Douglas Fir Producers Optinistic tor Good Business in 1952

Bv H. V. Simpson, Executive West Coast Lumbermen's Vice President Association

Master minds in London and Washington and all the implications of a national election will have far-reaching effect on the lumber markets of 1952.

We in the Douglas fir region have every reason to bc optimistic. We believe many of the same factors rvhicl-r have created the strong lumber demands of the past three ) cars still apply.

For three straight years the nation has built over a. rrrillion non-farm du'ellings. Every sign points to anotherrecord year for nen' starts in 1952, around tl-re million-homc mark.

A good export market plus a booming domestic market in timbers and structural items, undoubtedly influenced by a shortage of steel, has created a demand for cutting business which promises to extend through 1952.

We anticipate that demand for Douglas fir and other West Coast u'oods for industrial and commercial use nexi year u'ill compare favorably with the fine business we enjoyed this year.

There is evidence that farrners throughout the countr), rvill step up farm home and service building. Fear of future shortages and- excellent current financial conditions couplc to strengthen this belief.

Douglas fir producers are geared to handle all reasonable domestic requirements of the nation and in additiot are successfuly supplying the peculiar and difficult specifications of the military services and various defense agencies. Some of the military lumber needs are extremely tough to fill, but, so far, u'e have been able to take them in stridc.

These factors give supporl to our belief that 1952 will continue the strong demand for lumber from our region: 1) highest employment at the highest wages in history, 2) most valuable farm crop in history, 3) largest industrial production in the nation's life, and 4) inflationary influences.

The people have tl-re money to spend and the desire for nerv homes. Industry in general has huge order files and the need for an expanding physical plant to care for this new business. Military and defense needs are still on the upswing and will probably continue mounting at least through 1952. Farmers have the money and the encourage- ment to improve their living conditior-rs and replace obsolete buildings.

While the emphasis in the Douglas fir industry in recent months has been ,^n cutting business as every mill with the logs to make timbers has turned their attention to i-hese items, u'e still have not slacked off our attention tr, regnlar business. Mills have kept their production of standard items at high level.

The vear jrrst ending u'ill see all records for production and shipment broken for the Douglas fir region. Through the first ten months of 1951 u'e far outstripped productiorr for the previous 1'ear which tlras our record breaker. Our rnills in the Dougl;,.s fir region cut 9.510 billion board feet in ten montl.rs and on the basis of estimated production for November and December, u'e should top 11 billion feet for the full vear.

This u'ill be more than 500 million feet above output lor 1950.

Shipment figures are equally large and appear certain to be headed for the new all-time highs. In ten months rve have shippecl 9.4 billion feet of \\rest Coast woods, up nearly half a billion feet over last year. On the basis of present shipments, lve should send out by rail, truck arrcl rvater from our mills more than 1l billion feet of lumber,

It is interesting to note that production and shipments have held almost identical through much of the year and at the end of ten months of operation u'ere within a feu' million feet of being the same.

It is significant to note that the industry has maintained its fine record of improvement oI conservation and forestry practices. I\fore tha.n a half million acres of new tree farms rvere certified in our region this past year and about an equal acreage is soon to be added which will force the tota,l of \\rest Coast Tree Farm acreage above the 4 million acre mark.

Among the noteC improvements in conservation practices has been the continued development of lower grades of lumber from logs r.;hich formerly would have been left in the rvoods. Pulp rnills have joined with lumber mills in opening up markets for vast amounts of sa.rvmill leftovers

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,and chipping plant: have been installecl at a score of saw_ mills to turn slabs, trim and edgings into pulp chips. All this is good utilization and conservation of our natural resources. We are mighty proud of the part our industry is playing in putting to full use the mature trees which grow in our West Coast forests.

We estimate tha, conservation practices developed anrl adopted by private industry here in the Douglas fir region during the past decade has added over a 100 billion boarcl feet of timber to our supply. This has been done by creating markets for lor,ver grades of lumber so that marginal logs once wasted can norv be used; in creating methods for converting sawmill leftovers into pulp chips; in creating hard and softboard mills to turn leftovers into commerciai building and insulating boards and in a number of nerv industries, chemical and manufacturing, which now use wood and parts of the tree long considered non-commercial.

The Douglas fi;: region is approaching the future u'ith considerable anticipation for the revolution in thinking and processing of wood in the past ten vears has been a fascinating venture n.ith t'hich to be identified.

Bill Graham Explains Grades To East Bay Hoo-Hoo

There was an excellent attendance at the regular dinneln-reeting of Hoo-Hoo Club No. 39 at the Claremont Hotel, Berkeley, November 19.

The speaker of the evening lvas Bill Graham, San Francisc<r representative of the West Coast Lumbermen's Association's Bureau of Grades. Introduced by Jerry Mashek, entertainn-rent chairman, Mr. Graham gave a talk on the work of his office in California, and later demonstrated the grades with samples of fir, hemlock and cedar to his very much interested audience. In addition a22-minste color picture, "The Magic of Lumber," showed the making of lumber from the tree to the ultimate: use in an attractive home.

President Lu Green presided and announced that the Cluh now has more than 200 paid up members.

A turl<ey shoot for a big Thanksgiving turkey was won by Fred Pen-rberton, Peerless Lumber Co., Oaklancl.

Jim Overcast reported having made a number of visits tt.r members who are on the sick list.

Craig Gaffney, Loop Lumber & Mill Co., Alamecla, reporterl progress of the Club's educational program. All the retail yards have been notified, he said, and prelirninary reception has been good. Torr-r Jacobsen, Sr. will be moderator.

Back From Middle West

Frank Kilpatrick, vice president, Rounds Trading Co., San Francisco, and Bill Lawson, resident manager, Rockport Redwood Company, Rockpoft, Calif., returned November 23 from a business trip to Wichita, Kansas. They traveled both wavs by the air route.