Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1907-10-30
FOREST WASTE.
Growing Scarcity of Lumber De-
mands That 1t be Utilized.

Growing Scarcity of Lumber De-
mands That 1t be Utilized.
Less than fifty per cent. of the average
tree IS it stands in the woods comes into
the market in the form OF merchantable
products, according to the statistics OF
government experts. The remainder is
allowed to go to waste. Some trees sup
posed to be of little value have been
habitually neglected altogether and left 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 q point where
building operations were handicapped.
Lumbermen have too often gone into the
richest forests OF the country and merely
s'skimmed the cream, taking only choice
parts of the trees and wasting the re-
mainder. Scarcity has now called halt,
and made it necessary to put the whole
tree to its best use.
The Forest Service early realized 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, laboratories were
established in other cities, the location OF
which seemed to be most advantageous
for the particular study concerned.
The first Of these was at New Haven,
Conn.,, in the old chemical laboratory of
the Sheffield scientific school Of Yale
university. Experimental and analytical
work was carried on, such as the analysing
OF preserved timbers, the determination Of
the quantity of tanning material and
cellulose IN various woods and bark, ex-
periments to discover the quantity If
material leached out by allowing logs to
stand in water for varying periods, and
studies to establish standards and values
OF commercial creosotes.
Work progressed even with q limited
force, and shortly laboratory was estab-
ished 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 re-
suits of this work were most encouraging.
A number OF wood fibres were shown to
be valuab Bile 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
made an exhaustive report on the condi-
ton OF the industry in that section. Later
experimental studies resulted in method
of chemical examination which not only
demonstrates the relative value OF turpen-
tine obtained from the pine tree by vari-
Gus methods, but also shows that it is
possible by steam distillation processes to
obtain from refuse southern pine grade OF
turpentine equal for all practical purposes
to gum spirits, which is the product OBJ
tanned by scarifying the trunks of living
trees. Circulars setting forth the results
in detail are now in preparation by the
Forest Service.
The Investigations OF the government to
discover uses for waste material were from
the first carried on under something of
disadvantage because OF laboratories be-
ing in different cities. Consolidation of
forces and close cooperation were almost
impossible. This was remedied last July
by the transfer of hsa iquarters to WASH
ington. A building s1ited 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 extended to cover
additional phases of the waste problem as
it affects the timber supply.