The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-08-23
SOUTH HAS GREAT
TIMBER SUPPLY
Forest Conservation Is the Key
Nete of New Movement
WATER POWER ABUNDANT
Waste Wood Heaps Are Growing
Smaller In Many Ports of United
States and Forests Are Re-
ceivlng More Care.

Washington, August 22.-(Special) 1.-The
south, with q per cent of the total area
of the United States, contains about ~
country. The forest area by states is
as follows: Alabama, 20,0O0,OOO acres;
Arkansas, 24.2OOOO0; Florida, 100000;
Georgia, 22.B00,000; Kentucky, 10000, 900;
Louisiana. 16.5OO,OOO; Maryland, 100000;
Mississippi, 17,500,OOO; North Carolina, 49,
100000; South Carolina. 12,O00.0O0 Tennes-
see. 100000; Texas, 3O,O0O.OOo; Virginia,
140OO,o00 and West Virginia, 100000
The south, it will be seen. has still
much of the virgin forest of the coun-
try. This forest must be used, of course,
in order to meet the steadily expanding
wants of this section. 1t must be used
in such manner. however, that the very
most may be made from its annual cut,
while at the same time this cut is being
replaced by new growth. In this way its
timber will remain a source of perpetual
wealth.
The Importance of forest conservation
to southern interests is clearly under
stood by the people of the south. The
lutulG VI Lht 6OQth Is Atdlly pOu1u
up in the plan Of forest preservation,
with its accompanying protection to wa
tersheds, power-streams and woodwork
ing industries, than is anything now be-
fore the people of this part OF the coun-
try. Not only is the protection of the
watersheds, which will some day fur
nish the power to run all manufacturing
establishments in the entire south, an
important matter to the south, but the
industries depending upon the forest prod
ucts will also be benefited by the pro-
lection thrown about the remaining tim
bered area.
Waste Wood Diminishing.
The waste wood heap continues to d.
minish and pass away.
A Massachusetts, manufacturer of
brushes recently made a discovery in
Maine which supplied him with material
exactly suited to his purpose. He went
to the Pine Tree state TO buy wood for
the backs of hair brushes and the han
dies of shaving brushes, and CHANGED to
visit the yards of spoolmaker. who
was using white birch. The spool man
and was throwing away the red hearts.
Thousands of cords had been burned or
dumped in the lake to be rid of it.
The red hearts were exactly what the
brushmaker wanted, and at little more
than the expense of freight he supplied
his factory.
This is typical of the trend Of manu-
featuring. Waste of wood is still great.
but 1t is decreasing. What one factory
cannot use, another turns to profit For
merly mills threw away half the forest
tops left In the woods. sawdust dumped
in streams to pollute them and destroy
fish, slabs burned in perpetual bonfires,
and defective logs and low-grade lumber
abandoned as not worth moving.
This policy does not generally prevail
now. Some mills have put in machinery
to work up their own by-products, others
sell their waste to manufacturers who
can use it, as In the case cited in Maine
The properties and uses of woods are
now subjects of careful investigation,
and the problem of turning to account
the odds ana ends and the by-products
is brought moro to the front now than
formerly.
Inc United states Forest service mas
taken up this study In comprehensive
and systematic way. Investigations of
the woods of particular states are being
conducted. usually in cooperation with
the states concerned. The plan, when
fully carried out, will include every COM
mercial wood In the United States not
fewer than 200 species. The properties of
each will be Investigated, its hardness,
toughness. elasticity, durability. weight,
fuel value. size of tree, regions where
grown, the common names by which II
Is known in different localities, and other
matters of this kind. history of the
woods uses in the past will be given, and
an account of present uses; together with
suggestions for a wider range of useful
ness in the future by pointing out In
what capacities 1t will serve best and
be most valuable.