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Scientific Management 



Editor's Note 



The subject of scientific management and its applicati 

 Bryant in a paper in the December issue of American Fores 

 solves or pretends to solve all the details or scientific mana 

 uable thesis involving suggestions to lumber manufacturers, 

 plans to fit individual operations. 



Scientific management applied to manufacturing inthistries has 

 received much attention during the last few years and has met with 

 signal success. The central idea in this movement has been the in- 

 crease in eflSeiency of the individual workman and of the shop, by 

 collecting and reducing to a standard, facts concerning the best prac- 

 tice among the competent workers performing a given class of work; 

 by the introduction of modern types of machinery operated at its 

 highest efficiency; and b.v improvement of factory organization and 

 supervision. 



Individual lumbermen have done much thinking along these lines 

 and have put some of the principles into practice. However, as a 

 whole, the industry has not profited greatly from work of this char- 

 acter, for it is still a mooted question to what e.xtent scientific man- 

 agement can be applied to the industry. 



It is doubtful if there is any close analogy between the workshop 

 or factory with its specialized product, continuous operation without 

 reference to climatic conditions; and the camp in the forest with its 

 constantly changing crews, with climatic conditions which may hinder 

 or prevent operation for a certain period, and where every acre logged 

 and every tree felled may present a new problem. 



At the plant of the lumberman methods of manufacture can be 

 standardized to a degree at least ; the labor is more stable and the 

 work may be under cover and thus adverse weather conditions over- 

 come. However, even in the mill the problem is not so simple as in 

 a factory. Each log presents a new problem to the sawyer who aims 

 at the best results, because the position, number and character of 

 defects are rarely the same in any two logs. 



The lumber industry in the past with its abundant and cheap raw 

 material did not devote a great deal of time to the development of 

 the finer points of organization and administration, especially in con- 

 nection with the logging end of the business. The time has now come 

 for the lumberman to perfect his organization and eliminate all wastes, 

 if he is to succeed in a business in which the price of raw material 

 is constantly advancing, labor charges increasing and its eflSciencj' 

 decreasing. 



The methods of work outlined for manufacturing plants may not 

 prove adaptable to logging and lumber manufacture, but the general 

 principles underlying the schemes advocated by experts on scientific 

 management contain many helpful suggestions to those who are inter- 

 ested in developing their work to the point of maximum efficiency. 



The management of every large lumber operation should have on 

 file in the office detailed data regarding the title to the property, the 

 character, the amount and condition of the timber; methods of log- 

 ging adapted to the region ; a scheme for fire protection, etc. This 

 can best be secured by the organization of a forest department in 

 charge of a man capable of supervising cruising, engineering and for- 

 estry work. If the size of your operation does not warrant the estab- 

 lishment of the work on a permanent basis, experts can always be 

 secured at a reasonable cost. 



The high stumpage values of today call for more careful cruising 

 than has been the rule in the past. The owner should know not only 

 the amount of each merchantable species on his land, its location with 

 reference to the topography and outlet; but also should have accurate 

 data about its quality. A knowledge of the latter factor becomes 

 more valuable with each increase in the prjce of stumpage. 



Tojiograpihic maps are now considered an indispensable part of every 

 manager's equipment, liy all who have been fortunate enough to 

 have used them. In a rolling or rough region they will save, in a 

 short period, many times their cost. 



Topographic maps are often made at the time of the timber cruise. 

 They should show the location of all streams, roads, trails, swamps, 

 burned areas, agricultural land, and the elevation of all points. On 

 such m.aps are often shown in colors the stand per acre of the dif- 



on to the lumber industry is discussed by Prof. R. C. 



try. This article is republished in full, not because it either 



gement for lumber manufacturers, but because it is a val- 



upon which they may elaborate and work out adequate 



ferent species. The exact location of all timber, the position of light 

 and heavy stands, burns, etc., can be seen at a glance. Accompanying 

 this map should be a report on each logging unit giving all data that 

 is necessary for an intelligent understanding of the problems involved 

 in logging the area. 



The entire system of logging roads can be laid out in the office on 

 such a map, and a logger may know several years in advance where 

 his main roads can be located to best advantage, the mileage required 

 and any special difficulties that must be overcome. Careful planning 

 of roads with reference to logging the area as a whole effects a 

 saving in logging costs by reducing the amount of road building. 



A PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION 



The value of a map of this character was demonstrated during the 

 spring of 1909. The senior class of the Yale Forest School made a 

 survey and prepared a topographic map of a tract of 30,000 acres 

 in eastern Texas, in a region where railroad location was not easy, 

 because of the broken character of the countr_v. The engineer of the 

 company about one year later was called upon to build an eight-mile 

 extension to the main line which was to pass over a portion of the 

 tract surveyed, and over which he had never traveled. He laid out 

 the road on the topographic map in the office before beginning field 

 work. After selecting the route which looked most feasible, he went 

 to the field and was able to locate on the ground over five miles of 

 road on the route he had chosen in the office. The location of the 

 remainder of the line was not altered more than a few hundred feet 

 at any point. The work was accomplished in one-fourth of the time 

 required under the old method. 



Maps and data of this character are also a great aid to the man- 

 agement because it preserves on paper a vast amount of valuable 

 information often carried i^ the heads of certain woodsmen of the 

 company. These men may leave your service, and the knowledge they 

 have gained at your expense is gone and can only Ije acquired by the 

 expenditure of more time and money. 



A new foreman can be taught more about your property, in an 

 hour, from a topographic map than he could learn by traveling over 

 the ground for a week. Further, it enables you to discuss with him 

 the plans for logging; show the area to be logged the next season; the 

 mileage of road to be built; the character of "logging chance" he 

 will have and many facts that he often otherwise has to determine 

 for himself when he arrives on the ground. 



No lumberman should be satisfied with his operation until he has 

 proven to himself that he has a system as efficient as it is possible 

 to secure. Forest laborers, as a rule, do not migrate out of the 

 general forest region in which they receive their training, and con- 

 sequently have no opportunity to learn methods other than those 

 common to that particular section. Although the methods in use are 

 usually those best adapted for the conditions existing there, it often 

 happens that woodsmen in other regions have developed methods that 

 are preferable for special conditions you may have to meet. The 

 collection and standardization of the methods of progressive loggers 

 in a given section would be most valuable to every operator. 



The organization for the protection of the property against fire is 

 one of the least efficient parts of many lumber operations. Compa- 

 nies conservative in business who carefully protect their manufacturing 

 plant often neglect their stumpage, a product far more difficult to 

 replace than a mill on which insurance can be secured. Although 

 practically noninsurable, stumpage has been left to care for itself 

 until the last few years, and in some sections it still does not receive 

 ample protection. 



Every large company should have some comprehensive scheme of 

 fire protection worked out for its tract, and an organization capable 

 of putting the jiolicy into effect when it is requii-ed. 



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