Postwq,r Prospects of the Pacifi, -l{or t hw est Lum,b er Indu strY

By R. T. Titus, Director of Trode Extension Wesl Coqst Lumbermen's Associqlion

The lun.rber industry oi the l'acific Norti.ru-est appears to have lt post-l'ar ftlture zrs bright as tirat oi most other industries. In some respects it has a better llrospect.In the first placc it u'il1 not require a great amount of time anrl capital investment to rec()11\'crt t() tlre protltrcti,,tt t,f Ic:tcclitttt' iten-rs. In thc sccirtr<1 ltlacc there is ;L lrig rrnfille<l civilian <1er-nun<l for lrturlrer atrtl l'oor'l prorlrtcts u'hich has accunttlate<l <lrrrir-rg the s':rr vears. liurthcrlll()rc rccent \\-;rr-stimulated develoPr-nents irr lrrml;er rrtilizatiol antl u'ood cottvcrsiotr poirit tr-r cntirelr. ne{' horizotts. The $':tr has sPcetlerl rtP iLllrl cr\s talized ne\\r pr()cesses iitrrl techuoloe'ies, 111a11\- oi u'hich harl been explored experimentally vcilrs ztg'() llltt rrtcre lre\er pl:rced ttpon a commercial ftlotil.rg.

Lunrber's principal market, tratlitionallv. has lleen the brrilding of honrcs, ilLrttr strrtctttres, schoc)ls, chttrches antl similar 'buil<lirrr3-s. I:xcept for cert:riu cerrters of u'ar llrorluctior.r therc hits lreerr pr:rcticallv Iro building oI perma rrent h<inres sirrcc 19.11. It is estimated that normall)' lr'llorrt 5.50,000 rret' tln'eiling ttttits are reclrtired each )'ear t() Provitlc arlerlrurtel-r. for thc incrcase in Amcric:rtr flLrlrilies. 'l'llc grcatlY iucre:iseci tlllrrriiige rilte tlr'rring \\'itr -ve:Irs rvill prriba|ly result irr thcre being nearlr' 1,000,0C0 nlore fatlrilies lrv 1946 than n'orrlcl normallr- hzrve beerr the case. All this points to a lrig demancl for nen' littttles lr-r- pcolllc u'htl hltvc r-rot lteel able to set r1p hriusekeellirtg ol1 i! llcrnlattcllt lrltsis. 'l'his, of cotlrse, is in adrlitiotl to thc lltrge tlttttlllcrs oi pcoPle no$' ;rdecluatelv houserl u'ho Nant trcN htlutcs of their ()\\:n. listimates var-v llut \\'c rlliIv lrlriltl 750.000 to 1.000.0OO homes antrtt:tl lv for severill vc:trs.

While the attentiOrr oi thc lrrril<lirrg irrtlttstr-r'hlLs lrt'crt focssecl tlpo11 lte\\' cottstructiotl \\'c lllust tlot l,se sight oI the 1:act tl-rat:tlttrost cvcr-r'llontc irl thc crtlttltrv rr-ill rcclrrirc repair Or r'oclerrriztttiotr irr sotrrC <lCerec its S()()11 :ts trliLtCrials a1cl laltor irre lir':rilalrlc. A gootllr- porti6tl 6i tllest: jobs n'ill involvc thc ttse of lttmller.

Lrtmller has ltlg'lrvs lreen t|e llrefcrred cotrstrttctirltt tttlt tcrizrl orr tlrc ftrrrl . [.':trr-trers nou. h:tr-e more mollc1' lrr';til ;rl>le for lrrrildirrq'tltltrt irr ltlall\--\'cars anci the nec<1 for tleu' constructiott :Ls s'cll as relt:rir u-ork is gencrztllv l-ccogtrizctl' .\ rcccrrt slir\'('\'oi thc l)()st\\':Ir {arm llrrilditlg nllirltct lr-r' ,rrre oi the le:Lrlirrg f:rrrrt prtblic:rtiolrs slrot'e<l that 16.6 pcr ccnl of tlrc frrrtrr ()\\'lrel's itre T)r()sl)cctir t' llrrilrlcrs oI citlrcr' farrn homes or tenant hottses and 71.5 per cent expect to mal<e tn:tjrtr rcltairs or iurprovements to the home at all a\-erege crist of altproximately $4p0. More important still' rrearly 75 y:er cent of the farmers expect to make imprcivenlcrlts to other f:rrm structttres at an average estimatecl cost of $525. Nel, fltrm cotlstruction plus the repair of farnr h0mes, lrartrs, scrYice lluilclings and other strttctttres $'ill rcrluirc rrrillions oI feet of lumber.

Irr the last fen' vears prior to. the rr'at' tler-eltrpnretrt o{ r.ing corrncctor-s and sinrilar devices for fasterriltg $'ootl rrrctnltcrs greatlv enlarged the scope tlf timller constrtlcti(,11. Siltilarlr- it 1o1-appears that glued laminatiorr, a still 1eu'ct' rlctr-cl01tnrcrrt, \\-ill lre an imltortant factor in post$'ar llrrildirr11. Stitlrrllrtecl |-r' *,ar clcrl:tnds rescarch hlis llr()tlrtccrl mrry ne\\' glues -cluick-setting c<>ltl sltle; ir pherlolic t'csirr a-lrrc sltital)le for 'lteaurs exlltlsccl tcl the u'c:rther; il c:t:;eitl glrre that ri'ili not molrt; antl ()thers. Glued-laminatetl mcmbers cirr lte ialtricatetl t() arlv clesiretl shape, size or lcrrgtl-r fror' 1rr.'rlter 6{ sizes ancl le6gtl.rs readilv available ;rrrl laminzrtious catt llc selected for rtnifornlitv in grade and rlualitr'. Frtrthcrmr.rre laminations mLlst lle seasoned for ri.luirrg hence the resultirrg menrlter tYill r.rot shrink and check as may :I stilid nrernlrer tlf the same size' It is expectc<l thltt gltre<l latuirliitiot.t rvill extend the nse of u'oorl into almost cverv range of construction.

Scicntists anrl ltractical lurtrl>ermen are trorv cooPeratitlg irr rescarch 16; ipProve the lumber $'hich rvill l>e availablc for posluitt- cottstrttction zrrrd industrial use. For cxamplc' rvhcn the .\rrnr- etrgirreers needed large cluantities oi checkiree I)orrglas fir ltonton bridge lumller the inclustrl' der t,l0pcrl chcntical seasoning Nith nrea and rlther nlaterilrls 1,r re<lttcc rlrving time ancl improve the llro<luct. I)orrglas tlr' :ril<1 Sitk;r sPruce pl1-rr'oocl used in making airlllanes :rntl glirlers is as strttng as steel and lighter th:lrr aluminum' l',-v treating soft\'<tocls $-ith chenricals har<lness is increasetl to thc point where conifertitts tvootls sttch lts l)ouglas fir ;rrrrl West Cciast hetnlock mav sotttl be ttse<l for high grlLdt: tinisherl floorir.rg, furniture and tlther pt-,rducts formcrlY rrrarle of hardrvoo<ls sttch as oak. Another rccellt discover,t' i:, :r special treillnr('nt n,hich softens rvood until it can be bcnt easilf into arr,v desired shape, then u-l.ren it has beerr tlricrl, tht' n,oorl ltecorues altrrost as hard as irou holclirre' thc shlrpc to rvhich it has lleer.r llent or moldecl. I-lettcr' rrrcthorls of se;rsotring lttlnlrer are lleir-rg er'olved and treat rncnts rvh'ich n'ill stztlrilize rvood meml>ers grezttl-r-. rc<lttc inq lhc tctt<lctrcv trt shrink or srveli lvith changes iu nlriistilfe coilt('nt rlI tlle 11n1o51lhet'e.

'l'he forcst irrdttstries of the Paciflc Northn'est lrre chaugilg from the r-irgin forest trl the timber crol>:is tllcir s()rlrcc of r:rn' t-rtaterial. This change started loug lre forc thc l'lrr lrrrt the u'ar has accenttlatecl atr<l 1>oitrte<l u1l thc

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Pacific Northwest Lumber Industry

(Continued from Page 30) and has convinced many hard-headed lumbermen that it pays to grow trees. The war has given tinber growing an economic footing that it lacked before and has established industrial tree farming as an accepted practice for far-sighted land owners' Approximately 3,000,000 acres in Western Oregon and Washington are now devoted to perpetual timber croPPing.

We must face the cold fact that depletion of the virgin timber in this region has reached the point rvhere production will gradually decrease until new crops of voung timber now growing reach merchantable size' This rerluction rvill be gradual. The rvar made its inroads upon orrr most accessible timber but in over-all volume the lvar vears took less of the forest resources than the years of active construction in the middle '20's. The total drain rupon forests of the l)acific Northwest during the war, for rull products including plywood and pulp, ranged from 9 to 9l billion feet of logs per year. However, west of the Cascade Mountains there is still over 200 billion feet of reasonably accessible timber in private ownership and another 250 billion feet in public ownership. While production of forest products is presently decreasing in western Washington it is increasing in u'estern Oregon. There is no question that the manufacture of lumber and other forest products will continue to be one of the leading industries in the Pacific Northwest forever.

I-umber manufacturar. in the Douglas fir region realize full well that in spite of the large potential demand for buildings of all kinds their product is not assured an automatic market. Lumber must be merchandised. We shall see much new and powerful competition in building materials representing the economic energy of tremendous capacities for manufacturing steel, aluminum and other metals createcl by the war. Buildings will be offered to the public in steel, in alrrminum, in composition boards, in every conceivable combination of these materials and with all the potency' of assembly-line production. Recognizing the opportunity as well as tl,e threat presented by such a challenge the lumber manufacturers of the Pacific Northwest are presentlv planning a program oi advertising western rvoods to the consumers. The plan contemplates development of a series of new rvood home designs, publication of an authoritative farm building book, advertising in leading magazines and other special promotional features' Objectives of the campaign are to convince the trade and the public that well-manufactured Western woods are available in quantity and adaptable to modern architecture; to prove that the industry is taking bold steps to guarantee the future timber supply; to improve the market for western timber products; to focus the spotlight on retail lumber dealers as sotlrces of West Coast lumber and gootl builcling aclvice; and to resist invasions into the field of wood by competitive materials. Lumber manufacturers ,f the Pacific Northwest look to the future rvith conficlclrcr"