Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-08-08
Speclal 10 rhe Tlmcs-Dlspatch.l

arc being exhausted have just been
published by the forest service OF
he United States Department OF
United States Senate passed a rcso..
luton calling Oh the Secretary of
Agriculture for Il report as TO the
other forest resources of the eoun--
try. As Il result. the whole forest
situation has been rcstudled. and the
conclusions reached are attracting
wide attention among lumbcrmen
aud from the many industries for
which wood Is an important raw ma
which the public. is deeply inter
cstcd. and. according TO the report.
the public must take action If con-
ditions are not TO become much
That lumber has suddenly become
enormously expensive in comparison
with past standards. that its price
has sky-rockctcd in the last year
moditics In general. and that both
ts cost ami the difficulty In sccur-
Ing supplies at any price have az
fectcd very seriously building and
many other important Industries are
relatively familiar facts. The short
asc OF paper is stiil more familiar
been due 10 the using up OF our
timber supplies has been a matter on
which opinions have varied widely
and on which one mans opinion
as anOthcrS.
Many CnuseS Operative.
Regardless OF every other cuncciv-
able condition. declares the report. a
very substantial rise in lumber prices
would have been 4icvitable from
general causes. In addition. there
were number Of special causes
operative in the lumber industry to
raise prices besides forest depletion
war time Differentiation, short
stocks, sudden abnormal demands
I'll 4 . Istf. l.s.
bad weather conditions. for example.
Yet. after fun allowance is made for
all such matters, timber depletion is
pronounced 10 have been AN irnpor-
tant contributing cause OF excessive
prices OF forest products.
Not only so. but what has nap
taste Of what is in store for ns. ac-
cording TO the report. II wc hold on
our present course. For. In seeking
TO untanGic the complex Influences
ing upward the prices or lumber
paper turpentinc. rOsin and other
products, the forest service experts
have gone deeply into the question
csts, hos fast IL In going, and what
rcgrowth Is taking place. 1t Is In
the facts and estimates thus dis
closed that the most novel and most
striking aspects of the study arc re-
vea!cd
The Mig Fnc,. About Depletion.
came suddenly alarmed on the sub
jcc; OF It's forests. Out of this came
the conservation movement. 4 ma
tion"l conservation comnission was
and the Governors Of all the States
and other leaders OF thought and
action were assembled at the White
House 10 take counsel together re-
Eard!ng our natural resources and
their relation TO the public welfare
~ that White House conference It
our timber supplies three times as
by growth.
The corrcctness OF this estimate
came later TO be doubted. But now
the forest service declares we are
losing from the present stand more
ihan four times, what growth re-
places--and. still worse. tina; our
sawt!mbcr. the biggest and most
valuable timber that we have and
the Kind that we need most and
ing cut and destroyed five and one
half times as fast as IL is produced
Yet. even this does not tell the
whole story or sawtimber con-
tlre and similar destructive agencies,
between two-thirds and three fourths
comes from our virgin Islands In
which no regrowth is possible eX-
moved TO make place for new
Ut the same time, we are losing
our SetDNU EEO"tu S1wtimDer more
Than one, and one-haif times as fast
as II Is being grown, while the ma
tcrial stun too small for sawtimber
. IS going three and one-half times
while eating up, for the bulk OF our
demands, what we may call our in
herited capi'ai--ihe virgin timber
mat we found in our primcval for
supplies on which replacement de-
ponds; Obviously. as the depletion
OF virgin supplies advances. the
less We radically mend our ways.
Idle Land Wnsteful.
Yet we still have left one sixth Of
of fores, land OF ali kinds. includ-
Ing culled. burned and cut-ovcr areas,
we have little more than half the
original amount. Something like 4G3,-
POOR. But the poor is very poor In
deea-a matter of $1,000. 900 acres
Sor so has TO be rated as unproduc-
i've waste, while hundred and thir-
~ odd million acres are what the
FOREST service classes as "cordwood
areas or land on which there is not
enough sawtimber TO permit OF lum-
timber on it in good time if we
let what is there now grow up. But
= great deal OF ii is like a garden
tull mostly of weeds.
The heart OF our forest. problem.
according 10 the report. is TO get
the idle or partly idle land to work.
lf NIL the land suitable for forest
production were growing reasonably
good crops of trees, there would be
no forest problem for the country.
"hnt We Have Not Where Wanted.
1t might seem that we are rea-
sonably safe as 1t Is against an i'm
nensc shortage. since the report es-
Inmates the total volume OF stand
ing timber In the country at 49,
ooo. 100000 cubic feet, and our an
nual cut and loss combined at &c.
900. 100000 But the forest service
considers that more Importance at
the timber is than to the aggregate
amount. 1t Is regional depletion. the
report says, that has combined with
other causes to put the price OF lum-
Der out of sight for many users.
The trend OF lumber prices of the
leading softwood species since 1905
is graphically brought out in the re-
port. From 1907 to 1915 Southern
yellow pine, Douglas flr from the pa
woods on the whole declined. but be-
tween 1915 and 1920 all flew upward
practically together and to unexam-
pied heights. Last March both
douglas fir and yellow Pine had
reached prices between three and
tccT times those Of 1915. The gem
eral market is now supplied with it's
construction material chiefly from
thcSe three sources.
The ardwoods-oak. ash. hickory.
Dirch. maple, gum, etc.-are specially
woods. Pine. fir. spruce. hcmlocle and
otner softwoods are the main depend
ence or the lumber market for gen
erai purposes. or tho 10000, 900, 900
c cH1 noo leet or standing timber. only