National Conference on Forest Products 2
refuse, and both pulp and paper mills That is the question that the Secre-
have depended on sawdust for fuel. tary of Agriculture has asked. I had
: About four months ago pulp produc- not thought of it in that light before,
tion had been brought up to a volume and when I first began. to consider
that left the sawmill burner without what I should say in this paper, I was
fuel. It became obsolete overnight on the point of following the example
and has been left standing only for of the writer on Ireland, who included
use in case of some disaster to the a chapter on * Snakes,” which con-
pulp mill, and as a monument to de- sisted of one sentence, “There are no
struction, In the past 16 years that snakes in Ireland” As 'T have
burner consumed daily over 500 cords thought more, however, it has seemed
of waste material, a total of nearly to me that utilization will have a very
3,000,000 cords. It cost $75,000, and real bearing on the permanency of
it has consumed each year of its life forest industries. It is, of course, ob-
several times its own value. vious that as there is a market for
It was not the pulp and paper mill low-grade lumber, there will be more
alone which made it possible to ex- timber for the mills to cut and the
tinguish the fire in the burner forever. lives of those mills will be longer.
In the manufacture of broom handles, When we consider permanency for a
lath, shingles, staves, and box shooks single operation, however, we mean
we have worked up annually about the establishment of industry in a
16,000,000 feet of material that must fixed location on a basis that will
otherwise have been wasted, and in mean continuous operation of the tim-
the production of light and heat for ber as a crop. In such an operation
all the plants and for a town of 16,000 utilization is of ‘the greatest import-
people, we burned 200,000 tons of saw- ance to permanency. :
dust and shavings annually. Through First, we must utilize the young,
the operation of all these agencies to- thrifty trees. We must leave them
gether, sawmill waste at Bogalusa has standing, partly to profit by their
been eliminated. growth, but primarily to replant the
; In the woods everything down to 8 ground. They are unpaid workmen
inches in diameter is brought in for who will give us a new forest at a
pulp wood, leaving only the small cost of less than 40. per cent of re-
limbs and the pine knots. A large planting by any other means. Then
part of this small material remaining as the new growth comes on, it must
Is used for engine fuel and charcoal. De thinned to permit of a proper rate
Passing through cut-over lands three of increase and to pay for the thin-
years after the trees have been re- ning, the saplings cut out must be
moved, when the young growth is be- utilized—for charcoal first and then
ginning to show, there is no refuse to for pulp wood. As the trees mature,
be seen. It may almost be said that they must be bled for gum, and the
in the woods, too, there is mow prac- turpentine and rosin will help bear the
tically no waste. The young trees cost of maintaining the organization.
that are left standing will grow to ma- In 30 or 40 years, when the final cut-
turity, and as they grow, reseed the ting is made, the process will begin
land. Two years before the trees are over again. None of us will see that
cut they are turpentined. As the lum- beginning. We can not tell positively
ber goes through the dry kilns, the how it will all work out, but we are
turpentine is extracted by a steam determined to give our descendants a
process. As the pulp is manufactured, chance to call us blessed if we are
we will soon be extracting the turpen- right. We can say quite certainly that
tine from the wood chips. So far as utilization alone will not give perma-
present knowledge goes, we will then nency. With it must go reforestation,
be saving everything there is to be fire protection, and proper tax legisla-
saved. tion. Utilization is just as essential
_ What effect does all this have on as its three fellows; together they are
the permanency of forest industry? the big four of the forest problem.
LOGGING AND MILL LOSSES IN THE PACIFIC COAST STATES
By R. W. VINNEDGE
President, North Bend Timber Co.
It is, indeed, heartening to our in- ture. The lumber industry "is con-
dustry to behold the hand of our scious of the honor and privilege thus
Government extended in friendly ges- accorded by this great branch of
)C