Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-23
SAVING WOOD SUPPLY TOLD
OF BY HASKIN

the problems of the industry scien-
tihcally. devoting special
to the conservation of wood after u
is cut. The industry at that time
may have looked askance at this IN
novation as being another o
those governmental bureaus. pc
that as it may. when the
celebrated its tenth birthday recent.
ly. lumbermen travelled thousands OF
miles to be there and assist with
their presence. The laboratory has
already saved millions to the indus
try, and 1t has only just begun to
show what 1t can do.
Finally, the lumber industry itself
took up the campaign of conserva-
| ton. Through it's own organization,
| the National Lumber Manufacturers
Association. it is cooperating with
| the various official bodies as well as
pursuing it's own lines of research.
A Two-fold Problem
There is room here only to out
line a few of the methods whereby
| the timber supply Of the United
| States is to be saved. The problem
is two-fold, although both halves
are interknit-the conservation In
forests themselves. and, secondly,
conservation in the mills and in the
use of lumber.
In the woods the greatest problem
is fire. Even with today's diminish
! ed per capita use of lumber, we are
| cutting down trees four times as
fast as nature can grow new wood;
but in spite of all the systems Of
| protection, the forest fire continues
to be even more destructive than
the woodsman's axe. The solution
of the fire problem seems to be a
more elaborate system of fire pro-
| lection and greater cooperation with
state and national fire protection
services on the part of private own
ers of timber land.
OF the more than $4,000 forest
Ares annually, lightning starts about
one-flfth Of them and human care
lessness the rest. The tobacco smok-
err is the chief offender. A strong
effort Is being made to induce tobac-
CO manufacturers to print fire warn
ings on all packages of cigars, ciga-
r%ettes, and pipe tobacco.
The chief damage wrought by
forest fires is not in the virgin tim
her but in the cut-over lands in
which the young trees have not yet
reached merchantable size. 1t Is
burning the wealth of the future,
Three-fourths OF all cut-over forest
lands would reforest themselves. il
It were not for fires.
The fire hazard, too, is the chief
deterrent to private owners of cut
over lands to reforest them. Men
hesitate to lock up a considerable
investment which is always subject
to destruction from an u~npreventa.
BILE A better control Of fires
would undoubtedly result in an in.
NraoGa in nnpnmQrNfn1 characterization
Yet it is a forward looking mar
\ who will invest in a business the
profits of which will accrue only tC
his grandchildren. The slow growth
of trees does not recommend fores.
try as a business for an impatient
"A man. Science, therefore. is coming
to the aid Of those who would like
quicker profits. 1t is doing thi.
through what is known as laminat.
ed construction.
Illuminated wood construction wa.
greatly developed during the war by
the Forest Products Laboratory. Ir
plain language, it consists of glueins
small pieces OF wood together Il
form a large piece and then turning
or otherwise working or using tn,
large piece as II 1t were a piece o.
clear timber. Clues have been de,
veloped that r practically al
strong as the wood itself, and the,
are now practically waterproof ana
bacteria proof. Already such OBJ
jects as gunstocks, airplane propel
iors, axletrees, bowling pins. and tn,
like are being made of laminatet
wood, and the development is ex
pected to produce beams, Orders
and stringers that will be as stronI
and durable as clear timber.
Using Illuminated Wood
The extension Of the use of lam
mated wood will have a profoun,
effect upon the lumber industry Il
more ways than one II will encour
age the commercial planting Of for
ests by enabling the use of tree
much smaller than those now usual
iy cut, and will thus shorten tn
period of rotation in forest culture
Furthermore, by making salahl
small pieces Of wood heretofor
held valueless. lamination viii "a
tinguish the burning slab pile
which have been as perpetual a
adjunct of the modern sawmill a
the altar fire was in the ancier
temple of Vesta.
IAmination win have anoths
effect. Heretofore the practice
: the woods has been to reject thoi