Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1920-10-09
EUROPE NEEDS
u. s. LUMBER
War-tom Countries Expected to
Call for Twice the Amount
Shipped Before Conflict.
DEMAND MOSTLY HARDWOODS
Railroad Ties by the Million Being
Negotiated for by Great Britain
and France--Pubiic For
esta Solution.

Washington. Europe, emerging
from the war, Is expected to call up
on the United States annually for
about twice the quantity Of lumber
that was shipped across the Atlantic
before the war.
The demand for the future will be
mostly for hardwo0ds, while In the
past 1t was 10 per cent for soft woods,
mostly Southern pine.
Great Britain. France. Italy, Ger
many, Belgium and Holland are lum-
Der importing nations now expert
encing exceptional and often acute
shortages Of wood as an aftermath OF
the war. Railroad ties by the million
are now being negotiated for by Great
Britain and France. For the most
urgent reconstruction and expansion
all OF these countries will seek lumber
in large quantities from the United
States as soon as exchange rates
slump to stable basis.
Demands Hiqh-G Grade Timber.
1t is improbable however. that the
United States will be called upon for
any considerable quantity of the or
binary grades of building lumber re-
quired in the reconstruction of west
ern Europe Europe has quantities of
timber suitable for such purposes In
Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway and
the new countries carved out of the
Austro- Hungarian empire. Large lum-
her stocks have accumulated along the
Baltic sea during the war.
Europe does demand high-grade tim
her products from the United States,
which American industries can i'll af-
ford to spare--such as large structural
and ship timbers. flooring, hardwood
slaves and furniture, implement and
vehicle stockton which the demand
will steadily increase. Hickory and
ash handles. for example, are now go
ing to Europe in considerable guam
titles, the foreign demand for these
products again being factor which
affects stock and prices in the domes-
tic markets.
While the European trade consti-
tutes only about 40 per cent of the
United States exports of lumber, de-
velopment of Central and South Amer
lea. parts OF Africa, China, Australia
and New Zealand will naturally re-
suit In gradual increase of lumber
exports to those counties.
The most serious effect of the for
eign trade in lumber will be to in
crease the present shortage of high
quality products, because it is exactly
such products which are short the
world over and which lumber import
ing nations are most DESTROYS to get
from this country.
The effect will be most pronounced
with respect to American hardwoods,
The foreign demands include not only
cabinet, furniture making, and finish
ing woods of special beauty, like wal
nut or quartered oak. but also many
woods used in manufacturing essen
tails of commerce and industry. like
oak and hickory wagon stock. woods
used In agricultural implements. The
supply in this country of old-grown
hardwoods from which most of these
products are obtained is nearing its
end. Our domestic industries are Sc
curing such materials with increasing
difficulties and multiplied costs.
Public Forests Solution.
The eventual solution OF the prob
lem presented by an active foreign
trade Is identical with the remedy for
depletion through domestic consump-
tion--namely, not to restrict the use,
hut TO increase the production of tim
Der by getting all forest-growing lands
not entirely meet the need throughout
the world for timber of high quality.
As rule such material cannot be
grown In less than 100 years, and even
IL every acre of denuded land in the
United States were planted today, a
long time would elapse before the de-
pletion of high-quality stumpage which
has been cut so freely from our virgin
forests could be made good.
Furthermore, the private land own
ers can seldom afford to carry timber
crops during the long period necessary
TO produce material of high quality.
The most effective means of overcom-
Ing the shortage of high-grade timber
is the creation of public forests, which
can be utilized 10 the extent necessary
for the production of large timber or
of special products.