How to Use the Forest Products Laboratory 



use have thus far been limited by their 

 cost. 



Practical developments, such as 

 laminated wood for ships, highly mois- 

 ture-resistant plywoods, new dry-kiln 

 schedules as well as new paper-making 

 processes, do not come of themselves, 

 however. Scientific progress is not, as 

 a rule, the fruit of accidental discov- 

 eries. It is rather the result of plodding 

 analysis of facts unearthed by painstak- 

 ing research methods. The information 

 so uncovered is then applied to so- 

 called practical developments. The 

 Forest Products Laboratory, therefore, 



keeps its sights leveled on the funda- 

 mental aspects of research, pursuing 

 developmental work as basic findings 

 warrant. 



GEORGE M. HUNT is the director of 

 the Forest Products Laboratory. He 

 has been on the staff of the Laboratory 

 since 1913, first as a chemist special- 

 izing in the preservation of wood and 

 later as chief of the Division of Wood 

 Preservation. He is a native of Oregon, 

 and a graduate of the University of 

 California. He has been a member of 

 the Forest Service since 1911. 



HOW TO USE FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY 



F. J. CHAMPION 



A tremendous amount of infor- 

 mation on matters pertaining to wood 

 is available at the Forest Products Lab- 

 oratory. About 6,000 persons and firms 

 each month send in questions about 

 simple matters of burning wood for 

 fuel, the complex problems that arise 

 in the paper and plastics industries, 

 the precautions one should take against 

 decay in building a house, the weight 

 of common lumber, the wood to use 

 in making shipping containers, and 

 many more. 



Farmers ask about simple methods 

 for making fence posts last longer. 

 Furniture manufacturers want to know 

 how to avoid warping of glued-up 

 wood panels. Lumber manufacturers 

 ask for the latest kiln-drying schedules. 

 Paper chemists want information on 

 the newest discoveries on the physical 

 properties of the wood fiber. All the 

 inquiries are answered promptly by the 

 staff. 



For other people who do not know 

 about the services and help that are 

 available at the Laboratory, some sug- 

 gestions are offered here. 



Because the range of information 

 available is so wide, a specific inquiry 

 is most apt to bring the information 

 wanted with one letter. A request like, 



"Send me directions for treating aspen 

 fence posts," is easier to handle than 

 one like, "Send me information on 

 wood preservation." 



Many inquiries can be answered sat- 

 isfactorily and most cheaply with a 

 pamphlet or bulletin. Some replies, 

 however, require a detailed letter, 

 based on past research or on accumu- 

 lated experience and observations. 



If the Laboratory does not have the 

 information, the inquirer is so in- 

 formed, and, if possible, a suggestion 

 is given him as to where the desired 

 information can be obtained. 



It is not necessary to know anybody 

 at the Forest Products Laboratory to 

 place your letter in the hands of the 

 man best qualified to answer it. Auto- 

 matically all inquiries are routed to the 

 man or men specializing in the subject 

 matter of the letter. Letters or postal 

 cards (which often do just as well) 

 should be addressed: Forest Products 

 Laboratory, Madison 5, Wis. 



The Laboratory has available sep- 

 arate lists of publications for each ma- 

 jor field of research, so that a person 

 can get only the lists that are closest 

 to his needs. One should ask for a list 

 of publications covering wood season- 

 ing, residential construction, forest- 



