Annual Report to Subgcriben

\(/. D. Hogenstein, Forest Engineer

Forest Conservction Committee of Pocific Northwest Forest Industries Multnomoh Hotel, Portlond, Ore., Morch W,1951

The busiest forestry year of the Douglas fir industry was 1950.

There was more timber harvested, more successful fire protection in proportion to acreage operated, more foresters in the woods, better wood utilization, more trees planted, more forestry opportunities studied, and more money spent for long-term forestry than in any of the 125 years of the Dougias fir industry.

Thc year saw a log harvest of about 12 billion board feet, the highest on record. This withdrawal from the huge wood storehouse of the region was converted into a great variety of useful products. It supplied more than a quarter of the entire w.ood needs of the people of the Unitect States. This forest'harvest .brought niarly a billion and a half dollars into Western Washington and Oregon for wages, supplies and materials, transportation, taxes, and forest management.

The year saw the increasing trend of more complcte wood use emphasized by the begining of construction or actual operation of 6 more hardboard plants, subsisting primarily on leftovers from other primary manufacturing. Seven new plywood plants including those designed for partially decayed low-grade logs for utility grades of plywood were begun. Several hundred sawmills, of all sizes, were renovated and improved to furnish more products and more jobs from a given amount of raw material through closer utilization. Such improvements included hydraulic barkir:g of logs, installation of prestolog machines, addi- tion of gang saws for utilizing small logs, m:rnufacture.of pressed - wood briquettes, remanufacturing facilities for turning out secondary products like furniture subassemblies, box material and laminated wood and a number of new chipping plants to utilize sawmill ancl plywood leftovers for pulp chips. The forest industries added to the total power resources of the region by installing nrore steam-turbine capacity utilizing sawdust and bark for fuel. In 40 conrmunities in the region the surplus power from sawmill generators is an important part of electricity available for domestic consumption. Wax production from Douglas fir bark became an accomplishetl fact. More shingle-torv was nranufactured as a lly-prodtrct of shingle mills.

All the above increases in rvood use arc forest cotlscrvation at its best.

The ultimate in wood use has by no mearls l>ecn rc:rchcd, but good markets and successful merchandising of lowgrade wood show how the forest industries can continue to contribute to the economy ttsing ferver trees to provide cacl-r unit of forest products.

The 1621 forest fires on state and private lands in 1950 lrurned only 21,733 acres, or 0.14 per cent of the area protected, Considering the acreage harvested ancl the number of people in the woods, this is a most satisfactory fire record. It amounts to less than half the area bttrned over irr the prcvious year rvhen there was at least l0 per cent less operating area exposed during the fire season. The

Eight modern mills are at your service. rWe ofier you lumber qrgduSts accurately sawn-properly seasohed and machined to perfection.

One of ot/r cartonterc,uery kindly urote: "It's ea[y to do buinest witb Tafier, lYebfier €t fobnson." Tbat was sweet mutic to as, becaue tbe policy bere is to go "otterboart' in a constant endeauor to blea|e cilstomerr.

Ponderosa Pine, Sugar Pine, White Fir, Douglas Fir, Incense Cedar, also Pine doors, Pine and Fir mouldings, Pine plywood, cut stock.