A NATIONAL PLAN FOB AMERICAN FORESTRY 1363 



has already shown how to correct. There are three lines of improve- 

 ment entirely beyond the experimental stage that are clearly capable 

 of putting production on a sounder basis: (1) Moisture content control 

 through better seasoning; (2) improved selection and grading; (3) 

 making decay-resistant lumber generally available. 



The shrinking of lumber after being built into a finished product 

 provides one of the most prolific sources of dissatisfaction with the 

 performance of wood. In one part of the country the point has been 

 reached where a group of building and loan associations refuse to 

 finance homes constructed of a species that is customarily shipped 

 green and undersize into that region. The remedy to use only 

 seasoned wood is clear but too frequently ignored by producers who, 

 more than the other groups involved, have a controlling hand in the 

 matter. 



The moisture content at which lumber for different building pur- 

 poses is stabilized with reference to shrinkage is known. Com- 

 mercial shipments of building lumber as a rule deviate widely from 

 the plain requirements. Practical methods to measure the moisture 

 content and drying equipment to produce uniform seasoning are 

 readily available on the market. The necessary improvements need 

 only to be put into effect. For its own protection, the lumber in- 

 dustry should see to it that seasoned lumber is made more practical 

 to obtain and that the use of unseasoned lumber is limited to places 

 where its subsequent seasoning and shrinkage will not be harmful. 



The present principles of grading, so far as the bulk of the lumber 

 output is concerned, are essentially those of years ago, when com- 

 petition between building materials was less keen than at present. 

 Despite the degree of progress registered in the adoption of American 

 Lumber Standards, the prospective buyer of lumber is now faced with 

 a bewildering array of species, specifications, and conflicting claims. 

 Furthermore, the lumber grades bearing the same name in different 

 species often differ widely in quality. Confused and skeptical, the 

 prospect often turns to other materials easier to specify and offering 

 more satisfactory guarantees of quality. Architects, with whom 

 rests to a large degree the choice between wood and other materials, 

 have strongly criticized the present lumber grading system. While 

 leaders in the lumber industry recognize this dangerous situation and 

 are taking steps to remedy it, market requirements call for prompter 

 action. The Timber Conservation Board has recommended some- 

 thing in the nature of a "pure food law" for lumber that would re- 

 quire shipments of lumber and timber in interstate commerce to be 

 graded and indentified in accordance with publicly recognized 

 standards of grading and inspection. The desirability of careful 

 selection of species and grades for the more exacting uses can hardly 

 be overemphasized. 



Resistance to decay and insects is a property in great demand for 

 material that must be used in damp places, in contact with the ground, 

 or wherever moisture tends to accumulate in the wood. While resist- 

 ance can be provided to some extent from the heartwood of naturally 

 durable species, it must frequently be provided artificially by impreg- 

 nation with suitable preservatives. Properly preserved timber, with 

 few exceptions, is not easily obtained by the rank and file of lumber 

 users. Attempts are being made in several parts of the country to 

 make suitably treated timber available through retail lumber yards. 



