lor Fontqna wood prcsewlng, Inc,

FltlAt FtUilE in the West dropped 1000 feet in nine miles as it wound from Willard, Wa., to Broughton Lumber Co.'s remanufacturing facilities in Hood, Wa. The 74-year-old llume was closed in December.

West's Last Flume ls

What is believed to be the last the West has been shut down bY ber Co., Underwood, Wa., which date its other operations.

History

operational flume in the Broughton Lumalso intends to liqui-

Built in l913 by the Drano Flume Co., Broughton's flume remained while others became outdated due to modern transportation techniques. "They became unfeasible," notes Merle Main, Broughton sales manager. "Ours remained feasible to operate because of its location and distance from the rail head. It's l3 miles by road and nine miles by flume."

Rough sawn lumber was automatically placed in the flume by chains at Broughton's sawmill in Willard, Wa., and transported in about 55 minutes to its remanufacturing plant and shipping point at Hood, Wa., on the Burlington Northern Railroad.

Consisting of a trough made of two-inch thick Douglas fir boards resting on cedar brackets supported by cedar stringers, caps and legs, the flume could carry 40 to 50 million board feet of lumber per year.

The operation was closed Dec. 19 because "our sawmill won't do the things the modern ones will," said Main. "lt produces timbers in large cuts. There's no market for it any more."

Other reasons for the closing include restrictive new local legislation and lands filled with immature timber, he said.

Plans are to liquidate and dismantle the sawmill for auction sale by early summer, while the dry kiln and planer in Hood may be leased. "l'm99-l/2% sure we will not open again. It's a dead operation," said Main, who is retiring after many years in the industry, the last nine with Broughton.

More U.S. Lumber Exported in 1986

U.S. lumber shipments to European countries are up 50% in the first six months of 1986 from the same period in 1985.

The U.S. delegation to the European Softwood Conference at the Hague, the Netherlands, Oct. 2l-23, reported that Italy was the largest importer of U.S. wood at 15.8 %. The United Kingdom, Spain and West Germany each increased U.S. lumber purchases by at least 60 % while Belgium and the Netherlands tripled the amount of lumber imported from the U.S.

Final figures for 1986 are expected to show an increase of 15% over 1985 in U.S. lumber shipments to all foreign destinations.

HEM.FIR

This fine-textured, non-resinous timber has an excellent weight/strength ratio. lt ranks high in fiber stress (FB) and elasticity (E); and shows relatively small changes in dimension through absorption or drying. Hem-Fir is easy to work and shape.

Remodeling Gets National Attention

A major house remodeling project, undertaken by Western Wood Products Association (WWPA) and scheduled to be featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, was displayed at open houses which brought an excess of2,000 people.

In the project, WWPA took a plain, two-story wood house in the Portland, Or., West Hills area and completely remodeled it. The project was coordinated with the American plywood Association and Southern Forest Products Association.

According to Robert Courtney, vice president of marketing for Pope & Thlbot Inc., and chairman of WWPAs Marketing Services Committee, the two major components in the project were the house itself and getting the widest possible audience for the wood remodeling projects featured in it. The second component was achieved when Better Homes and Gardens magazine agreed to feature the house in a multi-page color spread in its May, 1987, issue.

Inside the house, Ponderosa pine, Idaho white pine and hemfir wood paneling were widely used, both on ceilings and walls. Storage systems were built into the house, both upstairs and down, the kitchen was enlarged, and the master bedroom upstairs was expanded into a complete suite including a dressing room, bathroom, twin sinks and a Japanese soaking tub. Solid sawn boards and dimension lumber as well as decorative plywood and waferwood structural panels were used throughout the project.

Outside, the roof has been "popped up" in two places to allow more living space and more light. Cedar siding was applied with a cedar shingle roof. Extensive and innovative deck systems were built on two sides of the house. Extensive use was also made of wood windows.

More than three dozen lumber and building materials manufacturers and suppliers contributed materials for the proJect.