MEDIUM 

BASIS-SS MILLS 

•• 24 

17 

25 

PINE-HARDWOOD SUBREGION -WEST 

PERCENT OF MILLS USING li-WICATED KINDS 

LARGE 

BASIS - eo MILLS 

o 

o 

o 

MEDIUM 

BASIS-59 MILLS 

~ -:::::::::::~4~4~ SB 

LONGLEAF-SLASH PINE SUBREGION 

PERCENT Of MILLS USING INDICATED KINOS 

LARGE BASIS - 50 MILLS 

40 

!IIIIIII __ 3. 

B 

MEDIUM BASIS -12MILLS 

••••• 53 

• ••• 24 

o 

o 

o 

o 

SMALL 

BASql ~lel MILLe 

14. 

SMALL 

BASIS - 11 MILLS 

==54 51 

o 

SMALL BASIS "112 MILLS 

" •• 2. 

II 

•• 

MULES ;;;;;;;;;~~~4~2 ______________ J;;;;;;;;;~~~~~B~2~ ______ ~:;;;;;~~~~~~:.~2 ________ j AND HORStS 

OXEN 28 35 26 

STEAM 

SKI DOERS 

GAS SKIDDERS 

PULLBOATS 

TRACTORS 

TRUCKS 

BASIS 

" 

DELTA 

PERCENT 0' 

LARGE 

-3.2 MILLS 

50 

MULES ............. . AND HORSES,. 84 

OXEN 

HARDWOOD SUBREGION 

MILLS USING INDICATED KINDS 

MEDIUM BAS1S-27 MILLS 

" 

II 

4B 

44 

B' 

0 

FIGURE 8.- PATTERN Of MOTIVE POWER USED 

(BASED ON SURVEY OF 1934-35) 

SMALL BASIS -82 MILLS 

0 

II 

87 

IN BUNCHING LOGS. 

PREPARtD BY- FORtST $URYEY,SOUTHERN FOREST EXPERIMENT STATION..; RELEASE NO. ~1. 

',1 

'
-, 

LOGGING 

RAILROAD 

COMMON CARRIER 

RAILROAD 

WATER 

ANIMALS 

LOGGING. 

RAIL ROAD 

COMMON CARRIER RAILROAD 

WATCR 

TRUCKS 

ANIMAL.S 

PINE-HARDWOOD SUBREGION -EAST 

PERCENT or MILLS USING INDICATED METHODS 

LARGE 

BASIS-25MILLS 

•• 

.2 

•• 

MEDIUM 

BASIS-Ba MILLS 

32 

PINE- HARDWOOD SUBREGION -WEST 

PERCENT Of MILLS USING INDICATED METHODS 

LARGE 

BAS18-63 MILLS 

60 

21 

•• 

MEDIUM 

BASI 5- 61 MILL S 

18 

LONGLEAf- SLASH PINE SUBREGION 

PERCENT OF MILLS USING INDICATEO METHODS 

LARGE 

BASls-e;2 MILLS 

MEDIUM 

BASIS- 7/ MILLS 

o 

o 

o 

SMALL 

BASIS-166 MILLS 

SMALL 

BASI s- 71 MI LLS 

10 

SMALL 

8Ao515-120 MILLS 

•• 

RAI LOGGING LROAD ~::::::~~1I1I1I1I~6~'~---:::-:--------------------~~:5~--------------------1 CDMMONCARRIER 21 2 

RAI LROAD 

WATER 17 15 7 

TRUCKS .... __ ..... _..m ANIMALS 

DELTA HARDWOOD SUBREGION 

PERCENT OF MILL~ USING INDICATED METHODS 

LOGGING 

RAILROAD 

LARGE 

8A515-32 MILLS 

• 1 

~:~:"·5== .. WATER 41 

TRUCK_S 62 

ANIMALS o 

• 

MEDIU M 

BASIS-3D 'MILL 5 

::::~: 43 

37 

__ .7 

FIGURE 9.-PATTERN OF PRINCIPAL METHODS OF 

FROM WOOOS TO MILL 1934 -35. 

• 

o 

2 

SMALL 

BASls-Sa _MILLS 

J3 

•• 

TRANSPORTING 

•• 

LOGS 
The Nonlumber Industries 

other important wood-using industries in the lower South produce 

cross ties, pulpwood, veneer, cooperage, poles, etc., and together account 

for 20 percent of the utilization drain. Domestic and farm·uses of· timber 

such as for fuel Vlood and fence posts,along with cutting.for such purpos813 

as land clearing, are chargeable for more than 26 percent 'of th'e utilization 

drain, but these items are not considered as .. industries in the commercial 

sense of the word and 'are ,not discussed here. 

Only the eight leading primary nonlumber industries, which get their 

raw material in the form of logs, bolts, or stumps, are considered in this 

report (table 2, fig. 10). Secondary industries such as' furniture and casket factories, assembly mills for boxes, barrels, and other containers, 

paper mills using purchased pulp, e'tc., are not included, nor are industries 

dealing in forest products other than wood, such as gum turpentine and rosin, 

spanish moss, cedar oils, etc. 

From the standpoint of capital invested and value of product, the wood 

pulp industry leads in the nonlumber wood-using group. This industry has 

expanded in recent years; since 1935, 11 new mills have been built and are in 

production, 4 mills are now (1940) under construction, and several of the 25 

mills in the region have increased their capacity in the last 3 years. By 

far the larger portion of the pulp is made by the SUlphate process, although 

mechanical and sulphite processes are used in a few of the plants. The major 

products are kraft pulp and paper, container board, bleached papers, and wall 

board. Newsprint and rayon pulps are also made, at 1 mill each. In the 

present year (1940) Louisiana, with 7 mills, still leads in number of plants. 

Insofar as the drain of pulpwood is concerned, the data (fig. 2) indicate 

that Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama were in the forefront in 1937, but 

this situation is not static and the relative standing of states in pulpwood 

drain is likely to show pronounced changes when all mills are in full production. 

Treating 

The wood-preserving industry is expanding; during the period 1936 to 

1939 inclusive, 12 new plants were established, while only 2 were abandoned. 

Most of the 63 plants operating in 1939 employed pressure processes, using 

chiefly creosote in the treatment of cross ties, poles, piles, lumber, and 

other wood products. The,plants are rather well distributed through the 

region, Louisiana leading. with 12 plants in 1939. 

Extracting 

The extraction of gums, resins, acids, and oils from wood is an industry that plays an important role in salvaging low-grade wood of little or no. 

value for other purposes. An active demand exists for these commodities. 

Arkansas has the only destructive hardwood plant in the South,.producing wood 

- 12 -
alcoh<il, acetic acid, charcoal, and'de:i'ived products',' ,In northern Alabama 

a tannic acid plant has been operating for years, using oak and chestnut., 

The major wood-extractive industry of this region, however; engages :Ln'the 

production of turpentine, rosin, rosin oils, tar j charcoal; and derived prod~' 

ucts in the longleaf-slash pine area. This industry does not use live trees, 

but seasoned, stumps and topwood' of longleaf pine trees cut in'deeades past 

whon th", lumber industry exploited the vast stands of virgin' pine timber. 

About half of the 26 plants' in' operation' in 1939 used the steam-solvent pro,-

cess; these aTe chemica:l, plants of a highly specialized nature' requiring 

large capital investment. The other half of the wood naval stores industry 

uses the destructive distillation process' and the plants are of smaller size. 

The industry has expanded in recent yeaTs, 5 new plants having been estab-': 

lished between 1935 and 1939, all using the steam-solvent process. 

Veneers 

Rotary-cut veneer production is a relatively stable industry in the 

South, 184 plants being in operation in 1937. The veneers produced are 

chiefly for the packe,ge industl'y, but increasingly large quanti ties of furniture and plywood face veneers are made. The face veneers are cut chiefly in 

the hardwood bottomlands of'the MiSSissippi River and in'other extensive 

river bottoms where suitable hardwood species are available~ Package veneers 

are made of pine and hardwood and the plants are scattered allover the 

region, but usually are situated near a point of utilization. Florida, which 

ships large quantities of fruit and vegetables, ranks first'in volume of wood 

utilized for veneers, chiefly for packages (fig. 2). The veneer industry 

continues to expand slowly in the South and the number of plants' has increased 

since 1935, a few of them having changed location in the same period. 

Cooperage stock 

Plants' manufacturing barrel staves, heading, and hoops are quite numerous and well distributed; there were 228 installations in 1937. Arkansas 

leads in b'Othnumber of plants and volume of timber used. Most of the plants 

in the Southeast manufacture slack cooperage stock, chiefly from the softtextured hardwoodsj this stock is used mainly for fruit and vegetable containers. Centering in South Georgia is a group of 44 plants that make staves 

and heading for rosin barrels. 

The production of tight staves is centered in Arkansas and the northern sections of the region,' where important quantities of rived white oak 

stave billets for export are produced also. These tight-stave plants are 

migratory in character, being set up for local supplies of white oak as they 

become available. 

The plants shovm in figure 10 are Chiefly producers of rough staves 

and heading, and gener~lly do not finish the staves or, assemble the barrels. 

A few make wooden hoops. There seems to be no marked general tendency 

towards expansionj the number of plants has remained fairly constant in recent years. In the naval stores section of the region, there is a decline 

owing to the trend toward the use of steel drums and paper bags for the shipment of rosins. 

- 13 -

= 
'1'8ble 2, --Nwnber (If nonlumber, primary wood-using plants in the lower South, 1937 

Ooope1'- Handles Pine wood 

survey uni t Treating Veneer aga Pulp and di- distillation 11i3cel- All 

stock mension Destruc- Steam- laneous plants 

stock tive solvent 

, Alabama #1 2 5 5 3 2 - 3 11 31 

" #2 - 5 6 - 6 - - 3 20 , #3 1 11 1 - 4 - - 17 34 , 1/4 1 5 3 1 1 - - 1 12 , #5 2 5 18 - 2 - - 29 54 

" #6 - 3 8 - 2 - - 7 20 

Total Alabama 6 32 41 4 11 - 3 68 171 

Arkensas #~ 2 7 20 - 25 - - 4 58 

" # 1 - 5 9 - 8 - - 15 37 

" #3 2 3 13 2 19 - - 27 '66 

" #4 - 4 10 - 7 - - 10 .' 31 

TOtal Arkansas 4 19 52 2 59 - - 56 192 

Florida #1 3 18 11 2 1 2 - 25 62 

" #2 1 5 6 2 1 7 1 52 75 

" #3 1 21 - - - - - 11 33 

" #4 1 - - - - - - 2 3 

TOtal Florida 6 44 17 4 2 9 1 90 173 

Georgia 1/1 2 8 19 2 1 2 1 4 39 

" #2 - 4 10 - 2 - - 12 28 

" #3 2 12 - - 7 - - 14 35 

" #4 2 - 4 - 3 - - 14 23 

" #5 - 1 3 - - - - 6 10 

TOtal Georgia 6 25 36 2 13 2 1 50 135 

Louisiana 1/1 - 2 17 1 2 - - 1 23 

" #2 2 5 8 - 1 2 - 3 21 

" 1/3 3 1 3 1 2 - 1 4 15 

" #4 2 5 - 1 1 - 1 1 11 

" 1/5 5 2 5 4 1 - - 1 18 

TOtal Louisiana 12 15 33 7 7 2 2 10 88 

MississiI>pi 1/1 - 1 5 1 2 - - 1 10 , #2 2 1 10 - 19 - - 3 35 

" #3 5 10 17 - ,; - - 6 44 

" #4 4 11 4 2 3 - 6· 4 34 

TOtal Mississippi 11 23 36 3 30 - 6 14 123 

Oklahoma #1 1 - 8 - - - - 3 12 

Texas #1 7 9 4 2 5 - - 13 40 

" #2 3 17 1 - 1 - - 50 72 

TOtal Texas 10 26 5 2 6 - - 63 112 

Grand total 56 184 228 24 134 .13 13 354 1 006 

Y Inoludes Delta :portion of JJissouri, Kentuoky, and Tennessee. 
FIGURE 

1939 

EXTRACTING 

• ~1"""" $O\.\,£"T (> T ...~"l' ... e,~ t ~U"'UCllvt <} nUTRUcl'~t 

193& 

COOPERAGE-STOCK 

, tiGHt 

193& 

HANOLE-e.LANK 

10.- A P PROXIMATE 

INDUSTRIAL 

LOCATION 

PLANTS IN 

1939 

TREATING 

193& 

EXCELSIOR 

OF PRIMARY NONLUMBER 

THE LOWER SOUTH 

FOREST-
Table 3.--Employment provided by primary forest industries in the lower South, 1937 

Site of work and 

industry or commodity Total Alabama Ar ¥a:Y ansas Florida Georgia Louisiana Mississippi ~. Okl oma TexasY 

- -- - - - ~ - - - - - - - - - - Thousands of man-hours - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In the woods: 

Lumber llO.,070 21,200 14,500 12,040 10,820 17,510 19,760 1,640 12,600 

Cross ties (hewn) 30,290 2.,490 5,520 4,540 3,160 5,020 5,080 560 3,920 

Poles and piles 4,940 1,130 450 380 430 810 1,150 10 580 

Vene'er 9,990 1,010 1,490 2,470 1,500 910 2,040 negl. 570 

Cooperage 7,060 990 2,000 470 600 1,410 1,280 170 140 

Pulpwood 21,180 4,180 3,730 1,860 2,nO 4,130 4,090 1,080 

Extractives 8,870 1,100 2J 3,200 880 820 2·,870 

Miscellaneous 

industries 8,300 2.,260 3,280 160 640 210 1,240 400 no 

Total 200,700 34,360 30,970 25,120 20,140 30,820 37,510 2,780 19,000 

In the plants: 

Lumber 184,570 34,670 22,060 19,310 19,300 29,990 33,910 3,210 22,120 

Treating ·8,980 750 1,010 870 690 1,440 1,800 2,420 

Veneer 20,.980 2,250 1,430 4,030 2.,560 2,230 5,560 2,920 

Cooperage 9,640 1)170 3.,120 550 820 1,750 1,950 130 150 

Pulpwood 35,640 4,510 1,880 3,490 2,380 17,090 4,190 2,100 

Extractives 8,010 450 2J 2,140 1,980 870 2,570 

Miscellaneous 

industries 3,960 470 1,720 140 600 260 640 negl. 130 

Total 271,780 44,270 31,220 30,53CJ. 28.,330 53,630 50,620 3,340 29,840 

Grand total 472,480 78,630 62,190 55,650 48,470 84,450 88,130 6,120 48 i 840 Y Includes Delta portions of Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee; refer to map, figure 3. Y Part of State only; refer to figure 3. 

11 Grouped under miscellaneous to avoid disclosure of data on one plant. 
Handles, excelsior, etc. 

There are several specialty indus·tries in the area, utilizing particular species of trees or making special products. Examples are the manufacture of excelsior from pine and yellowpoplar; handles ,. utilizing pine, 

hickory,and ash; and small-dimension plants producing blanks and squares for 

golf heads, bat blanks, ski stock, dowel pins, paper plugs; etc. Nost of 

these plants are more or less permanent in character, since the demand for 

the products creates no ey.haustive drain on the species used. Another in-

.dustry, using dogwood and persimmon in the manufacture of blocks for shuttles 

and bobbins, is migratory in character because of its dependimce· on local 

supplies of bolts. 

Labor Requirements 

1,lore than 472 million man-hours of gainful employment were provided 

in 1937 by the forest industries mentioned in this release, as shown in 

table 3. While it is difficult to state the exact number of persons given 

employment, an estimate can be made on the basis of an average of 8 hours per 

day per person for 100 working days per year. On this assumption these industries prOVided more than half a million persons with work, from which they 

earned all or a part of their livelihood, While employees .in the milt or 

factory generally depend entirely upon their wages for cash income, woods 

workers, except in large operations, supplement their wages with part-time 

farm Vlork or other employment. In addition to the figures shovffi in table 3 

is the employment provided by transportation facilities such as common 

carriers, waterways, etc. 

Table 1; shows the average number of man-hours of labor required to 

produce a thousand feet, board measure, of logs in the woods·and a thouoand 

board feet of lumber in the mill. The data are further subdivided according 

to the species cut and the three size classes of mills. 

Table 1;.-Average labor in the woods and in the mill required to 

produce 1,()00 board feet of lumber, 193.7 

. .. Oombined logging Logging Milling and milling 

Species cut Size of mill Size of mill Size of mill 

small! Medium ! Lar ge small! Medium! Large Small I M·ediuml Large 

- - - - - - - - - - Man-hours - - - - - - - -

Pine 10:6 11.3 12.2 19.7 19·4 21.5 30.3 30.7 33.7 

Hardwood 1l.S 14.7 13.6 19.0 19.0 20.6 30.8 33.7 31;.2 

Cypress 16.8 17.5 17.6 19.9 21.0 23.3 36.7 38.5 1;0.9 

\'Ieighted average, 

all species 10.8 12.5 12.9 19.6 19.3 21.3 30.4 31.8 34.2 

- 17 -
Nill operations for producing pine lumber, which usually include planing, require. more labor per thousand board feet than does milling of hardwood, 

because much of the hardwood lumber is shipped rough to other plants, where 

manufacturing proce'sses are continued. However, logging in hardwoods is 

commonly more difficult than in pine standsj so the combined logging and milling labor roquirements for hardwood are greater than those for pine. Cypress 

production requires more labor than either pine or hardwood because of the' 

greater difficulty. in logging and the higher degree of finishing of the lumber. 

Labor ·required per 'unit volume produced in each species group tends 

to increase .in· both .logging and milling as the mill increases in size (table 4). 

But in the case of mills of .over 80 N board feet capacity, the labor requirements in logging are relatively low, and in milling the figure is slightly 

less than that for the next smaller class (fig. 11). These differences in 

labor requirements, as is well known, are due to variations in (1) type of 

logging, (2) proximity to the timber, (3) kind of product manufactured, (4) 

amount of machinery used, and (5) general efficiency. 

LOGGING MILLING 

.... 

~201------------~--~----------------+-~ '".t,--__ _ 

'" '" '< 

() 

~15~-----------------

~ 

~ I 

~ 

" 

~ , 

>: 

~ 

MILL SIZE CLASSES (IN M BO. FT.l 

FIGURE 11.- AVERAGE LABOR REQUIREMENTS FOR. LOGGING AND MILLING IN 

SAWMILLS OF VARIOUS SIZE CLASSES 1937. 

PREPARED BY fOREST SURVEY, SOUTHERN FORE:ST EXPERIMENT STATION -RELEASE NO. 51 

Studie$ made by the Forest Survey show that the pulp and paper industry provides more man-hours of work per unit volume of wood removed than any 

other forest industry in the South. \'Ihile the' lumber. industry provides the 

greatest'amount of employment in total man-hours (table 3), the ratio of 

amount of Vlood used to number of man-hours of labor provided places this industry fourth in the list, as is shown in figure 12. 

- 18 -
PULP AND PAPER 

VENEER 

COOPERAGE 

LUMBER 

CROSS TIES 

POLES AND PILES 

M:tttm:~:ttt(t~~\t~~\~~~~~~~~~~t~li~~~t~~~~~~~~~~:r~~~~~~:@f~~~~~~~t~~~~~~~tt~~~l{i)tt@!mt;Mw@#ifil 27 7 

t:~:nn~n:n!jn<~y:«mn:~in~!i:i!ljmjmjH~jnnHH~H:~n:nn~:n~!!!iY:::HI 23.3 

M\ Lm; mtiW\@\\@\E;\\g:;@lli!l/;;@118.2 

.7 

9.0 

FIGURE 12.-NUMBER OF MAN-HOURS OF GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT PROVIDED FOR EACH UNIT 

OF VOLUME (CORD) CUT AND PROCESSED BY MAJOR INDUSTRIES IN THE SOUTH. 

PREPARED BY rOREST- SURVEY, SOUTHERN FORt,n EXPERI t.4tNT STATION - RELEASE NO. ~,. 

Forest utilization in the lower South supports an' industry that ranks 

high in the industrial economy of the region. The supply of timber, as esti-

. mated by the Forest Survey, is sufficient to maintain this industry for many 

more years on a production scale as large as that indicated in this report. 

However, changes that are taking place in the composition of the forest stands 

are working to diversify and alter the character of the industry. Large sawmills dependent upon great blocks of virgin pine and hardwood, operating 

logging railroads and heavy steam skidders, .are rapidly giving way to smaller 

mills, often portable and transient, with a marked trend to light gasoline 

skidders, tractors, and similar equipment adapted to sparse and scattered 

stands, which receive their logs by truck from isolated stands over a wide 

countryside. Concentration yards for the'storing, seasoning, grading, finish-

.ing, and marketing of the rough lumber produced by these small mills are increasingly prevalent. 

A considerable degree of competition for timber that would some day 

make sawlog material has been caused by the great expansion in the pulp and 

paper industry, by virtue of the market it creates for the small, low-quality 

trees. This competition is being further increased because of the outright 

purchase by these companies of forest land, upon which cutting may be restricted and the supply of standing timber withdrawn from the open market. 

Considering all the factors in the situation together, the primary 

wood-products industrial set-up of the South is going through a period of 

change. It will be worth while to survey the results of this transformation 

periodically, at intervals of about 10 years, recording the outcome of the 

contest between the old-line lumber manufacturing industry and the neVi, 

dynamic, and fast-growing conversion of the forest resources of the South 

into commodities by chemical and other diversified means. 

- 19 -