Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-11-06
by 4. l.. sherman,
Associate Forester l.. :. Forest

Ivy A. l.. Sherman,
AsSoc!at" Forester L. :. Forest
Service.
The water front OF tho little town
OF ketchikan, Alaska. was the scene
Of unusual activity during the month
OF september, occasloncd BY tho
| loading OF stately -mastcd
schooner with a cargo OF lumber for
shipment TO Australia The his
| "hvc-stickcr" was brought up from
! Seattle by n tiny tug and maneu-
| vered into position convenient TO tho
| ketchIkan sawmill. Her cargo was
| to consist Of $500, 600 feet OF spruce
| lumber manufactured locally from
logs purchased from the government
and cut from the great TonCass Ma
| tlonal Forest.
This is the first complete shipload
OF lumber ever cut from n national
forest for marketing in a foreign
! country. Tho order is in part the re-
suit OF the favorable impression
| which Sltka spruce out from tho
Alaskan forests for airplnnc material
made upon the lumber consuming
public during aud Immediately fol-
| lowing the World War Stocks
/ which were rejected for defect dur
| Ing the war or remained unconsumcd
I at it's termination were sold in tho
! regular lumber market and were
! found to possess such admirable
qualities rs to arouse a keen demand
! for further supplies OF the same
| quality. This first schooner load Is
! Fart of a 5000. 000-foot order re-
ce!ved from Australia. The logs for
| its completion are already being
RATED To Kctch!kan. and the entire
amount viii probably he on its way
| before December /. When loaded each
| schooner Will be taken In tow by n
tug and safely conducted past Cap.
/ 4
sails will he spread for the long
voyage o. about 10000 miles " an
Australian port. The trip will con-
sumo about tve months.
other Shipments.
| Although this is the largest and
most important shipment OF lumber
/ made from Alaska this year il is
| not the only one by any means From
a small mill at WranGell "A shipment
| Of $4,000 feet was made TO the Lon
| don market. another shipment Of
! 900 feet for consumption at At
| lantic Coast ports aud numerous
shipments Intended for nearer points.
| These activities have resulted In Civ
ing employment TO labor during
what would otherwise have tcen a
period OF considerable depression.
| The timber which has thus en-
tered into export trade was cut from
| tue lpHHtSS .NhllpNiI TOItSl WHICH
occupies the panhandle portion OF
| Alaska. that coastal strip extending
| southeasterly from the main body
| OF the Territory and lying between
| british Columbia and the Pacific
| Ocean. This forest embraces about
| l50OC. 900 acres and has n total stand
OF timber estimated at approximate
| ly $1,000 ,000.0O0 feet board measure.
| of which 20 per cent is Sitka spruce.
10 per cent Western hcmlock and the
| remainder mixed species. The timber
| Is cut under government regulation
| with view To the perpetuation OF
| the forest. the continuation OF In
| creased growth and the bettcrment
| OF silvicultural conditions generally.
strangely enough, this cargo OF
lumber comes from IA national reser-
| walton which only few years ago
was condemned by short-sighted
critics upon the ground that the tim
Der was valuelcss and could never
be used upon a commercial basis for
any purpose.
For Print Paper,
The officers OF the Forest Service
state that these shipments OF com
mcrcial timber To foreign ports are
merely an ad interim activity pend
ing the eventual establishment In
that region OF the ncwsprint manu-
| y
tional Forest has been divided into
fourteen regions. each one having 4
stand OF timber sufficient 10 furnish
II perpetual supply to paper mill
manufacturing 200 tons a day. The
boundaries q; the region have been
so drawn as to include within each
unit potential water power sufficient
In quantity FOR such i mill and pos
siblc OF Development at n reasonable
~, 4 t.
or ave different out!ts have either
made applica Ion for area contracts
with the government or have their
agents at work in the field prepara-
tory 10 doing so.
In addition TO the fourteen areas
suggested for regional development.
neutral zones have been established
FOR supplemental stocks and TO sup
ply the needs OF settlers and all To-
cal demands. Eighty-s!x per cent OF
the timber used BY Alaskan indus
tries is now being cut from the ma
tionai forests of the Territory. II is
planned to sell TO pulp mills only tho
equivalent OF that part of the annual
growth not needed for local use.
Meanwhile. pending the establish
ment oil the paper manufacturing in
dustry, the government is willing To
sell In reasonable quantities and at
reasonable rate the over mature
timber in order that n new forest
may come on. 1t is anticipated that
eventually there can he cut from the
natiora! forests IN Alaska sufficient
pulpwood to produce one third OF
this nations present total annual
consumption OF, paper.
New Hank for Dun,iiIr.
pANNlIl.E. VA, Nov. 5.-Thn
Danville Bank and Loan Company,