The Socorro chieftain. [volume] (Socorro, N.M.) 1902-1959, 1907-11-09
The Forest Service Has Undertaken
to Prevent Such Waste in
the Future.
FIFTY PER CENT OF the TREE
As It Stands in the Wood Now
Fails to Reach the Mar
ket for Use.

average tree as il stands in the
woods comes into the market in
the form of merchantable pro-
ducts, according TO the statistics
of government experts. The re-
mainder is allowed to gu to waste.
Some trees supposed To be OF lit
tie value have been habitually
neglected altogether and lett in
the woods to fall and decay.
The seriousness of this waste
question made little impression
on lumbermen and the users of
lumber until forests began to
fail and prices reached a point
where building operations were
handicapped. Lumbermen have
too often gone into the richest
forests of the country, and mere
ly skinned the cream" taking
only choice parts of the trees, and
wasting the remainder. Scarcity
has now called a halt, and made
it necessary to put the whole tree
to its best use.
The Forest Service early real
lied the need of turning to account
what was thrown away, and it
began Investigations with that
end in view. Because of lack of
facilities in Washington, labora-
tories were established in other
cities, the location of which
seemed to be most advantageous
for the particular study con-
cerned. The first of these was
at New Haven, Connecticut, in
the old chemical laboratory of
the Sheffield Scientific School of
Yale University. Experimental
and analytical work was carried
on, such as the analyzing of pre-
served timbers, the determina-
ton of the quantity of tanning
material and cellulone in various
woods and bark, experiments to
discover the quantity of material
leached out by allowing logs to
stand in water for varying periods
and studies to establish standards
and values of commercial creo-
sotes.
Work progressed even with a
limited force, and shortly labo-
ratory was established in Boston
to investigate the value for pulp
purposes of various abundant
woods, and to save the valuable
spruce and poplar forests for
lumber. The results of this work
were most encouraging. A num-
ber of wood fibres were shown to
be valuable raw material for
paper. Some of these were, so
far as color, strength and various
other qualities are concerned,
better for certain purposes than
spruce.
The wood diStillation industry
was also given careful study with
most satisfactory results. An
expert made an extended tour of
investigation through the South,
and furnished an exhaustive re-
port on the condition of the in
dustry of that section Later ex-
perimental studies resulted in a
method of chemical examination
which not only demonstrates the
relative value of turpentine OBJ
taired from the pine tree by vari'
Gus methods, but also shows that
it is possible by steam distillatior
processes TO obtain from refuse
southern pine a grade of turpen'
tine equal for all practical pur'
poses 10 gum spirits, which is
the product obtained by scarify'
ing the trunks of living trees
Circulars setting forth the result:
in detail are now in preparation
by the Forest Service.
The Investigations of the gov
ernment to discover uses for waste
material were from the first car
ried on under something of a dis
advantage because of laboratorie:
being in different cities. Consol
idation OF forces and close coop
GRAFTON were almost impossible
This was remedied last July BY
the transfer of headquarters tC
Washington. A building suited
to the special requirements of the
work was erected, in which the
apparatus previously used else
where has been installed. Here
the field of inquiry will be ex
tended to cover additional phases
of the waste problem as It affects
the timber supply.