Grand Forks daily herald and the evening times., 1914-07-16
STUDY OF TIMBER.

The secretary Of commerce and the
secretary Of agriculture have COM
pleted plans VII heir two de-
partnaents wi II g construc-
tive study o. ..-y and expioita-
ton of timee. tic United States,
which has now become one OF the
big conservation and industrial prob
lens. The study is to be undertaken
in the belief that the methods used
restoration of normal and healthy
conditions in the industries which
convert timber into disable products,
vitality concern the public at large.
One Of the conditions which. in the
opinion Of the secretaries, makes this
study Of Immediate Importance, is the
fact that the United States, which
contains some 5000 billion feet of
standing timber. is now reducing its
stock of stumpage at the rate Of sixty
or more billion feet annually. In spite
Of this limited timber supply, lum-
bermen are now unable to market
much OF the poorer grades. They
therefore leave in the woods or burn
in their mills from one-third to one
half Of the material in the trees. Poor
varieties of timber often are not cut
at all, but are left to be burned In the
slash fires which usually follow log
ging. Some of this waste IL is be-
Neved is p~reventable, and much more,
It Is hoped. can be saved under i'm
proved conditions of marketing and
use of wood.
One Of the objects Of these studies
!e to lessen this total waste which, II
allowed to continue, will be felt soon
er or later. Because of these and
other existing conditions in the tim
Der and numbering districts, the sec
1etaries Of both departments feel that
there is need to devise betterments
In the interest alike of the forest-using
industries and the consuming public.
The more important elements In
the project of the two departments
are as follows:
The studies will seek to establish
the essential facts relating to supply.
exploitation and marketing of timber
at home and abroad. and to analyze
the underlying causes of present un-
satisfactory conditions. The aim will
be to deal helpfulry with the various
problems presented. and to indicate
as Tar as 1t may be practicable, meas
ures which should be adopted by the
Industry itself; or by the public in re-
lation to the industry. The studies
will be conducted. directly by the for
est service in the department of asri-
culture and the bureau of foreign and
domestic commerce, with the cooper
alton of the bureau of corporations
and the bureau of standards of the de-
partnaent of commerce, within their
special fields. All the information
hitherto gathered by these different
agencies as to the standing timber, the
manufacture and marketing OF lum-
Der, the quality of various timbers. and
the more economical and more profit
able utilization Of wood will be CORE
lated with any new data gathered and
used to indicate improvements.
Among the related industrial and
business questions which will be con-
sidered are the effects upon lumber
production Of speculation IN standing
timber and the carrying charges on
private stunapage; the extension of
markets including the development of
Foreign market for lumber and other
FOREST products n the marketing of
material in new forms, and the com
petition Of lumber produced In other
countries and oe other matorials used
Tor the same purposes.
Attention also will ,e given, in the
Interests Of consumers and manufac-
turers, to tho questions Of the dis
lance between the producer and the
consumer and the distributing agencies
which absorb a considerable part Of
the retail price.
The inquiry has TO do not only with
the thrifty use Of the present timber
supply. but also with the possibility
Of applying forestry in the future
management OF private timber lands.