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Lumber Production Plummets

Softwood lumber production in the West fell to 16.017 billion board feet in 1980, the lowest level in recent history, according to the Western Wood Products Association.

The final 1980 production figures showed an estimated wholesale value of $4.455 billion. The adverse economic conditions that brought interest rates to record-high levels during 1980 and drastically curtailed homebuilding were the reason for the low production, the association reported. Homebuilding is the largest market for Western lumber. ln 1979, Western softwood lumber production totaled 20.025 billion feet and had an estimated wholesale value of S6.138 billion.

Oregon, even after dropping 20.9s/o from its 1979 production total, maintained its lead as the top lumberproducing state in the West and in the nation, manufacturing 5.784 billion board feet valued at$1.624 billion. In second position was California, followed by Washington, Idaho and Montana.

Idaho was affected most by the slow demand for wood products, falling 26.5V0 from 1979 figures. Colorado and Utah felt the pinch the least, dropping 7.690 and 7 .4s/o respectively. No state showed a percentage increase during the year.

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Buyers & Wholesalers

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Employment in lumber and wood products dropped from 1979's 259,16 jobs to 223,902. But, almost all who worked in the industry were affected by curtailments and work schedules.

The only states to change rankings during the year were Wyoming and New Mexico.

Home Building to Drop Sharply in '90s

Building material manufacturers who consider new construction their primary target should start looking now for new markets. The sharp drop in fertility rates since 1957 indicates that by the 1990s there will be fewer people of home buying age than there have been in decades.

Robert Herbst, former v.p. of marketing for the Western Wood Products Association, made the prediction recently at the semiannual meeting of the Wood Moulding and Millwork Producers (WMMP) in Sun River, Or.

Herbst noted that in 1957, the baby boom peaked at 3.7 children per family. However, the current rate is only 1.7, which is far below the zero population rate of 2.2 children per family. "The growing number of school closings caused by declining student enrollment is the leading edge of this trend," he pointed out.

According to Herbst, "the population statistics indicate that as long as the post-World War II boom babies are in the prime home buying age bracket such as they are now, the home building industry can maintain the resiliency to spring back after a recession. However, once they move out of the home buying age bracket, there may be nothing to keep new construction at levels we now consider acceptable."

As far as wood moulding manufacturers are concerned, Herbst advised them to become more aware of future trends and prepare now for what lies ahead. "Remodeling will continue to be strong and will become a dominant market as new construction tapers off," he said. "There are also many other industries that could make use of your remanufacturing capabilities, and, there is the export market which may take time to develop but which may be very lucrative in the long run."

Other topics discussed inciuded the effect of railroad deregulation, the results of a cutting yield study, the opportunity in self-funding health insurance progrirms, and the success of the association's wood moulding consumer promotion program which will be continued in 1982.

Balsa At The Core Of Fiberglass Boats

(Continued from page 1C)

3/16 in. to 2 in. thick are glued to a loosely woven fiberglass scrim.

Not only does this 24- by 48-in. drapable balsa blanket conform to the compound curves frequentlY found in boat hulls, but also because the grain is perpendicular to the plane of the core in a laminate, it means that any moisture accidentallY reaching the core layer because of trauma to the hull will not migrate throughout the core to weaken the overall laminate structure.

Balsa, which is actually classified as a hardwood although soft to the touch and easily workable, has a number of unique characteristics that make it ideal as a core in the composite construction of plastic boats. In its end-grain form, it has great compressive, flexural, and shear strengths which substantially increase the stiffness, rigidity, and impact resistance of fiberglass hulls and decks while decreasing overall weight of the laminate and the entire boat.

Balsa also provides excellent thermal and acoustical insulation properties to the laminate and contributes about 55 lbs. of positive flotation to the boat for every cubic foot of balsa used.

Thanks to balsa and its properties, wood has not disappeared from boatbuilding, as some may have surmised. It is simply not as evident at first glance because it lies at the very core of so many of today's fiberglass boats.

DURABLE blanket of drapable balsa is applied inside the hull mold ol a boat between the ouler and inner layers of fiberglass. During World War ll balsa was used in the Mosquito British attack bomber, the U.S. Navy PBY Catalina patrol bomber, lifejackets and lile rafts.

CONTINU0US, infinite l-beam structure is formed when an end-grain balsa core with the grain running perpendicular to the f langes is iandwiched between two fiberglass skins. outer and inner. Approved worldwide by maritime societies, the material has a compressive strength of about 1,200 psi.

This article was excerptedfrom material which appeared in the Forest Products Journal, July, I98L-ed.

Historic Hardwood Firm

(Continued from Page 16) ship. Just a few months later E. J. Stanton died.

Under Roy Stanton's leadership the business continued to grow apace with the steady development of Southern California. During nearly sixty years in the business he only left the helm of the firm long enough to serve in the U.S. Army during World War [, rising from the ranks to commission status. About that time he brought his brother-inlaw, Henry W. Swafford, into the firm. Swafford, who had previously been in the real estate business, became a stockholder, vice president and sales manager.

Within a few years the Stanton firm outgrew its original location near downtown Los Angeles and moved south of town to a paved, l0 acre site at 2050 E. 4lst St. in Vernon. There Stanton employed 130 people-82 men in the yard and the balance in the office and sales staffs. Millions of feet of hardwoods and softwoods were stored in huge aluminum sheds, seven 30thousand-foot dry kilns steamed continuously, and a huge mill complete with stickers, matchers, planers and resaws constantly roared. As many as a dozen rail cars backed up on the spur that came into the yard.

As well as the huge Vernon yard, Stanton had another yard near the Long Beach harbor, a pine concentration yard near Auburn, Ca., and regional offices in Eulene, Or., and Chicago, Il.

Along with increasing the size of the firm, Roy Stanton also diversified the company's product line. As well as dealing in a full range of imported and domestic hardwoods and sugar pine, Stanton became a supplier of Western softwoods such as spruce, Douglas fir, red cedar and redwood. Flooring, insulation, sheet plastic, mouldings, plywood, wall paneling, fiberboard and other building materials were also added to the line. At one time Stanton even ventured into pre-fabricated homes, boats and plywood granaries.

An intense, slightly built man, Roy Stanton could sell his ideas to his subordinates as well as he could sell his products to customers. With a natural skill he persuaded his employees to follow his lead, and he established a personal relationship with each of his key people. Among them he included some of the finest lumbermen in Southern California, including Joe Tardy, a top-notch salesman, Lloyd Webb, an experienced softwood man, Joe Williams, who later became sales manager of Brush Lumber Co., and Charlie Wilson, as esteemed hardwood lumberman.

Roy Stanton also brought up a number of talented younger men within his organization, including Hal von Breton and Stanton Swaf- ford, both who later founded their own hardwood importing firms, Fred Losch, who became president of Stanline Co., and Leroy Stanton, Jr., who at one time managed a branch yard for the firm in Phoenix, Az., and later became executive vice president under his father.

At the peak of his career, Roy Stanton devoted much of his time to Hoo-Hoo, the fraternity of lumbermen, which he served as Snark of the Universe in 1948-49. He visited Hoo-Hoo clubs throughout the country, helping to build up enthusiasm and membership. His company's in-house newsletter, the "Stantonite," promoted Hoo-Hoo activities in Southern California.

By 1970 Roy Stanton was growing old and other stockholders wanted to sell their interest in the lumber business. In that year the Lane and Vance Lumber Companies Purchased the Stanton inventory and incorporated the Stanton sales staff into Lane-Stanton-Vance Lumber Co., Industry, Ca. The building products division of E. J. Stanton and Son became the Stanline Co., Norwalk, Ca.

A Change Going On

We are cutting Douglas fir posts and timbers from 6x6 through t2xt2 to lengthi of t'-to 4o' with dapping, drilling and angle cuts. Also 2", 3" & 4" Economy through #1 & Btr' Give us a call on your cut-to-length inquiriesConveniently located between Arcata and Eureka, Ca., on the freeway at the Bracut Industrial Park. Rail or T&T shipments. P.S. Ve still maintain an inventory of over a million feet of dry redwood uppers.