The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-11-10
USING TREE WASTE
Forest Service Finds Uses
for Discarded Material.
TURPENTINE FROM REFUSE
DistillatiOn OF Pine WastaEe Gives
Product Nearly IA Good as That
from Live Tree-HithertO Useless
Trees Found Ia Be OF Commercial
NaIue-CentraIizatio Helps Work.

Less than % per cent Of the average tree
as II stands in the woods comes into the
market in the form OF understandable pal
ucts, according 10 the statistics OF gov
eminent experts The remainder is al
lowed 10 10 10 waste. Some trees. sup
posed 20 be Of little value have been
habitualy5 neglected altogether. and left
in the woods 10 fall and decay.
The seriousness Of this waste question
made little impression on lumbcrmen and
the user Of lumber until forests began 10
fan and prices reached a point where
building operations We're Handicapped.
Lumbernen have too often gone into
the richest forest IN the country and
merely Skinned the cream" taking
only choice parts Of the trees, and vast
ing the remainder. Scarcity has now
called a halt. and made il necessary 70
put ;he whole tree 10 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 ia view. Because Of lack
Of facilities in Washington, laboratories
We're established in other cities the IOca-
tons Of which seemed 20 be most advan-
tageOuS for the particular study con
cerned. The first Of these was al New
Haven Conn, in the old chemical laDora-
tory OF the Sheffield Scientific School of
Yale University Experimental and ana
iytical work was carried on. such as the
analyzing of preserved timbers. the de-
termination OF the quantity OF tanning
material and ceilulose in various woods
and bark, experiments 20 discover the
IS a.
lowing logs 10 stand IN water for varying
periods. and studies to establish standards
and values Of commercial creosOtes.
Pulp Problem PrOBed.
Work progressed even with a limited
force. and shortly a laboratory was es-
tabIished in Boston 10 investigate the
value for pulp purposes Of various album
dant woods, and TO save the valuable
spruce and poplar forests for lumber.
The results Of this work were most en-
couraging- A number Of wood hbers were
shown 10 be valuable raw material for
paper Some OF these were. SO far as
color. strength. and various other quail
ties are concerned. better for certain pur-
poses than spruce
The wood distillatiOn industry was also
given careful study with most Satisfac-
tory results An expert made an extend
ed tour OF investigation through the
South. and furnished an exhaustive re-
port on the condition of the industry OF
that section. Later experimental studies
resulted in method Of chemical exam
ination which not only demonstrate. Inc
relative value of tUrpentine obtained from
the pine tree by various methods. but
also shows that 1t IS possible by steam
distiliatiOn processes TO obtain from ref
use Southern pine a grade OF turpentine
equal for all practical purposes 10 gum
spirits, which is the product obtained by
scarifying the trunks of living trees
Circulars setting forth the results IN de
tail are now in preparation by the Forest
Service