NOTES 1013 



As a result of an investigation of mill and woods waste in western 

 Washington, Professor Kirkland finds that only 37 per cent of the 

 cubic volume of the wood brought to the mill reappears as lumber, and 

 that there is little question that 50 per cent of the volume of the stand- 

 ing tree is left in the woods, so that the total utilization in the form of 

 lumber figures out only 18.5 per cent. The importance of using this 

 enormous waste of around 80 per cent as fuel, pulpwood and for minor 

 uses of various kinds is pointed out. — University of Washington Forest 

 Club Anmtal, ipop. 



The Yale Forest School Nezvs for July brings a very interesting 

 account of the activities of the Forest Products Laboratory at Madi- 

 son during the war, which shows how important the once despised 

 "timberphysics" work of the old Forestry Division has grown to be. 

 The growth in the number of the personnel alone is impressive, the 

 force having grown from 80 before the war to 450 at the end, and is 

 still over four times the number in past peace times. 



Seventy-five per cent of the work had reference to aircraft con- 

 struction. Tieman's water spray kilns answered the requirement of 

 rapid seasoning without injury; the suitability of some 130 species, 

 native and foreign, for aircraft construction was ascertained by some 

 300,000 tests; a waterproof finish was evolved (aluminum leaf); a 

 waterproof glue for use in construction of plywood was developed, 

 and the suitability of various species for plywood was ascertained and, 

 in connection with these inventions, promises to change the use of 

 wood in built-up material and laminated articles, such as walnut gun- 

 stocks. A separate box-testing laboratory was set up to test various 

 forms of containers for the Ordnance Department. Wood pulps as 

 substitutes for cotton linters were successful, and charcoal for absorp- 

 tion of poisons in gasmasks. As a means of conserving foods, a 

 greater production of ethyl alcohol from wood waste was secured by 

 over 50 per cent ; also that of acetic acid from sawdust. Besides these 

 a host of minor investigations were carried on. 



The Portland, Oregon, local section held its first open meeting of the 

 winter season on Hallowe'en night, but instead of bobbing for apples 

 it listened to a most interesting discussion by Colonel W. B. Greeley 

 on "A Working Plan for a French State Forest." Besides giving a 

 clear sketch of the essentials of a typical French working plan. Colonel 



