The Wrangell sentinel., 1918-09-05
The Production of
Airplone Spruce
In Alaska
BY w. G. WEIGIE
Forest Supervisor
Reprinted from Alaska Pioneer

The rapid increase in the develop
meut and use of aifplanes in con-
nection with the world War now
in progress has created a demand
for the strongest. lightest and
toughest wood in the world to be
used in their construction. By in
Vulnerable tests at the various lab
oratories OF the several governments
of many kinds OF wood found all
over the world. and by actual use
in airpldne construction, it has been
found that Sitka spruce (picea sit
kensis) possesses these combined
qualities in the highest degree.
Consequently the demand created
for Sitka spruce lumber suitable for
airpiane construction bv the United
States is far beyond the natural
supply and when the demand OF
our Allied countries is ADDED to the
demand of the United States it can
be plainly seen that only by an ex-
traordinary effort can the demand
be supplied. Red and white spruce
found in the eastern part of the
United States and clear across the
northern part of North America,
and Engleman spruce found chiefly
in the Rocky Mountain belt, also
possess the good qualities demand
ed in airplane lumber, but on &C
count of the small size of the trees
of these species Very little clear
luir Der of suitable dimensions can
be occurred from this source.
[5itka spruce is found in a narrow
bell of from so to so miles in width
aloi g the Pacific Coast from South
ern Oregon to Kodiak, Alaska. IL
Is stpand only in the wet belt and
seldom grows in pure stands on
areas of any considerable size. On
account of this condition, the cut.
ting of spruce was seldom made a
specially along the coast of Oregon,
Washington and British Columbia.
but simply cut when it was reached
in the general logging operation.
In Alaska, however, Sitka spruce
has been practically the only tim
Der cut. AS result of the scattered
stands of spruce the annual cut was
comparatively small. When the
government. called for ten million
feet of spruce airplane lumber per
month during the summer of 1917
it was found that even with the in
creased cut brought about by the
high price offered, less than two
billion feet a month was available.
Inasmuch as it had been ascer-
tanned that Sitka spruce lumber was
the best tor airplane construction,
and information at hand showed
that there was large quantities of
spruce timber available, although
hard to get, the government inn
mediately determined to get it re-
gardless of cost. In order TO speed
up the production of spruce lumber
the War Department established a
Spruce Production Section OF the
Signal Corps at Portland, Oregon.
The Office work of this organization
enl,sts the services of more than
one hundred men. By their efforts
all logging operations within the
spruce belt have been spurred up
TO increased production. They
have built a large resaw mill at
Vancouver, WASH, that works on
al, plane lumber only. They are
having railroads extended into iso-
lated spruce regions and building
a new mill west of the Olympic
Mountains with daily capacity OF
one million feet to handle spruce
only. AS a result of this spruce
production campaign the production
of airplane spruce increased from
two million feet per month to eight
million feet per month. This nearly
equalled the amount a, fits; &c,
-oes.4d. bat the demand for an.
ta :, - III -aef'nn-s to
-r- .-s instead q s.-a.-
! ing ten million feet Ter month, tbs