Plywood Production Reqches Huge Proporlions In Wesl ln 1948

The same Power that in the beginning said-"Let There Be Light"-must have said, at the beginning of 1948--"Let There Be Plywood." For truly there WAS plywood last year. Under the propulsion of apparently insatiable demand from the time the late war was started, the production of plywood in general and Douglas fir plywood in particular has been continually bulging right up to the present moment, and has reached proportions that even the most optimistic booster could never have dreamed of a few years back.

The plywood industry, as such, was born just 24 years ago, and it came unheralded and unsung, its voice heard by few during its earlier years. The writer of this piece recalls spending a day in 1926 at Longview, Washington, in company with the late R. A. I-ong. They inspected the recently completed biggest sawmill on earth, ate in the commissary, made speeches to the key men at the plant, and talked at length about the future of the lumber business. Mr. Long, a man of great mentality and vision and in some ways a prophet, outlined his views of the future of the fir industry in the Northwest. He spoke of the things he expected to make out of logs, of lumber done into many new fashions, of pulp mills, of board mills, of prefabricating activities, of shop and cut-up departments to make use of all of the log.

But he never mentioned plywood. It had really just been born, and it played no part in the thought of that forwardlooking man. The great industry that was destined just 2, years later to make over t$,o billion feet of clear, beautiful, useful, and practical lumber of new character in just a year's time, was not part of his prophecy; or perhaps that of any other man.

THE CALiPONNTE LUMBER MERCHANT hAS Attemted to make the closest possible estimates on plywood production for 1948. The Douglas Fir Plywood Association, of Tacoma, Washington, estimates that the total of all Douglas fir plywood produced last year was 1,900,000,00 square feet, as compared with 1,600,000,000 feet in 1947. CLM figures on the production of Ponderosa pine plywood made in four California and two Oregon mills, indicate a production of 172,000,000 feet. Which makes a total of 2,072,000,000 square feet of softwood plywood manufactured on the Pacific Coast in 1948. To arrive at Pacific Coast totals, add an estimated 275,000,000 feet manufactured in British Columbia, Canada, and we find a total of 2,347,000,000 square feet; a truly imposing volume.

Plywood production increased tremendously all along the Coast, in Washington, Oregon, California, and Oregon. A year ago today our published list of Douglas fir plywood plants in Washington totaled 24, whereas today there are 32; our last year's total in Oregon was 15, while our present list shows 24; there were 4 plywood plants in British Columbia, whereas today there are 7 ; pine plywood plants in California were 3, and there are now 4; Oregon had one pine plant, and now has 2; there were 5 fir plywood plants in California a year ago, and today there are 7.

Plywood is now being manufactured from redrvocd, the big new plant of the Eureka Plywood Company, at Eurelca, making 60 per cent fir and 40 per cent redwood board. This manufacturer is highly optimistic about the future of redwood plywood, claiming it has many characteristics that make for high quality and usefulness in the form of board.

For the first part of 1949, The Douglas Fir Plywood Association makes the following report: for the first 22 weeks of the year, Douglas fir plywood production totaled approximately 700,000,000 square feet, which is approximately ten per cent less than the 1948 production for the same length of time. Production for January and February was comparatively light, and it is expected that figures for the summer months r.nay be off, due to the vacation season, and the expected closing of r.nany big mills for seasonal repairs and renovation of the mills.

Builder of l50 Homes Reports: *25% lobor Sovings

Wifi

Plyscord Sheothing"

Abovr: Workmen plocilg PlyScord shathing into ploce on ona of the Tosch housqr built in Bufiolo. Selowr A group of lhe complefed homcs-strongcr, morr rigi4 morc duroble becous of PlyScord sheothing ond subeooring.

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PLYSCORD-the sheothing grodc of Douglcr fir plywood-ir ority idcnrificd by thlr "grodclrqdemork" stomped on ths bqck of every ponel. For o hondy pockei folder, "PlyScord for Eelier Conslruction," wrilo th€ Douglos fir Plywood Associotion ofhce neoresl you: Tocomo Bldg,, Tocomo 2, Wosh.; 848 Doily News Bldg., Chiccgo 6; 1232 Shorehom Bldg., Wcshington

5, D.C.; The 500 Fifth Avenue Bldg., New York City 18.

BUI TDERS:

Cut costs ond speed construction wilh PlyScord sheothing cnd subflooring.

ARGHITEGTS:

Specify PlyScord for stronger, niore rigid constauciion.

DEAIERS:

Be sure you hove odequole stocks of PlyScord-the sheothing grode of Douglos fir plywood, o'I am firmly convinced that the use of Douglas fir ply. wood results in a superior structure. When I built my own home, I used plywood for sheathing, roof decking and subfloors. It is one of the outstanding new homes in Bufialo.o' IARGE, t

"WE HAvE usno Douglas fir plywood plyScord for wall and roof sheatJring and for subflooring in about 150 houses built during the past two years,,, says Fred P. Tosch, housing developer of Bufialo, New york.

"Cost records show that we have efiected a 25/o saving in labor. Construction has been speeded too, making it possible to eliminate many of the problems arising from a partially completed building being open to the weather.

"Plywood is stronger, it eliminates the need for corner bracing, further cutting costs. Our crews like plywood because it is real wood, easily worked.