Evening star., 1928-04-24

This is Forestry week; so We must
think woodenly. Ten years ago, the Bu-
reau of Forestry. United States Depart
ment of Agriculture, was still repeal
ing the jeremiad originating under the
previous administration Of Gov. Clifford
Pinchot former director Of the bureau
and chief "conservationist," to the effect
that by 1880, or thereabouts there would
be no more virgin forest upon the con-
tinent, except in our Far West and
Canada'S Far North.
Doomsday has nearly come. yet the
lumberman appears TO be quite active.
and at the Bureau of Forestry 1t is con-
fessed that I'VE have more timber how
than a decade ago." although We are
using 1t four times faster than 1t is
growing. To the layman, the seeming
Inconsistencies of the experts, SMACK
not of forestry, but OF nScromancy. Rab-
bits coming out of hat have nothing
on the lumber interests coming out OF
forests.
1t is the utilization of species which
formerly were unappreciated. tnat IN
creaseS the total supply of timber, even
though the demand for lumber Is four
times as great ss the annual growth OF
trees. More science has come into the
growing, the reforestation, and particu-
larly the utilization Of all kinds of wood,
than was ever dreamed Of by the ex-
perts of 20 or 80 years ago.
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Furthermore, the experts of the tom-
mittee ON utilization of woods, Of which
committee Secretary Feroert Hoover IS
chairman and Axel II. OXholm Is olrec-
tor. advocate increasing use OF wood, IN
order that its forest production may not
lag. Nothing appallS these experts so
much as the "fooliShneSs" of some ad-
yocates who reason that since WOOD Is
becoming scarcer it should be conserved
before IL Is. exhausted. Mr.. Oxholm asks
what would happen 70 the supply OF
cattle and hogs and sheep II there were
a strike against eating meat, IN oroer
10 conserve live stock. He suggests
that II there be no demand for meat,
the packers might offer only : cents
pound ION the hoof, farmers tnen
would cease 10 produce 1--we STOCK ana 50
the ultimate consumer would be oerett
of what meat he did want. and i've
stock. instead of increasing. would so OUT
of existence-just as he buffalo did,
since nobody could find profit IN
breeding buffalo. Mr.. OxholTu urges the
uSe of wood rather than substitutes, so
that wood will not become obsolete.
Keeping up demand for lumber suS-
tajnS the profits of forestry, without
necessarily increasing the lumber prices,
he argues.
When MIR. Pinchot was warning the
Nation TO conserve its forests, ano pre-
dlcting a Sahara to follow the deVaS-
tation OF the trees. nothing was known
of present methods or utllixatlon OF
wood. For example, 20 years ago ouild-
ers used white pine ana oak, o0t con-
sidered red gum worthless IL was SO
disregarded that II a market ior ~
cn,,ld he found az all, the price OF
stumpage was not over $l.5o per thou~
sand feet Now lumbermen know how
IN season red gum. so that 1t becomes
a Xamable wood, and brings. on the
stump. Slo per thousand ieet. Wn'le
"a hitF nine Is sEiil priced, II costs less
today than Il did 20 years ago, Tor Feo
Gum reduces the demand tor pune.
White nine is not likely 90 so hiGher
heeause OF modern competition OF other |
specieS, says Mr., Oxhoim. ,n
The railroads used annually lOu,~
600 900 feet OF lumber year IN TIES
but now they have learned 10 preserve
the ties by dipping In creoSote ana
dipped tie lasts four times as long aS
one untfrnkcus tAlat SNfe9 tSsNN~fNN~
feet of ties annually,
PAPER manufacture consumes vast
OF wood pulp, so that news
papers and books cannot now DC sup
piled with paper from United STATES
Trees but We must SO To Canada tot /
our pulp. AS fast as the newspapers /
are printed they cease 10 be used ON /
the readers, and heretofore the waste /
Newspapers we're ground up and mao [
into wallboard OF similar products, NOW, !
in Germany, the chemists md tha' /
news ink, II made with manganese |
base. instead of lamphlaek, can he /
washed of very easily. and the washed /
naper il reground into pulp and made /
over into white paper for another print
lng~~in fact, II Is a sort Of perpetual /
notion" without replentShing from add
"a trees As an economical and prac~ 1
ioal method, the use Of that manganese
INK must FIRST become general for u
,annat be mixed With waste paper upon
which the ink In al ordinary lamphlack,
When that Improvement comes there
sill be vast relief of demand for
wood pulp,
other woods which had no value 30
years ago are now utilized In new In
inStries. Rayon imitation silk" as IL
vas once called II made of spruce, and
lpruee no longer goes into wallhoard !
90 spruce has greatly increased In
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