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How Lrumber Lrooks

Portland, Oregon, February 24-January lumber production in the Douglas fir region fell off sharply as a result of the west's worst winter in 56 years, according to H. V. Simpson, executive vice president of the West Coast Lumbermen's Association.

Logging is at a virtual standstill through the western half of Oregon and Washington, Simpson said, and deep snows, twice and three times normal depths, may dela-v reopening of many logging camps. Hundreds of small sawmills are closed because of a shortage of sawlogs' Most large mills and medium sized mills are operating from cold deck log storage, but these supplies may be exhauseed before log input can be resumed, Simpson reported.

January lumber production for the Douglas fir regiorr was 485,465,000 board feet, off 260 million feet from 1948. Shipments for the month kept pace with lumber manufactured, Simpson pointed out, averaging 125,296,000 board feet a week.

Severe winter weather caused many operational problerrs, the lumber leader said. Mill ponds were frozen for clays at a time. Most serious damage is to logging roads, 'ivhere excess moisture and freezing has done untold injury. Planting of the record crop of 8 million trees frotn the industry nursery at Nisqually has been delayed two months by deep snows in the areas to be planted.

The weekly average of West Coast Lumber production in January was 121,366,000 board feet or 78.6% of the 1943-1948 average. Orders averaged 148,649,000 board feet; Shipments 125,D6,000 board feet. Weekly averages for Decemberivere: Production 135,419,000 board feet (87.7% of the 1943-1948 average); Orders 130,626,000 board feet; Shipments 126,924,W board feet.

Four r'veeks of 1949 cumulative production 485,465,000 board feet; four r'veeks of 1948, 745,214'Cf,0 board feet; four weeks ol 1947,633,102,000 board feet.

Orders for four weeks ol 1949 break-dorvn as follorvs: Rail 442.010.000 board feet. Truck 20,558,000 board feet' Domestic Cargo 101,050,000 board feet. Export 36,076,000 board feet. Local 34,903,000 board feet.

The industry's unfilled order file stood at 547,356,000

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