FOREST SERVICE. 199 



In early times wood was almost the exclusive fuel in use, but it 

 was long ago displaced by coal for almost all industrial purposes 

 and for domestic use in most cities and towns. Of recent j^ears the 

 same thing has been taking place in many of the more prosperous 

 farming sections, even with plentiful local supplies of wood at hand. 

 The fuel emergency which came last winter changed this. From 

 a matter of individual convenience, the choice and use of fuel be- 

 came a national question of vital importance directly bearing on 

 the war. It was soon found the coal was not sufficient to go around 

 and that transportation was short even if there were enough coal. 

 Measures were at once adopted to save coal and increase its produc- 

 tion, but this was not enough ; the lack of transportation was still to 

 be met. It was then that the long-neglected wood fuel was thought 

 of, as it was already distributed and formed a good reserve. 



A wood-fuel campaign was opened by the Forest Service in the 

 summer of 1917 and was carried on during the winter of 1917-18 in 

 cooperation with the Federal Fuel Administration and various State 

 and national agencies. Organizations were effected having in view 

 the production and distribution of wood fuel to save coal and trans- 

 portation. In the depth of winter, as the crisis became acute, great 

 interest was aroused and action was taken by many communities. 



The vital objective of the wood-fuel movement is to increase 

 the use of wood fuel where it is possible — i. e., on the farms, in coun- 

 try villages, and in certain industries located convenient to wood 

 supplies; also further to encourage the use of waste material from 

 lumbering, from manufacture, and from dead trees and culls. The 

 protection of permanent forest resources is not to be lost sight of in 

 the emergency, nor are parks to be invaded and shade trees de- 

 stroyed. The methods followed aim at bringing the producer and 

 consumer together, building up reserves, and insuring a reasonable 

 and just price. The effort for the future should be directed toward 

 permanent fuel organizations, a systematic survey of fuel resources, 

 adequate reserve stock, and local price regulation. 



The hardwoods are playing an increasingly important part in our 

 war program. Thus, both white and red oak are needed for airplane 

 propellers and ship timbers. White ash, elm, hickory, hard and soft 

 maple, yellow poplar, basswood, beech, and yellow and black birch 

 are being sought for parts of airplane construction, veneer panels for 

 aircraft, ammunition boxes, bent work, gunstocks, wheels, escort 

 wagons, and many other essential war needs. Black locust is essential 

 for treenails in shipbuilding. These hardwoods are being studied to 

 determine the amounts of material that can be supplied by the mills, 

 in sizes and grades needed for Government specifications, to ascertain 

 the amounts, location, and availability of standing timber suitable 

 for continuing the production of these grades and sizes, and to in- 

 crease production by improved technical methods. Since the same 

 species, and often the same grades, are being used for different pur- 

 poses, as white oak for propellers, for shipbuilding, and for escort 

 wagons, the study aims to adjust these different demands upon the 

 same species and grades and attempts to eliminate the use of certain 

 grades for needs for which some other species can be used. The 

 points which are being sought in connection with this study of the 

 hardwoods are quality, with reference both to present and probable 

 future specifications of the Navy and Bureau of Aircraft Production ; 



