724 



Yearboo!^ of Agriculture 1949 



also are prominent in the export trade. 



On the other hand, large United 

 States requirements for paper and 

 paper products, combined with limited 

 timber resources and plant capacity 

 for pulp and paper making, are major 

 reasons why about one-third of the 

 wood going into the paper consumed 

 in the United States comes from for- 

 eign sources. Considering all timber 

 products, the United States has long 

 been a net importer. For example, in 

 1947 timber-product imports, valued 

 at more than 800 million dollars, were 

 more than twice as great as exports; 

 other years show a similar pattern. 



The transportation systems of the 

 United States use large quantities of 

 timber products, and also depend on 

 them for much revenue freight. 



Railroad track is laid on wooden 

 cross, switch, and bridge ties. A great 

 deal of lumber is used in railroad cars 

 and the construction of bridges, sta- 

 tions, warehouses, and other structures. 



Millions of feet of piling and lumber 

 go into wharves and jetties. Wood is 

 used extensively for bracing and hold- 

 ing cargo in place. Substantial amounts 

 are used in boat and ship building as 

 an integral part of the structure and 

 as scaffolding. Naval stores are also 

 used in boat and ship construction, 

 although not so extensively as formerly. 



Highway transportation depends 

 partly on the timber supply, because 

 road and bridge construction, as well 

 as truck and trailer manufacture, re- 

 quires wood. 



The distribution of timber products 

 by rail, water, and truck creates mil- 

 lions of tons of revenue freight each 

 year. Before reaching the consumer, 

 many timber products may be re- 

 shipped several times from forest to 

 primary manufacturing plant, second- 

 ary processing plant, wholesaler, re- 

 tailer, and finally to consumer. Often 

 several forms of transportation are 

 used in these various steps. 



In 1946, Class I railways carried 

 more than 100 million tons of timber 

 products, including paper and furni- 

 ture other than metal, or nearly 8 per- 



cent of all tonnage carried. About two- 

 thirds of this tonnage was in the form 

 of logs, pulpwood, and lumber. With 

 an average haul of about 450 miles, 

 timber products accounted for about 

 45 billion ton-miles. In 1946, Class I 

 railways received more than 535 mil- 

 lion dollars in revenue from timber 

 products, or nearly 9 percent of the 

 revenue from all commodities. 



Truck transportation has become 

 the most important means of getting 

 raw material out of the woods for the 

 forest-products industries. About 80 

 percent of all sawlogs and veneer logs 

 produced, 90 percent of all pulpwood, 

 and more than 90 percent of all com- 

 mercial poles, posts, piling, and mine 

 timbers are transported all or part of 

 the way from woods to plant or market 

 by truck. Trucks are used almost ex- 

 clusively to move lumber from thou- 

 sands of small mills to concentration 

 yards and to haul about 30 percent of 

 total lumber tonnage all or part of the 

 way to its first destination beyond 

 concentration yards and sawmills. 



Since the Second World War about 

 300 million tons of timber products 

 have been transported annually by 

 truck. Although this is three times the 

 volume hauled by rail, truck hauls are 

 short compared with rail transporta- 

 tion and average only 10 to 15 miles. 

 Thus, trucking of timber products ac- 

 counts for about 4 billion ton-miles 

 annually, or less than one-tenth of the 

 ton-miles by rail. 



Water transportation is also signifi- 

 cant in the domestic movement of 

 timber products. In 1946 about 30 

 million tons of logs, lumber, pulpwood, 

 wood pulp, and paper were moved to 

 domestic destinations through inland 

 waterways and by coastal and inter- 

 coastal routes. Logs alone accounted 

 for two-thirds of this tonnage, which 

 includes logs or pulpwood floated or 

 driven on rivers. Domestic cargo ship- 

 ments of poles, piling, posts, fuel wood, 

 naval stores, tanning materials, furni- 

 ture, and other timber products pro- 

 vided additional substantial tonnage. 

 In terms of ton-miles, domestic water 



