The Challenge of the 6O's in the Lumber Industry

Being an address presented, by A. Bri,stow Hood, Presid,ent National Lurnber Manulacturers Association, at a luncheon and business session of the Los Angeles Hoo-Hoo Club held April 13 in conjunction utith the annual convention ol the S outhern C alif ornia Re tail Lurub er A ss o ciation.

TT IS A GRF,AT PLEASURE for me to talk with you

I today as president of the National Lumber Manufactuiers Association, addressing you lumbermen who represent many avenues of endeavor within our great lumber industry. W-e are fortunate that there is the fine fraternal organizafion of International Hoo-Hoo that brings us all together under this ancient and honorable order, older than some may realize, and s.tronger in its ties of fellowship and purpos-e than is usually recognized.

. We are part of the lumber industry in the 1960's, an industry thit is America's oldest. It was-born in this country in 1608 when the first shipment of forest products *as s.nt back to England from the Jamestown Colony in Virginia. From that_ day to this, a romantic legend has grow-n up about lumbermen-a legend with visions of Pau-i Bunyair and his blue ox "Babe"-of primitive logging camps, of river. drives, of donkey engines and huge-lbailing rigs, of rough, tough men, who matched their prowess Jnd st<itts against nature in the raw. Matchine these men of the forest were- men equally daring who-supplied the money and a practical vision of the advance of America westward, which culminated in the most rapid civilization thrust known to man. The forest paid i heavv orice for this advance, but men of might aiso ga.t. tfreir att to the task of building a land of dynamic freldom. If we members of the fraternity 9! lumbermen will reflect on the growth of our national life, wo will be aware of the guidin! hand of destiny and a place that the forest had in it.

Lumber the Most Versatile Material

Our forefathers landed on our eastern shores. and although they, encountered many dangers, they had the forest at hand to supply mateiial foi shelter- and fuel, habitat for game animals and birds needed for their survival. As the population increased, their greatest need was for agricultural land and so the forests were cleared even b_eyond the lumber requirements. The same thing happened throughout th-e lake states and the South. Land was-Cheap, timber plentiful, and there was a ready market for it, is in those days there were plank roads, -wooden sidewalks, cedar block pavements, laminated elevator cribs, and wooden grain doors. Lumber then, as today, is the most versatile construction material known.

Doors Doors

By 1905 we thought we were quite civilized. Most of our free lands, including timber lahds of the 'West, were taken up and lumber was then moving in transcontinental shipments. Men had time to look into the future and the long view indicated that it was time to take stock of timber resources. As a result of this thinking, the United States Forest Service came into being undir the authority of President Theodore Roosevelt and under the management of the first Chief Forester, Gifiord Pinchot.

At that time timber management was born, and the new science of forestry developed, based upon the pronouncement of the first forester, who said, and I quote: "Forestry is the preservation of forests by wise useJ'

To train men in the science of forest management, schools of forestry were established in a number of universities. For a number of years most of the graduates went into the employ of the government due to the rapid expansion of forestry requirements. fn 1920 there were only 150 graduate foresters in private industry, while today we estimate that there are more than 7.500 scientificallv trained men who have dedicated their lives to the task of perpetuating and improving our private forests. Today the Society of American Foresters has an active enrollment

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