Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-09-23
Dwindling Of Pine Forests
Presents Problem to South

Rev. Alex w. Bealer. distinguished
Georgia clergyman and writer, in a
recent article published in the Sun
day Journal. told Of the two or three
isolated tracts Of virgin yellow pine
that now stand in this state as the
remnants Of the great forests that
have fell before the ak
OF especial interest. therefore, Is
a statement from the forest service
Of the United States department Of
agriculture, predicting that in ten
years the south will have hardly
enough timber for it's own needs.
The surprising facts brought out by
the governments investigation make
up an interesting document.
The sure prospect of depleted tim
Der In the south is, of the greatest
concern not only to that section, but
also TO the rest Of the country, be-
cause the southern yellow pine is
today theS most important single
source source OF lumber in the United
cent Of the entire lumber cut Of the
country and Al per cent Of the cut
or "softWoods," or coniferous trees.
which the world over are the main
dependents of general building and
o cons, 1t is the wood most
plains to~the Atlantic and from the
CUR almost to the Canadian lines.
southern yellow pine Is also the
Ieadlng item in our lumber exporta-
t!on' FORMING nearly half Of our for
elgn shipments of lumber.
To-, IN elevator construction this popu-
lar wood formed SO, per cent Of the
wood used and in shin ava boo+
building 81 per cent. s" Rg rha Dpaf
implement makers draw on it for Al
per cent of the wood which thew
Consumed. 1t made about 4S per
cent or all the planning mill prod
and general millwork. Although the
furniture industry consumed Chiefly
the hardWoods-oak, maple, ellrn and
olrch, for example-it draws on vel
Low Low pine for approximately rs, 0OO,-
600 feet of lu Ser,
The great development Of southern
pine production, which has made this
the chief reliance Of the lumber mar
kets of all the eastern part Of the
country and the Mississippi valley,
pegan in the seventies, and increased
to what will probably stand as it's
top c6 record of cut of about
6o;O9O,VOO,O0O board feet in 1909. An
origlnal stand Of some $50, 600, O00,.
QOo rect, occupying from 1875, 700, O0O
to 130,000.000 acres, has been re-
duced by almost four-fffths.
"A recent survey covering $500
m1iIs' owning or controlling practi-
stand in the south, made by the lum-
per manufacturers of the south,
showed that nearly 81 per cent of ali
the mills reported will cut out their
lumber IN five years or less, 81 per
cent OF all the mills will cut 1t
their timber in ten or less, and
in twenty years all the mills except
twelve will cut out their timber,
At present the annual cut of vel
low pine saw timber, excluding hewn
ties, poles, posts, is in the neighbour
hood of 15,O00,000.000 feet. In 1880
this cut, according to the estimate
of the lumbermen themselves, will
drop to about 9.250,0O0,O0O feet, or
nearly 5000, 100000 feet from the es-
timated products In 1919. After 1881
the south will become more and more
an importing region. In fifteen years
the south will become dependent for
It's own needs upon large importa-
lions OF lumber from the Pacific
coast.
The elimination Of large competi-
tion from the southern yellow pine
because of it's shrinkage output and
the transfer of the leadership to
Douglas fir, timber tree more re-
moved from the center of consump-
ton than yellow pine is at present,
must inevitably lead to higher prices
for lumber. The south will undoubt-
eddy continue, as New England, to
be lumber-producing region. High
grade yellow pine, however, from a
general utility wood will become,
just as white pine is today, spe-
cialty wood, while second growth
will furnish inferior grades for in
duStrial purposes.
Forest depletion is an economic
evil Of such seriousness that it is
awakening general attention among
lumbermen, foresters and the wood
using industries. 1t is generally
agreed that some form of public ac-
ton must be taken to secure the
growing OF new forests In place of
those that are now being vut wher-
ever the land is not agricultural. Eff
fective protection of our forests and
cut-over lands against fire is being
advocated as the first and greatest
step toward hating the march Of