Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-07-31
RECORD YEAR
IN TIMBER OUTPUT
How the National Forests VIII Part
ly Offset the Coming Shortage.

The production of lumber, lath and
shingles in the United States in r906
was the largest ever recorded. A
census bulletin recently issued gives
37h billion feet as the acutal cut
OF the $1,000 mills which made re-
ports. This is seven billion 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 23 per cent more lumber
than in 1905, in the face of the fast
waning supply. The difference Is.
however, chiefly due to the fact that
1000 concerns have reported thei"
cuts as against less than $4,000 a
year ago. The gain is the result OF
responses from the smaller mills.
made because the rank and file of the
lumbermen 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 a cut of forty
billion feet of lumber alone. The
cut of lumber forms perhaps 40 per
cent of the total timber consumption
for all purposes. The figures are
alarming enough, taken in connection
with our available supply of wood.
The total amount of merchantable
timber in the United States is be-
lieved to be less than 1000 billion
feet. If the demand could be kept
stationary, and no timber were burn
ed up by forest fires, we should have
twenty years from now only what our
forests would have grown in the in
terval.
Three-fourths of the population of
the country is east of the Mississippi,
but more than half of the timber
supply Is west of Il. The west has
in its forests material to last it for
nearly fifty years IL its per capita
consumption is no greater than that
of the country at large and II II can
hold itself down to the same annual
total. This, however, takes no ac-
count of the demands which a de-
veloping country makes. But the
east has not enough saw timber Of
It's own to last fifteen 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 po-
sition which Douglas fir holds Illus
trates the vests rapid progress to-
ward becoming the principal source
OF supply of saw timber, and the
falling OF In the production of east
tern states which formerly held first
place. Douglas FIR now ranks sec
ond only to yellow pine In total cut,
and yields about one-half as much |
lumber. Never before has 1t out
ranked white pine, which for many |
years stood first, and later second.
Just as white pine had 90 give way |
TO southern yellow pine, this In its
turn will be superseded by Douglas
hi, which Is also known as red hr
and Oregon pine. II Is found mo-
where east of the Rocky mountains,
and by far the greatest quantity OF
Il is In Oregon and Washington.
The passing of the white pine of
the Lakes states is emphasized by the
gathered by the census.
which in 1870, 1880, and 1890
showed Michigan the leading state
Ia total production of lumber. In
the census of 1900 Wisconsin had
passed the first place, with Michigan1
second and Minnesota third. This
position was not changed
until 1904, when Washington ap-
peared at the top of the column and
was third, with Wisconsin,
second and Minnesota and Michigan
fourth and fifth. q Louisiana now
takes second place, while Wisconsin
goes down from second TO third and
Minnesota from fourth to seventh.
and Arkansas have moved
up to fifth and sixth places, while
Michigan goes to fourth.
New York. in 1850. led all the
states In the production of lumber.
rose TO first place ten
years later, and New York dropped
10 second. In the period following
the civil war the rapid extension OF
railroads brought into market the
great white pine forests of the Lake