732 



Yearbook^ of Agriculture 1949 



THE REQUIREMENTS FOR FUEL WOOD 



are declining. In 1880, the country 

 consumed about 146 million cords of 

 fuel wood, but only 62 million in 1945. 

 The drop, despite a large increase in 

 population, is due to the increased use 

 of more efficient and convenient fuels, 

 including coal, oil, gas, and electricity. 

 The fuel-wood drain on the forest is 

 further lessened by the fact that only 

 one-half or less of the total quantity 

 consumed is cut from sound, living 

 trees, the remainder coming from cull 

 and dead trees or industrial waste from 

 logging and milling operations. More- 

 over, the cutting of sound, living trees 

 for fuel wood can be limited largely to 

 trees of small size or inferior species 

 that should be removed from the for- 

 est in the course of thinnings and other 

 cuttings made to improve the final tim- 

 ber harvest. 



Looking into the future, it appears 

 likely that the per capita requirements 

 for fuel wood will decline still further. 

 The United States has abundant sup- 

 plies of coal. The present wood waste 

 from logging and milling operations 

 that now goes to feed boilers may find 

 a more profitable outlet in the field of 

 chemical utilization of wood waste. 

 Farms and other rural buildings even- 

 tually will be supplied with electricity; 

 it is those outlets that now consume 

 most of the fuel wood. Atomic power 

 may lower the cost of producing elec- 

 tricity for all heating purposes, thus 

 further reducing the use of other fuels. 

 On the other hand, should the need 

 arise, wood can be substituted for other 

 fuels, even to the extent of powering 

 motorcars and motortrucks. And auto- 

 matic wood-burning stoves have been 

 invented that are a great improvement 

 over the ordinary stove, in both con- 

 venience and efficiency. 



It is estimated that fuel-wood re- 

 quirements in 1950-55 will be about 

 60 million cords, declining to about 50 

 million a half century from now. 



REQUIREMENTS FOR POLES tele- 

 phone, telegraph, electric light, and 

 other utility- line poles made of wood 



increased from about 3.7 million in 

 1909 to nearly 8 million in 1947. 

 Nearly one-third of all the poles put in 

 place now are for rural electrification. 

 But there is a general trend in cities to 

 put wires underground, and new de- 

 velopments in communications permit 

 large numbers of messages to be sent 

 without a corresponding increase in 

 the number of lines. Ways and means 

 will still be sought to eliminate pole 

 lines, because they are repeatedly 

 damaged by storms and other destruc- 

 tive forces, they are unsightly, and they 

 take up space needed for other uses. 



Changes are also taking place in the 

 kind of poles used. Chestnut, northern 

 white-cedar, and the western redcedar 

 used to be preferred because of their 

 durability; later, preservative treat- 

 ment and a shortage of the preferred 

 species gave first place to southern pine 

 and Douglas-fir. In 1910 less than 20 

 percent of the poles produced received 

 any preservative treatment whatever; 

 now nearly 95 percent are treated. 



The telephone and telegraph com- 

 panies probably will not materially in- 

 crease their use of wood poles; even 

 now, some long-distance communica- 

 tions lines are going underground 

 especially in localities subject to severe 

 ice storms. And eventually the rural 

 electrification program will be largely 

 on a maintenance basis. 



For the period 1950-55, potential 

 annual requirements for poles are esti- 

 mated at about 5.7 million. Looking 

 50 years ahead, annual requirements 

 may not be more than 5 million. 



In 1947 the production of poles that 

 were preservatively treated was divided 

 among the various species as follows: 



Percent 



Southern pine 74. 



Douglas-fir 9. 1 



Western redcedar 5. 1 



Lodgepole pine 6. 4 



Northern white-cedar 1. 9 



Ponderosa pine . 4 



Mixed species 3. 1 



Total 100.0 



A large part of future pole require- 



