Forcut Rf.tources of the Pacific Northwest 



27 



percent of all freight tonnage originating in the four 

 States consists of lumber and other timber products. 

 As a further evidence of the importance of forest 

 industries, G4 percent (by rated capacity) of the power 

 ecjuipment mstalled in manufacturing plants of the 

 Region is used by them. 

 These facts are graphically illustrated by figure 5. 



The Annual Production of Forest Products 



The forest industries on which the regional prosperity 

 is so largely based are cutting each j'car a very large 

 quantity of timber and are converting it into lumber, 

 woodpulp, shingles, railroad ties, veneer, and many 

 other commodities. The quantities thus cut have 

 varied widely from year to year. The most accurate 

 statistics are available for lumber and for pulpwood, 

 which are also the most important products in volume 

 and total value. 



The annual production of these two commodities 

 since 18G9, the first date for which good figures can be 

 found, is shown in figure 6. The early figures for 

 lumber are at 10-year intervals, but the record is 



Figure fl. 



Figure 7. 



complete starting with 1904. In the case of pulpwood, 

 only scattered figures are e.xtant until 1916, when the 

 continuous record begins. Although pulpwood is 

 commonly measured m cords, the figures have been 

 converted into board feet (at 2 cords per thousand 

 board feet) to make apparent the relative importance 

 of the raw materials used. 



A glance at this chart will disclose the complete lack 

 of any stability in the annual production of lumber. 

 There was a rapidly rising trend up to 1929, accom- 

 panied by wide fluctuations from year to year, but 

 during the depression the production shrank to the 

 levels of two and a half decades earlier. Pulpwood use 

 began later, but its increase has been much steadier. 

 Effect of the depression on (juantity of pulpwood pro- 

 duced was relatively slight, and by 1934 new high 

 figures were being rejiortetl. Nevertheless, the total 

 quantities of wood used for pulp are even j-et very 

 small as compared to lumber. 



The distribution of hunhcr production between the 

 four States of the Region is shown in figure 7. Wash- 

 ington has been in the leading position contiimously 



