The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-13
Government Seeks Aid of Private
Owners to Check Alarming Deple.
ton of Forests-Urges Restocking,
Economy in Manufacture and
Utilization of Byproducts
Now Being Destroyed

and Southern sections Of the country,
1t will inevitably follow that we shall
have to turn ere long to the far West
for the cheaper OF our lumber, ana In
doing this the consumer. that much
further from the source OF supply,
will have to pay the added cost OF
transportation. But here. again. we
shall be deferrlng only for few years
the day Of accounting. Shifting the
prevailing method of systematic de.
nuding OF Our forest lands 10 not GO
ing to help out except for while;
It will mean the dissipation of just 80
much more of the principal Of our
natural riches.
Three years ago the United States
Department Of Commerce published q
report upon our lumber industry and
disclosed details regarding the mag
nitude OF this gigantic activity. Ao-
cording to that report, the annual
production of lumber in the United
States liz estimated to exceed 1000
100000 cubic feet. Further. II stated.
THE quantity OF wood taken from the
forest by the various wood utilization
industries is. however, much greater.
In 1907. $4,000, 10000 cubic feet were
removed from American forests in the
manufacture OF various products"
The foregoing figures are made ever
so much more illuminating II we bear
In mind the tremendous wastage OF
raw product between the time the tree
Is cut and the log is turned into
| boards at the sawmill and then
passed on for additional wastage at
the hands of the wood working fac
tory, &c. 1t has been stated broadly
that a good deal less than one half OF
the original tree reaches the ultimate
consumer of the lumber. This would
not be so bad II the incidental scrap,
so to speak. were efficiently utilized
! put to some truly economic service
but. unhappily. such is very far from
the case, except in comparatively iso-
lated instances.
! Originally, the forest mantle Of this
! country covered an area of $50. 900 900
acres. and to-day $4,000, 900 acres
are said to remain. This does not
sound SO very bad considering the
present magnitude of the nation and
the immense demands of a population
| OF approximately 10000, 900 people.
But the situation is really much more
acute than the figures indicate super
ficially; and the need Of conservation
is apparent II We bear In mind the
Authoritative statement that "only rs
per cent. of our present producing
| forest is saw timber" In other words,
while we have more than half a bill
Ion acres of trees still standing within
our borders, yet we can count upon
only 1877 500, 900 of those acres to yield
us marketable lumber.
How Material IL Wasted.
The primary forms Of squandering
OF the raw material are thus described
! by the Bureau OF Foreign and Domes-
tic Commerce: THE waste Of timber
| In logging while extremely variable,
can be estimated with a measure Of
defniteneF. Waste in stumpage &C.
ours by cutting the tree too high and
leaving the stumps to rot. Young
trees are frequently not protected
from falling timber Immature and
defective trees are cut and rejected.
Large limbs. tree tops ana lodged
trees are left to waste. Small bodies
OF timber in comparatively inacces-
sible places are often left standing.
Trees broken in falling are generally
left, as are also short log lengths.
'1n the national forests, where mod
ern methods OF scientific forestry are
practlsed, this loss is about 10 per
cent, but in general practice Is to 30
per cent. Is not too big an estimate in
considering the logging industry as q
whole On this basis the annual log
ging waste Of the United States ex-
ceeds 1900, 900, 900 cubic feet OF wood.
A portion OF this is ultimately recov-
cred and utilized for primary products
other than lumber. but by far the
larger portion Is subject to destruction
by decay. fire and land clearing opera
tons"
The following table shows in detail
Just where the SACRIFICES Of material
come In ana also the measure OF each
lof these:
Pc PC, O q q.
BARK .,...,..A.......'..'.,..., TO to
Herf observation-disclosures.
EdEng and trimming. ............". 81
Csreiess mnnufsetufe ............,...g.B
sisndafdizinG lengths and widths
OF boards ...............s"'..H.,E III
|