10 Miscellaneous Circular 39, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture
THE PROBLEM OF TIMBER WASTE
By WILLIAM B. GREELEY
Chief of the United States Forest Service
A large waste of raw, partly fabri- of finding fresh forms of raw material
cated, and finished forest products in or more economical ways of using raw
the United States is a recognized fact. material. The difference between the
We don’t need to argue about its pre- public view point and the industrial
cise dimensions. Neither is it profit- viewpoint is no other than that which
able to attempt any exact analysis of exists in practically every develop-
how much of this waste is preventable ment having to do with natural re-
and how much is not; or to mete out sources or national economy. It is a
the responsibility for poor use of tim- difference in viewpoint only, as be-
ber to the logger, the manufacturer, tween the direct interests of the indi-
the distributor, or the consumer. Itis vidual and the broader interests of
a common problem, resulting broadly the Nation. The fundamental possi-
from the abundance of cheap timber bilities of benefit are the same, and
in the United States. It is a problem the mutuality of interest is so great
for which we are all responsible and as readily to afford a basis for joint
in whose solution we all should share. effort.
The important questions are: Where It is worth pointing out that the
do the largest losses in the use of tim- United States is the first country
ber occur? What can be done to re- where the exhaustion of timber in
duce them? Who is going to under- one section could be readily met by
take the job? the cutting of forests 2,000 miles dis-
From the standpoint of the Ameri- tant. Our transportation system has
can public, the elimination of waste largely concealed the ultimate outcome
has an obvious bearing upon extend- of the exhaustion of old-growth tim-
ing the life of our existing stocks of ber. Because of our transportation
timber and hence upon all of the so- system, we have practically pooled all
cial and economic benefits derived of the old-growth stumpage in the
from an adequate supply of forest United State and maintained our
products. The United States is not enormous use of forest products with
the first country to face a timber no other ill effect, from the stand-
shortage. Western Europe had one point of current consumption, than
and pulled through. Asia Minor and constantly higher freight bills. From
China each have had one and failed many standpoints this is a national
to pull through. Saving in the utiliza- blessing. On the other hand, it is
tion of our timber was recognized as dangerous because it permits practi-
a vital part of forest conservation cally a nation-wide depletion of high-
when we began to ask whether our quality timber before any very serious
future path should follow that of local effects, in any part of the coun-
China and Asia Minor or that of try, may be experienced. In other
western Europe. Research in forest words, we are in danger of coming up
products began in the Department of short, almost overnight, against a de-
Agriculture in 1889. In the trinity of pletion of virgin timber so serious as
forest conservation which has guided to cause disastrous public and indus-
our public activities and policies up to trial consequences.
the present moment, the most efficient The point I would emphasize is that
use of the existing supply of timber this marvelous tool of transportation,
stands on an equality with the pro- which has been such a large factor in
tection of forest resources and the meeting national requirements, ought
growing of new crops of wood. to be employed with equal effective-
‘The industrial approach to the ness in carrying out the economies
utilization of timber necessarily is a now forced upon us. Our transporta-
somewhat different one. Here the tion system ought to make a local sur-
question becomes one of creating more plus of waste timber or inferior woods
raw material for a particular plant or nationally available to the markets
industry, of protecting investments where they can be profitably utilized.
and established trade, or of finding Transportation ought to make it possi-
new sources of profit. In the field of ble for local mill or woods waste to
consumption, the problem becomes one reach the plants and markets for box
of lengthening the life of railroads. material, pulp, and fiber products,
buildings, and other structures where small dimension stock, and the like.
wood is employed, of reducing the cost An official of an important New Eng-
of maintenance and replacements, and land railroad recently proposed that
