The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-01-06
TAKING STOCK OF
FORESTS and WOODS
WESTWARD SWEEP OF LUMBER
ING MEANS GREAT ACTIVITY
IN STATES OF NORTHWEST.

WaShington-(A. Pas never be-
fore the world is taking stock of
what it needs, Chief Forester William
B. Greeley says in his annual report.
Not the least indispensable of these
things is wood, he says, and to take
stock of how much wood we have
and what we shall need is an i'm
portant step in determining our
future attitude toward our forests.
"As a background to this broad
inquiry" Colonel Greeley continues,
forest service investigators have re-
Gently completed unique and ex-
haustive compilation of the forest re-
sources of the world. One startling
revelation is that so far as our great
structural and all purpose woods
the soft woods-are concerned, we
must become self-sufficient or go
without Siberia has great forested
areas, yet if all the Siberian timber
were at the undisputed call of the
United States the quantity available
for annual export would hardly
amount to one-fourth of our demands.
Further, great part of the forests
of Siberia lie within the interior of
the continent and never will be avail
able. There is an immense reservoir
of hard woods in the tropics, which
can be used for limited and special
purposes and secured at mahogany
prices. But the struggle for the
worlds supply of soft woods will be-
come more and more intense, and
those nations will fare best that pru-
IDENTIFY use their suitable waste lands
for growing coniferous woods. This
study skaters the dream of those
who rely on importing the timber we
need when our own is gone.
THE situation is not hopeful
when we turn to our own forests.
There has been marked and fairly
steady decline in our national output
Of lumber from about $4,000, 100000
BOARD feet in 1906 to less than
"a, 900, 100000 board feet in 1920. This
downward trend, which seems unlikely
o turn permanently upward again at
my time that can now be foreseeA
las taken place in spite of large
Increase in population, with its in
,reasing demand for housing, furnf-
ure, and wood in many other forms.
The decline in the production of lum-
,er and the increase in population
lave resulted in a striking drop in
he per capita consumption of lum-
er-from over 500 board feet per
,erson in 1906 to about 800 board
aet in 1920 This decline in the con-
umption of wood unquestionably
leans a decline in the standards OF
living. Of this declining standard
he shortage of housing is an I'M
ressive example.
:" The shortage of lumber, with it's
orollary of high prices, has followed
le westward sweep of numbering,
lille the bulk of our population and
le greatest demands for lumber re-
lain in the central and eastern states.
he nations lumber shipment In 1920,
recent forest service study shows,
as no less than 100000 car loads;
nd the average haul for each car
,ad was 4S5 miles. According to the
est estimate the forest service is able
make, the freight bill on lumber
II that year was $275,000,0 900. This
I'm merely gives one measure of the
,st of treating our forests as mines
stead of timber farms. A fraction
this sum wisely invested each year
forest protection and rehabilitation
ould grow timber where it is needed,
,duce the nations freight bill,
leaper lumber, and release vast
mounts of railroad equipment and
Dor for unavoid transport. Coal and
on can not be grown, but timber