2 Miscellaneous Circular 39, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture 
purpose of formulating a program to combat timber waste in all 
stages of manufacture and use. Secretary Wallace pointed out 
that timber waste constitutes a serious and in large measure unneces- 
sary drain on our diminishing forests, and that we have a great 
deal of practical knowledge on better methods of manufacturing 
and using timber, but that this knowledge is not being effectively 
used. 
The conference was made up of about 500 representatives of a 
wide range of forest-using industries, timber consumers, and organ- 
izations interested in forestry, including timber owners, loggers, 
and lumbermen, wood-using industries, railroads, mining industries, 
farm organizations, pulp and paper industries, publishers, adver- 
tisers, chemical industries, engineers, architects, engineering and 
forest schools, State foresters, forestry organizations, chambers of 
commerce, banks, and other groups. 
The conference adopted a report, given in full on a later page, 
recommending the creation of a central committee on utilization of 
forest products, and a program of better utilization to be guided by 
this committee. 
This volume sets forth the salient features of the conference. 
FOREST THRIFT 
By PRESIDENT COOLIDGE 
This conference has been called for with the expectation that they can 
the purpose of further attempting to accomplish some tangible results. The 
deal with the problem of our national Government is going to ask you to 
timber supply. One of the chief items consider definite plans for reducing 
in that problem is the present appall- timber waste. It is going to suggest 
ing waste. Some of this waste may that out of this conference shall 
be unavoidable—to a large extent it is emerge a program of specific action 
unnecessary. The time is at hand for timber-saving rather than a mere 
when our country is actually con- expression of ideas. Containing as it 
fronted with a timber shortage. That does leaders from every branch of 
can be remedied in only two ways; by forest industry and from many in- 
diminishing the present waste and in- terests closely allied with forest in- 
creasing the present supply. dustry, this conference has, I know, 
It is significant that this conference the ability and the will to create 
was called by the late Secretary of such a program. It is not my pur- 
Agriculture, Henry C. Wallace. It pose to discuss these specific meas- 
was the outcome of a broad forest ures, but to give as a background for 
policy which he was engaged in de- your consideration some of the facts 
veloping, and to which he contributed that force us to adopt a drastic pro- 
so much ability and energy. It was, gram of forest thrift. 
he hoped, to lead to such care in the The era of free wild timber is 
manufacture and use of our forest reaching its end, as the era of free 
products that we could greatly lessen wild food ended so long ago. We can 
the severity of the prolonged timber no longer depend on moving from 
shortage of which we are entering the one primeval forest to another, for 
first. stage. If this conference can already the sound of the ax has pene- 
forward his purpose there could be no trated the last of them. We like to 
more worthy tribute to his devotion think that it took three centuries to 
to forest conservation. Others may harvest these immense forests. It is 
have equaled him, but American for- comfortable to believe that they will 
ests have had no better friend than last indefinitely still. But in reality 
Secretary Wallace. we have cut most of our timber, not 
Busy men and women who drop in the past 300 but in the past 75 
their personal affairs and lend their years, to serve the great expansion 
counsel to a public conference come of population and industry, and there