Westwood High School - Chipmunk Yearbook (Westwood, CA)

Page 27 text:

PACK TWELVE LITERARY Forestry and Lumbering out ,hc U, K llmbw lo « » in «hip building. I climate |« not «o severe and railway construction I Till liuliisirv (I ( a 11 rwn iv i u I L«n ..... J a . • . I T,,,‘ Industry. of course, was then centered ami The I on I areu of forest lands In the In ileal developed along (lie coast or Maine und latei Slate, has been estimated for the forest service Washington and Oregon on the Pacific side. Be- to be 5 4 5.Ouo.uOu acres, which very conveniently divides itself into five distinct regions, each char- acterized by a fairly delinite forest specie. That part termed the Northern Forests extends from Maine across New England, west want to western Minnesota. The most Important single product of thl» areu is the White Pine, which is particu- larly abundant In Pennsylvania. Michigan and Wisconsin. The hemlock is next in importance fore I860 the chief dentund for lumber, other than for ship construction, was for building ma- terials of various grades and cuts. Since the middle of the lust century, however, a great ninny auxiliary industries have developed, par- ticularly the making of puper from wood pulp The center of the lumber trade has been con- stantly moving westward. It was first In New England, I tor Now York, then Pennsylvania. For . . . ---------------------------------------- i fiiunjrivania. r or lhl K1o,,‘ ,M,rUon of wh,pfc a '«umber of years the Lake states dominated the c,,‘;u,rh,an t. !:,r r Xop,h:rni • • »-. this .«11, W IN i»ino Ih r la, 'J ' !l ‘ Nor' by the Southern pine which Is givina “ ’“ • oueciea. congress has met this sit- There i,'.|J 1 ‘IT ‘ W y l° lhe vast Un U of P«cifie Northwest.! uaC,on ,,y 'nac“nK certain law. protective to the n r aiMi a v«irii ( of liurdwoorlM .it i whlfh i« nm.i. ... . . I fnm.i ..... ,.» , vu v«h swimui 01 the 1 acute Northwest h re also 4 large variety of hardwoods of which Is undoubtedly the greatest timber pro- ,hh n,al'le. birch, beech. ash and elm arc most during region of this country today. .iliundant. There are three chief processes of the lumber is cheap, both railroad and animal power art used the year around in the Lake District rail- road and sleigh hauling is customary. Logging in the Rocky Mountains is usually confined to the summer months, where animai power and skidding i» used almost exclusively. Power log- ging with th-- donkey engine has Been highly de- veloped In the Pacific Northwest and Is used ex- clusively in large timber. Over-head hauling j gradually being introduced and the use of elec- tricity for tins purpose Is being tested. Saw and planing mill have had many improve- ments in machinery and methods which have done much to curtail the waste und to aid In- creased production. Because of the great wastefulness which has formerly, and which is still, characterizing this great Industry in many respects, there has been much talk to the effect tlmt u timber famine Is threatening the Unled States. This wastefulness was due chiefly to card sanes in handling, be- cause of the great abundance of the forest, which could be acquired cheaply; because of the low prices offered for the best grades of lumber which made It unprofitable to handle cheaper grades; and because of the desire to clear lands rapidlv for agricultural purposes. As successive forest lands have became ex- hausted. the industry has moved westward and where such destruction either by removal o.- natural causes has occurcd without replacement, the water supply of the districts concerned have been vitally effected. Congress has met this sit- Tho Southern Forests extend from New Jersey south and west over the Atlantic and (lull States to Texas. The yellow pine predominates in this rrxMf the long-leaf specie heTng the most industry. The first is logging, which includes the felling of timber, cutting it into lengths and tho transportation from the woods to the mill. Then the mill takes tho saw logs, seasons them abundant. rhtie also are found many kinds of | and turns them Into the products of rought lum- hardwoods. gum and Cyprus being the most ple» 1 her. Including beams. Joists, scantling, boards. tiful in the swampier regions of Louisiana and Florida. Lying between the Northern and Southern Forests and extending from the Atlantic seaboard to the Missouri river aro the great hardwood forests. It is In this district that agricultural de- velopment has been the greatest, and vast arehs have been cleared for that use because tne soil is more fertile there than either to the north or south. However, enough oak. elm. hickory, walnut and other hurdwoods are milled to ship to a few distant consumers as well as to supply the local demand. W-st from the vast plains and prairlea of the middle western states are the Rocky Mountain forests. The bulk of the timber in this region consists of western yellow pine, fir and spruce. In the northern part is also found great quan- tities of larch, western hemlock, cedar and west- ern white pine. On the Pacific coast from the summits of the Cascades of Washington and Oregon to the ocean, and on the Coast range and the Sierra Ne vadus of California are found the heaviest timber and the largest individual trees ever re- corded. Among these are giant fir. cedar, spruce, redwoods and pines. This region for many years to come will compose the most Important timber center of the United States. The manufacturers of lumber constitute by far the largest single use of the forests. Numbering both the large and tho small, there are over 5000 sawmills in the United States. Tho making of lumber and timber products gives employment to more labor than any other industry in the coun- try; while in point of capital invested and value of output, the manufacture of these products ranks third in our great industries—surpassed only by meat packing and the foundry and ma- chine shop Industries. In the early days the most important part of the lumber trade of the United States was getting shingles and laths. From there the planing mill produces the various kinds and grades of finished lumber. These separate processes may he operated by different companies. Sometimes tho saw and planing mills are operated in conjunction. Very often, especially where the organization is largj. forest and are even controlling certain parts known as (lie National Reserves. Statistics show that the estimated amount of timber now standing in the United States is 2.800 billion feet and Is probaBTy about one-half the amount standing at the time settlement and cutting of timber began. Our consumption of sawed timber products now averages approxi- mately 5o billion feet a year. From these figures we may assume that at the present rate of con- sumption our forest will only furnish us cuttings for the next fifty-six years. However. If sta- tistics from other und older nations are any cri- terion. our annual per capita consumption of lumber will drop from 500 board feet to 48 or 60. thereby decreasing our total annual consump- the plant covers all processes and in addition In- tlon. Undoubtedly there will be. moreover a eludes many auxiliary factories rucH as box and J considerable increment through natural reuro- rrato making sash and door—and the making duction and growth. As far as wc are able lo of paper. During the last twenty-five years enormous Im- provements have been Introduced Into all ascertain It Is believed that of -our 550 billion acres of forest, 220 million aro of maturo trees, about 250 million aeres aro partially cut or branches oi mo industry. The modern lumber or logging camp is as well organised and equipped as a modern factory. Duo to the vust area over which tho trade necessarily must extend, methods of operation in camps rary in different sections of the country. In tho Northeast snow logging is burned over on which remains a suffleient nat- ural reproduction to insure a fair second growth, and only 100 million acros are so intensively cut that they are of little or no timber value. We may conclude, therefore, that our potential forest is large enough to supply all our timber extrn.irpty, Sou,» ..ore d,«.d. If rU,,v h.odW rZ ZZilLTj,