110Y0 for Redwood

THE DURAB1E ]IFETIIIE ]UMBER

NOYO, "Chief of the Redwoods," is the spirit of helpful service thot hos chorocterized the Union Lumber orgonizolion for over holf o Ceniury. Put NOYO lo work for you on your next order for Redwood.

INTERIOR: Trim ond Poneling, Moulding, Ceiling

COMMON GRADES: Boords, Dimension, Timber

SHOP IUMBER: All fhicknesses

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INDUSTRIAI USES: For lonks; pipe, cooling lowers, greenhouses utrite phone nearest ofice

MATERIALS U.S.G. Insulcrtion Prod.

Doors

Forest Soils Are Not Being Depleted, Reports' Dr. Youngberg

Forest soils are not being depleted in spite of the tons of timber harvested, reports Dr. Chester T. Youngberg, forest soils expert after completing an extensive research project for Weyerhaeuser Timber Company.

Youngberg, one of the nation's few forest soils specialists, works in Weyerhaeuser's forest research department at Centralia, Washington. He has assembled facts and figures refuting the popular misconception that removal of tons of wood in the form of logs results in heavy depletion r.,f the nutrient value of forest soil.

An average acre of Douglas fir forestland may yield 400 tons of wood at the time of harvest; lut only a small portion, actually less than 1 per cent by weight, is made up of soil nutrients-nitrogen and other inorganic compounds-according to Youngberg.

"A relatively small amount of nutrients are removed with the timber," says Youngberg. "During the 80 to 100 years recluired to produce a log crop, this depletion is more than replaced by the weathering of minerals in the soil and the addition of nitrogen by rainfall and the action of nitrogenfixing organisms in the soil."

Trees produce prodigious quantities of wood-perhaps 2O,W cubic feet per acre at harvest time-through a system of revolving fertility. "The tree returns the minerals :rnd nutrients to the soil in the form of leaf litter," says Youngberg. "Soil organisms decompose the leaf fall to its original constituents and these are drawn up into the tree again through the roots. The nutrients are used in the production of wood and returned to the earth in the form of leaf litter. thus completing the cycle.

"The u'ood which is removed from the forest at the time of log harvest is made up largely of water (r.vhich may accorlnt for as much as half of the rvood by rveight) and organic compounds. These organic compounds, mainly cellulose, lignin, resins and s,axes, are manufactured by the tree from air and water and are not obtained from the soil. Their chemical constituents are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

"l\fineral elements, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium, are taken up from the soil and are essential to the manufacturing processes carried on by the tree. However, only a very small portion of these ir.rorganic compounds end up in the wood. The greater portion remain in the leaves and are eventually returned to the soil as leaf fa11," the soils scientist continued.

Lesser trees and plants in the Douglas fir forest also take part in this revolving cycle. Some contribute to the soil's net fertility by gaining nitrogen from the air and depositing it in the soil for use by the giant firs or other plants of the forest. The alder is one of these nitrogenfixation plants, operating much the way vetch, green beans or other legumes do on the farm or in the garden.

The forests of Europe have gone through several logging cycles without serious depletion of the forest soils, according to Youngberg. "The practice of gleaning forests for fallen or broken branches to use as firervood, common in Iiurope, has had no noticeable effect on the fertility of

\(/ith California Softwood Sales

Perry Ivcn Neil

Perry Ivan Neil is now associated with Darrell Richardson of California Softwood Sales, 410 San Fernando Road, Los Angeles, and is a salesman for the firm calling on the Southern California retail lumber. trade.

Perry was born in Mendocino County, Calif., but has resided in Southern California since he was seven years old. He has been connected with the lumber business for many years and is well known to the trade. When he left high school, he went with the Hammond Lumber Co. Later he was a salesman with Owens-Parks Lumber Co., and before going with California Softwood Sales, he r,vas a- salesman with Fir and Pine Lumber Co. of Burbank. He is a member of 'Hoo-Hoo and the American Legion.

California Softwood Sales handles Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine, pattern stock, mouldings, etc. They represent The Vollstedt-Kerr Lumber Co. of Portland.

Bob Heberle, Geib Lumber Co., Huntington Park, Mrs. Heberle and their four children, have returned from a month's auto trip. They rvent up the coast to Victoria, 8.C., visited Grand Coulee Dam, Glacier National Park, and other points of interest, then went on to Minnesota. By the time they returned home, they had covered over 7.000 miles on the trip.

the soil," he says. "lfou'ever, in those European areas where the forest floor is raked clean of leaf litter and this rnaterial removed for use as farm fertilizer. soil deoletior-r has become a serious problem."

"ft is the policy of \\/eyerhaeuser Timber company to maintain its forest properties in a highly productive state," Youngberg comments. "An important phase of this policy is intensive research in the various soil types utilized by the company to grow perr.nanent forest crops."

Youngberg, who will join the staff of Oregon State college's School of Agriculture this fall, was born in Seattle. Raised in San Diego, he received his bachelor's degree in botany at Wheaton college in 1941, his master's degree in forestry at the University of Michigan in 1947 and his doctor's degree in forest soils in 1951 at the University oI vv lsconsln.

Youngberg expects to continue his forest soils work at Oregon State college in cooperative research for the benefit of all forest owners and the economy of the Pacific NorthlveSt.