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A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



TABLE 1. Lumber production, exports and imports, and consumption, specified 

 years, 1809-1931 Continued 



Forest Service compilation. 



In view of the minor fluctuations evident in figure 1, which fail to 

 represent for any one or two- years what may be termed the normal 

 trend, per capita consumption can be expressed perhaps more soundly 

 on the basis of 10-year averages, as follows : 



Feet board measure 



1900 to 1909____ 495 



1910 to 1919 395 



1920 to 1929 315 



Statistics do not show specifically the decline in lumber consump- 

 tion in each field of use, but some break-down is necessary in an effort 

 to find the reasons for the changes that have occurred. The best 

 figures available for the purpose are given in table 2. The period 

 1912 to 1928 was chosen because statistical studies had been made of 

 consumption in factory products and in sash, doors, and millwork for 

 those years; the balance of total lumber consumed was assumed to 

 have been used in construction. The years 1912 to 1928 cover in the 

 main the period of declining consumption in which we are interested. 



Factory products held practically the same relative position in the 

 1928 distribution as in that of 1912, and fell off only 8 percent in 

 lumber consumed. The percentage of lumber estimated as going to 

 construction in 1928 (72 percent) was only slightly less than that in 

 1912, but the actual difference of 5.6 billion feet is striking. When 

 this total is analyzed, it is found that the direct-to-construction item 

 accounts for all but 100 million feet of the loss in all lumber between 

 the two years. The decline in direct-to-construction products might 

 suggest a falling off in building were it not for the gain of 32 percent 

 in sash, doors, and millwork, which can only be explained by an 

 increase in building. 



