Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1924-09-03
LUMBER AND PULP.
Government Suggests cooperation to
Conserve Forests.

That more timber is used in the
United States for fuel than in lum-
Der manufacturing, is one of the
startling facts brought out by the
survey of the pulp and paper sup
ply problem published by the Forest
Service. Another is the pulp
and paper industry requirements of
the United States for an indefinite
period without cutting any timber for
itself, but simply using the surplus
material of lumber manufacture.
Fence posts consume twice as much
wood as pulp and paper making, and
mine timbers half as much. Although
the paper makers consume only $50
per cent. of the annual timber cut of
the country, they suffer from a prac-
teal shortage OF pulpwood and i'm
port large quantities.
This survey was prepared by the
Forest Service in cooperation with
the American Paper and Pulp asso-
citation and it's committee on the
petpetuation of the paper and pulp
industry IN the United States; and
the Forest Service states that a SINH
lar survey of the lumber industry
must be made sooner or later.
The report points out says re-
view Of it by the research bureau OF
the National Lumber Manufacturers
association, that the lumber. and
pulp and paper industries are init
mately related through their COM
mon use OF the forests.
The enormously increasing de
mand for paper cit has nearly quad
rupled since 1890 is greatly i'm
perilling the future of the lumber
supply because it is resulting in a
great depletion OF young growth that
would later make saw-timber
Speaking of the general outlook for
forest products, the report says il
might not be so serious "if the cut
and destruction were confined mainly
to timber of the larger sizes" I'm
fortunately, however, it continues,
in the timber below saw-timber size,
drain exceeds renewal by about three
times so that the possibility OF re-
placing the large-sized material suita-
BILE for SaWtimber is rapidly being
reduced. In this way the pulp and
paper industry completes destructive
ly with the lumber industry. AS the
former can use small sized trees it
can, under the conditions that have
hitherto obtained, outbid the lumber
industry for at least the lower grades
of sawlog material of the species
most in demand by both. y 1t is also
remarked that pulpwood has already
attained a price that is making re-
forestation, solely for that purpose,
profitable in some parts of the coun-
try. In some instances the pulp in
dustry is actually displacing the
lumber industry because it can
afford to pay more for material that
is suitable for both industries. The
inference is that depletion of the
forests by the pulp industry is more
serious within its quantity limita-
lions, than depletion by numbering,
becuse the former uses the young
and new growth that would be the
saw-timber supply of the future.
In this connection it should be
noted in considering the report, that,
contrary to the popular Impression,
numbering operations are responsible
for only one-third of the annual de-
pletion of the forests. According to
one of the statistical tables published
in the report lumber is accountable
for only 1881 per cent. of the timber
annually removed from the forests.
More timber is used for fuel than for
lumber Fuel wood takes 1888 per
cent of the forest material removal,
fencing 7.26. hewed railway ties,
$50: pulpwood 2.36; and mine tim
Der l go, etc
While the systematic growing Of
pulpwood is considered to be the
fundamental solution of the present
supply shortage problem, the report
points out number of essential sup
Elementary measures, such as new
processes that will increase the num-
Der of species of trees available for
pulp, especially mechanical and sui
phite; and the reduction of waste in
the chemical processes, now amount
ing to As per cent. of the original
weight of the wood.
OF special interest to lumbermen,
and of general national concern. is
the statement that if the lumber and
| pulp industries were integrated it
|
would be possible to utilize about l s.
| 900 cords of sawmill waste, the
| total of which is 20,000,000 cords in
species suitable for pulp. This saw
ing alone would meet the entire esti-
mated annual pulpwood requirements
of the country in 1860, which is put
at 100000 cords. At present
American forests are supplying only
40 per cent. of the 9,14S,000 cords of
wood required in the production of
pulp and paper 1t is stated that in
Sweden pulp mills are all adjuncts
of the lumber industry, no timber be-
ing cut primarily for pulpwood; and
the Swedish pulp and paper industry
is one of the most important in the
world Only 10000 cords of this is
sawmill waste.
Including logging wastes, the
| bulletin asserts, the total byproduct
| of min material in the linn her in