Hungry Horse news., 1955-05-20
Hungry Horse News !. !.
Lumber Future

Some part of the Flatheads increased prosper
ity has been the booming lumber industry. Column
bia Falls-Mart City-Coram area has ten
fold increase in capital investment by mills since
World War II. Mills and woods payrolls have in
creased even more.
Unsettled phase of this fine industrial develop
ent for the Flathead is that the capacity of the 1O2
mills in the Fathead is over 300, 000 600 board feet
a year In contrast the sustained yield figure Of
Flathead National Forest is pegged at 10000, 900
board feet and the apparent sustained yield figure
from nearby state and private lands is about 49,
100000.
by counties. Otherwise the is that the Flat
head has been able to mill twice its sustained yield
figure largely result of the spruce bark beetle
control program that apparently has passed its peak
The Flathead apparently shipped about 10000, 900
board feet last year.
AS Flathead National Forest returns to sus-
tanned yield figure of about 100000 board feet,
there will be reduction of logs. The 1854 total
der contract was 133,917,O0o board feet with
ord CO., 900 board feet cut
Solution for the Flathead includes better util-
ization of the timber resource
It was interesting to hear George Weyerman,
Flathead National Forest assistant supervisor in
charge of timber management, comment that pos
sibe market has developed for tree tops that pre-
viously were just burned as slash. Dimension lum-
Der such as 2x4x8s can be manufactured from this
source.
Weyerman also commented that market ap-
stands. We think of these trees something like
hair dogs back Selective cutting in such
thins out the stand and results in the remaining
trees achieving saw log diameter earlier Again the
2x4x8 market helps
The Flathead has made strides since the War
in further processing at the mills Dry kilns re-
suit in more man hours worked in the Flathead,
and the product brings higher price.
Manufacture of snow fence, building lathe and
gluing boards to better utilize narrow pieces has
become better developed.
We hope the future will bring about utilization
of sawdust into pressed boards or possibly presto
logs. pulp mill would help utilize woods waste.
There's been figure that about one third of Flat
head tree is burned slash, edgings, sawdust or
slabs.
The burners at each of the larger Flathead mills
are safety factor for fire and also provide some
heating Yet essentially it is part of the resource
going up in smoke.
While the Flathead is concerned about the fu-
ture of lumber industry whose capacity is beyond
the existing raw material supply, action is being
taken that we question.
We strongly favor maintaining present wilder
ness areas against any form of exploitation that
would change the primitive and roadless character
istic We also question the wisdom of enlarging the
valued 100000 acres that this section fortunately
has. ~
Some major part of the future of the Flathead's
economy depends on the success of the lumber in
dustry developing new products and making better
use of available resources
At this time we are thinking in terms of attract
ing new industry to this valley. We should also be
giving considerable thought to the problems OF the
largest industry we have MR.