20 



Forest Clerks 



Supervisors who employ male clerks should, during slack times in their offices, 

 have the clerks visit the ranger headquarters for the purpose of assisting the rangers 

 with their records and files. This is not intended to do away with the requirement 

 that the supervisors call in the rangers at convenient times for purposes of instruc- 

 tion in office methods. 



Padlock Keys- 

 It has been found that the practice of issuing four keys with each Forest Service 

 padlock has caused an accumulation of keys in the supervisors' offices. This prac- 

 tice will be discontinued, and in the future only one key will be issued with each 

 padlock unless a greater number are called for in the requisition. 



Administration Expenses 



The attention of supervisors is called to the following: Charges made for plowing, 

 hauling, sowing, purchase of seeds of all kinds for rangers headquarters, and all other 

 items of like character should be charged to "administration expenses" and not to 

 "headquarters." 



Time of Forest Officers 



The time of Forest officers entering on duty does not begin until they report in 

 person to the supervisor or reach their headquarters or other places designated by the 

 supervisor. This also applies to furloughed rangers reentering on duty. Supervisors 

 should certify to accounts only in accordance with these instructions. 



BRANCH OF PRODUCTS. 



OFFICF OF WOOD UTILIZATION. 



Field Organization 



The Office of Wood Utilization has established field headquarters from which 

 will be supervised utilization work which has a bearing upon the administration of 

 the National Forests. Timber-testing laboratories are now located at Seattle and 

 Berkeley, in cooperation with the universities of Washington and California. A 

 laboratory is being established at Boulder, in cooperation with the University of 

 Colorado. Although the men in charge are stationed at Seattle, Berkeley, and 

 Boulder, they will frequently be at inspection headquarters at Portland, San Fran- 

 cisco, and Denver, and will keep in close touch with inspectors and supervisors. 



Three related lines of work will be handled: First, a study of market prices of 

 forest products; second, a study of wood-using industries; and third, tests to ascertain 

 the physical and mechanical properties of timber. The general purpose of these 

 studies is to further the policy of the Service in promoting the most economic and 

 effective utilization of forest products. Both the Forest Service and the lumber trade 

 are greatly in need of authoritative statements of the actual selling prices of the prin- 

 cipal kinds of lumber as distinguished from list prices and quotations which are now 

 published by associations and trade journals. Such prices will be secured for the 

 principal markets of the various Districts* 



The wood-using industries will be studied for the purpose of ascertaining more 

 definitely the kinds and forms of timber which they require, in order that, in con- 

 junction with the timber tests, opportunity may be afforded for developing new and 

 more important uses for National Forest" woods. One of the first problems to be 

 taken up at the Boulder laboratory will be to determine the strength of sound dead 

 timber, which is found in large quantities in Colorado. 



A careful study of market conditions in the Central- Western territory, where the 

 western woods come in competition with those of the South and the Lake States, 

 has also been instituted. Monthly reports of selling prices from leading wholesale 

 lumbermen in Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Memphis 

 are secured. These and similar reports from eastern markets and those adjacent to the 

 National Forests, will be compiled in the Washington office and copies forwarded 

 to all Forest officers. All Wood Utilization men and Forest officers are expected 

 to cooperate in this work to the fullest extent. 



