100 Miscellaneous Circular 39, U. S. Depl. of Agriculture 
period of increased supply. The fore- the obstacles, often needless and aceci- 
going is simply a summary of the dental, which separate each piece of 
relevant facts, as seen by the Forest wood from its highest possible use. 
Service. The problem is largely one for indus- 
The following are suggestions as to trial surveys, standardization of speci- 
the nature of the action required. fications, and mutual education of 
There is no attempt at completeness buyer and seller. Here again the trade 
in either subject matter or detail. associations are the most hopeful me- 
The first thing needful is a recog- dium, although the Government should 
nition by the forest-using industries be prepared to furnish such assistance 
of the fact that the perpetuation of or technical advice as may be neces- 
their supply of raw materials and the sary to initiate adjustments. 
permanence of the communities de- The fourth thing needful is research. 
pendent on them demands the imme- Scientific investigation should forge 
diate adoption of all practicable ahead into the vast field for savings 
known ‘methods for preventing wood not yet economically feasible but often 
waste. In this connection it must be capable of becoming so with slight im- 
borne in mind that forest-using in- provements in technique. The Govern- 
dustries include not merely lumber- ment for a number of years has main- 
men and lumber mills, but all of the tained its own program of research in 
complex network of industries that forest products, but the need for ex- 
depend upon wood. pansion is now so great that the pro- 
Secondly, it seems necessary to dis- gram should possibly spread to the 
seminate, on a truly national scale, whole national system of technical 
knowledge of the present best practice schools and private laboratories, with 
in wood utilization, so that nobody the Government laboratory function- 
need use wasteful methods because he ing simply as a coordinating center. 
knows no other. “Best practice” Special consideration should be given 
has been evolved in part by progres- the question whether the industries 
sive firms or individuals; in part it should not initiate research into more 
has been discovered by organized re- economical machinery. 
search; but regardless of its origin, Iifth, the economic factors bearing 
every wood user (and this includes om forest utilization should be 
in some sense every citizen) should thoroughly reviewed to see if there 
have every possible opportunity of are any obstacles to better utilization 
applying it. In the huge task of dis- in the form of tranportation rates or 
semination the existing organizations rules, tax status, grouping of indus- 
of the forest-using industries, the en- tries, or the like, which could logically 
tire system of universities and tech- be removed. 
nical schools, the public press, and The tasks ahead may look formi- 
possibly even a Government extension dable, but their performance can not 
service similar to the county agent possibly be as onerous a burden to the 
service must be used as media of edu- forest-using industries or the Nation 
cation. as would be the consequence of their 
The third necessity i< to iron out neclect