Middletown transcript., 1907-07-27
THE TIMBER OUTPUT
How the National Forests viii Partly
offset the Coming Shortage

UffseI tne @e0miDg shortage
The production of lumber. lath, and
shingles in the United States in 1905 was
the largest ever recorded. A census bul.
letin recently issued gives 377 billion feet
as the actnal cut Of the 2l,000 mills
which-made reports. This is seven bill
lion feet more than the cut reported in
1905.
These figures at first seem to point to
very alarming conclusion-that the
country had in the last year cut more
than % per cent. more lumber than in
1905, in the face Of the fast waning sup
ply. The difference is, however, chiefly
due to the fact that q, 900 concerns have
reported their cuts as against less than
Il, 600 year ago. The gain is the result
of responses from the smaller mills, made
because the rank and file of the lumber
men now appreciate that these returns
are important to the trade, and that their
value depends upon everybody helping
to make them as complete as possible.
If the returns were complete they
would probably show cut OF forty bill
lion feet for lumber alone. The cut of
lumber forms perhaps 40 per cent. of the
total timber consumption for all pur-
poses. The figures are alarming enough,
taken in connection with our available
supply of wood. The total amount OF
merchandise timber in the United
States is believed to be less than 1000
billion feet. If the demand could be
kept stationary, and no timber were
burned up by forest fires, we should have
twenty years from now only what our
forests would have grown in the interval.
Three-fourths of the population of the
country is east of Mississippi, but more
than half of the timber supply is west
of it. The Wes. has in its forests mater
ial to last it for nearly fifty years If its
per capita consumption is no greater than
that of the country at large and if it can
hold itself down to the same annual
total. This, however, takes no account
of the demands which developing
country makes. But the East has not
enough saw timber of its own to last fit.
teen years. In point OF fact the East is
already drawing so heavily upon the
Northwest for lumber that the railroads
have trouble to handle the traffic. The
position which Douglas fir holds illus
trates the Vests rapid progress toward
becoming the principal source of supply
of saw timber, and the falling off in the
production OF Eastern States which for
merly held first place. Douglas fir ranks
second only to yellow pine in total cut,
and yields about one-half as much lum-
Der. Never before has it outranked
white pine, which for many years stood
first, and later second. Just as white pine
had to give way to southern yellow pine,
this in its turn will be superseded by
Douglas fir, which is also known as red
fir and Oregon pine. 1t is found no where
east of the Rocky Mountains, and by far
the greatest quantity of it is in Oregon
and Washington.
New York, in 1850, led all the States
in the production Of lumber. Pennsyl-
vania rose to first place ten years later,
and New York dropped to second. In
the period following the cival war the
rapid extension Of railroads brought into
market the great white-pine forests Of
the Lake States, and the chief source OF
supply moved thither. Michigan first,
then Wisconsin, went to the front When
Washington supplanted the latter the
leadership had crossed the continent. In
fifty years il passed from an Atlantic to a
Pacific Coast State.
The holding Of the first in production
by State does not locate the country's
chief source of supply. Washington
now stands first among the States, yet
the South is supplying more lumber than
the West. But the magnificent yellow
pine forests ofthe South are being rapidly
cut and marketed, just as was done with
the white-pine forests of Michigan and
Minnesota during the thirty years follow
| ing 1860. But the Pacific coast will soor
be the chief source Of supply.
The passing Of the white pine Of the
Lake States is emphasized by the stats
tics gathered by the census, which il
1 1870, 1880, and 1890 showed Michigan
the leading State in total production o
Humber. In the census of 1900 Wiscon
sin had passed to first place, with Mich
i igan second and Minnesota third. Thi
relative position was not changed unit
1904, when Washington appeared at thu
top Of the column and Louisiana wa
i third, with Wisconsin second, and Min
nesota and Michigan fourth and fifth
Louisiana now takes second place, whil'
Wisconsin goes down from second t.
third and Minnesota from fourth u
seventh. Mississippi and Arkansas hav'
moved up to fifth and sixth places, whii'
Michigan goes to fourth.
| The policy of the Government in ere
i ating National Forests in the West
taken in connection with the favorable
| climatic and typographical condition TO
/ the growth of trees, insures futur
supply which win be greatly to th
Vests advantage. When the inevitable
| time Of timber shortage arrives, the cos
j Of transportation in the long haul scros
i the continent will aid the West in sup
i plying its own first. The National For
4 ests must be first of all for the supply 0
western needs. The East bad original.
i the bulk OF the country's forests It ha
i largely wasted them. The West has nos
| considerable provision for the future
The presence of the National Forests vii
| insure for all time a permanent suppl.
| of material for wood-using industries i
i the West, although the actual holding
| of the Federal Government in them
selves are by no means sufficient to fur