Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-17

washington. Oct. 17--In no great
Arnerioan industry, not even the meat
hacking industry. in which by common
rep,tte everything is utilized but the
| hos,s souesl is conversauon today re-
coIving sreater attention than In the
lumber industry. The lumber produc-
ar once of all our industrial giants
tho greatest and most notorious vast
rel. has begun To be provident and
canny. The industry has been forced
20 II. It's alternative In 30 change !
methods or prepare for the end OF
greatness. And what Us now being
done To change methods constitutes
one OF the most interesting stories In
modern industrial science.
The fact ie that America ls nearing !
the end OF her timber resources. Even
Ten years ago the prediction bnat the
end was nigh was secuted as the out
cry Of the professional alarnist. But
expanding population, the enormous
demand Of the war for lumber, the
ceaselees forest free. all have done
their work America Ia faced with
the unpleasant fact that her once
seemingly inexhaustsble forests, which
/, stretched across 1000 miles with only
n break for the Great Plaine, are near
Ing exhaustion.
Already the pinch, is being felt. es
pecialy in the East. The growing
prices tell part Of the story. The con
sumption OF lumber has dropped from
an average per capita use of 500 hoard
? feet In 1906 10 316 board feet In 1920
drop Of 81 per cent in il years.
Carry this out to the end. and the
- / 10 t-nt- q
, altogether about the year 1910. The
1 remnants of the virgin stands of pine
! in the Southern States will be cut out
in another 10 years. That will leave
{ the Pacific Northwest as the s1Ie re-
- naming chief source OF lumber. and
a lumber prices In the East will be bas-
n cd upon Oregon and Washln gton pri-
q cos plus the freight rate across the
a continent, rate that ie O greater sum
}. per 1000 board feet than easternere
y had 10 pay for lumber itself, lnclud-
!. ing the hauling charge, a few years
o ago.
The government was first TO realize
q the impending dorm Of the American
/, forests, and 10 combat 81 established
n tho United States Forest Service TO
i protect and maintain the tinnberef
+ areas Of the public domain set assde
N in perpetuity as national forests Ger
10 tain states followed the Government'e
u example. esta ablishing state forest ser
N vices. A little over 10 years ago the
y Forest Service established at Madison
Is Wisconsin. the Forest Products Lab.
q, oratory TO study the problems Of the
. industry scientifically, dsvotjng spec
n ial attention 10 tho conservation Q.
,s wood after IL is cut. The industry Al
" that time may have looked sskanc.
nj at this innovation as being anothe1
one Of those governmental bureaus
or BE that as IL may, when the Iabora,
l., tory celebrated its tenth birthday re
b. Gently. lumbermen Travelled thoues nh
OF OF miles 70 be there and assist Will
es their presence. The Laboratory hal
already saved millions TO the industry
in and It has only just beeun to shov
y? what II can do.
v Finally, the lumber industry itsel
n took up the campaign OF conservation
g. Through It's own organization, IN.
II National Lumber Manuracturerx' As
- sociat!on, II is cooperating With n,
se various official bodies an well as pllr
ns suing It's own line Of research.
st A Two-Fold Problem.
=. There is room here only 10 outl!n
90 a few of the methods whereby I'll
timber supply OF the United States
- TO be saved. The problem Is two-fol,
- although both halves are interknit-
- the conservation in forests themselve
e and, secondly, conservation in II
aS mills and in the use OF lumber.
In the woods the greatest probes
g fra
per capita use Of lumber, We are Gu
ting down trees four times as fast {
nature can grow new wood; but
spite OF all the systems Of protectio
the forest fire continues 70 be eve
his more destructive than the woodsman
,u- axe. The solution OF the fire probe
seems to be more elaborate syste
or, OF fire protection and greater cooper
ton with state and national fire pr,
lection services on the part Of priya
ou owners Of timber land.
pit. OF the more than $4,000 forest fir,
annually. lightning starts about on
nth OF them and human carelessne
The rest. The tobacco smoker is Il
chief offender. A strong effort !s D
ing made 10 induce tobacco rnanufa
turers TO print fire warnings On a
packages OF cigars. cigarettes, al
pipe tobacco.
The chief DANCE wrought by fore
|. fires is not in the virgin timber b
in the cut-over lands in which Il
de young trees have not yet reach,
me merchantabie SIZE. II is burning 4
'uh wealth OF the future. Three-fourtl
a OF all cut-over forest lands would r
in forest themselves, If It were not T
an fires
md The fire hazard. too. Is the chief d
terrent TO private owners OF cut-ov
lands 70 reforest them. Men he5ita
ese to lock up a considerable investme
go which Is always subject 70 destructi
ry- from an unpreventable cause. A b
ter control CT Ares would undout
edly result in an increase In CONNIE
Mr. clal reforestation.
us Yet II is a forward looking m
ian who will invest in business the prC
TO Its OF which will accrue only 20 J
eN- grandchildren. The slow growth
tar. trees DIES not recommend forest
as business for an impatient rns
who Science, therefore. Ia coming TO Z
10 aid of those who would like quick
profits. Il Is doing this through WI
is known as laminated construct,