Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-01-12
Things Worth Knowing
Valuable Industrial Data Cleaned
from Auth critics for the Ken
nebec Journal

The forests of the United states en-
| brace about 100000 square miles or
| SO per cent. of the total area. This
| area is naturally divided into five
great forest regions the northern,
southern, central, Rocky Mountain and
Pacific Coast. When the pioneers
came to our Eastern shores Il vast for
est extended from Maine to Minnesota,
continuing southwark along the APP
palachian mountain chain. The chief
tree of this forest was the white pine
tPinus strobus). and this tree has
furnished most of the lumber pro-
duced in the United States. South of
this area is the region known as the
southern pine forests, the most valua-
BILE tree of which is the yellow pine
(Pinus palustris). This is still one of
the great sources of lumber. turpen-
tine. resin. and other products.
In the Mississippi valley were the
great hardwood forests of oak, walnut.
hickory, ash, poplar and other decidu
Gus trees. West of the hardwood for
ests are the great plains, extending
over the eastern slopes Of the CONT
mental divide until they reach. the
Rocky Mountains. the higher elevations
OF which are more or less clothed with
evergreen forests, the most valuable
and conspicuous species of trees being
the Bull pine CPinus ponderosa), En-
gelmann'S spruce (Picea engelmannD,
and the Lodgepole pine tPinus muir
rayana). The other great forest area
is that of the Pacific coast states, the
area extending from the Cascade and
Sierra mountains to the coast. The
most valuable trees of this area are the
redwood and big trees (Sequioa zem-
pervirens and S. gigantea). the Douglas
spruce CPseudotsuga taXifolia) and
several kinds of fur. The Bull pine is
also common in some parts of this
tract, and in Washington and oregon
the coast cedar (Thuya gigantea) and
the Tideland spruce CPicea stitchensis)
are important timber trees. Many
other kinds of trees are to be met with
in all these regions, some of them &C.
curing in almost pure stands. while
others occur as mixtures.
After the most valuable trees are cut
out, others are taken in order of their
abundance and utility. When the
white pine was plentiful it was used
in almost every conceivable way. In
1890, when the maximum cut Of white
pine was reached, the states of Michi-
gan. Wisconsin and Minnesota pro-
duced $685. 900 feet B. NJ. Of this
lumber. Within 10 years the yield
had fallen off more than one-third, and
the quality of the lumber placed on
the market was greatly inferior to that
e
duction of yellow pine in the Southern
states was S.523.000.000 feet B. NJ, and
it has since increased very greatly, in
1908 amounting to 1926, 100000 feet.
For the remainder of the country data
are not available for the whole produc-
ton.
In 1907 the cut of redwood in the
Pacific forest area was 569i50,0OO feet,
and the lumber product of Oregon for
that year was 1.635.56S.000 feet, and of
Washington 3,777 ,606.000 feet. The
timber cut of 1908 was somewhat lower
than in 1907 by reason of the financial
disturbance begun in the fall of 1907.
There were 1921 sawmills in active
operation, according to reports made to
the L. S. Bureau of the Census, and
1892 idle ones. The cut of lumber.
laths. shingles, etc. was valued at
$3.50, 000,0 900. The value of firewood,
posts, poles and rails was estimated at
1925, 100000 of railroad cross ties.
s45. 100000; cooperage stock, $4,000
600; turpentine and rosin, $3o,o0O,000;
pulp wood, s2O,000,00o; tan bark and
tanning extracts, s15,000,000; and mis-
cellaneous, $4,000, 000, or a grand total
OF forest products to the value OF
$1,000 100000.
In the production of lumber. lath,
and shingles, Washington took first
rank, producing SIS per cent. of the
total; Louisiana was a close second,
with SO per cent; and Mississippi,
Arkansas, and Wisconsin followed in
the order named, these five states pro-
ducing 32.5 per cent. of the entire cut
of the United States. Yellow pine
took first rank of the lumber cut OF
1908, 11,236,372,000 feet B. NJ. being
of this species. Douglas fir, with
3,S75,114,000 fet, and white pine. with
1875, 900 feet, and white pine. with
3,344.921 200 feet occupying second
and third rank. OF the hard woods,
oak, with 2.771, 511 900 feet, far exceed
ed the production of any other lumber.