The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1908-11-13
TIMBER CONSERVATION
Government Policy Adopted BY The Larg-
est Saw Mill in The World

The future development of the lum-
Der industry in this country lies in the
direction of a closer utilization of for.
est products. Both foresters and prac.
teal lumbermen now agree on thi:
point.
Just what can be done in this field
is well illustrated in the operations al
the mill of the Great Southern Lumber
Company, which has just reopened
its plant at Bogalusa, Louisiana, in re-
spouse to the increased demand fol-
lumber after the recent slump in bust
ness. This is perhaps the largest
sawmill in the United States, if not in
the world, and is capable of turning
out the enormous amount OF 100000
feet of sawn lumber board measure per
day. A reader can get fair idea oil
this quantity of lumber when he is told
that its output is enough to build a
little town of 40 houses, along with a
good sized church and school house
every day.
This company was quick to grasp
the significance of the rapid depletion
of timber resources. Last year it be-
gan a cooperative investigation in
wood utilization with the United States
Forest Service and arrangements have
just been completed for a renewal of
the experiments. The work will be
along practical lines and will be aimed
to secure a closer utilization of the
products of the southern lumber mills
and at the same time produce margin
of profit in excess of that obtained by
the methods which are now practiced.
The field for work along this line is
broad. 1t is we'll known that the
superior grades of lumber are obtained
from old mature tree, provided they
are not weakened by decay or other in
fluences. In other words, a thousand
feet board measure of lumber, sawed
from tree two foot in diameter, costs
less and is worth more than thousand
feet sawed from a tree only eight
inches in diameter. Moreover, tim
Der cut from young trees usually con-
tains large amount of sapwood. If
ties, poles, etc., are cut from such
material, they will decay far more
rapidly than if cut from heart wood.
1t is not good business policy, how
ever, in great many cases to saw the
most valuable timber into commodities
which are relatively low in cost, such
as ties and poles. 1t is the intention
therefore of the company to find out
Just what size and classes of timber
can be best utilized for the cheaper
commodities when given a preserva-
tive treatment.
To this end careful study will be
made to ascertain the amount and
value of the products sawed from trees
of different sizes and just how each can
be best utilized so as to secure great
est economy and profit. For example,
can a tree eight inches in diameter be
best utilized for ties or for flooring, and
how will the profits compare, if treated
with those sold untreated? 1t seems
reasonable to suppose that the profits
derived from the sale Of treated timber
will exceed those from untreated
timber.
Moreover, the greater use OF chemi-
cally preserved wood will undoubtedly
result in that wood giving greater
life in service. Hence, the amount
of timber cut annually in the United
States, simply to replace that which
has decayed, will be materially de-
creased, and further conservation OF
forest resources will result. Recent
estimates by the Forest Service place
this reduction at 10 per cent OF the
total timber cut. The practical bene-
fits of these experiments and of the in
vestigations for the utilization OF saw
mill waste are at once apparent.
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