170 The Forest Products Laboratory 



SOME PROBLEMS OF THE LUMBER INDUSTRY 



W. A. Gilchrist J National Lumber Manufacturers^ Association 



Ladies and Gentlemen: 



This is a pleasure even though it is a substitute arrangement. You 

 know Mr. Scanlan who was to speak is a prominent and successful 

 luml)erman and an earnest believer in this activity, and it is my regret 

 that he was not able to be here to present this problem in the masterful 

 manner that he would. 



I have heard some of my friends say "By all means say something 

 complimentary about Madison". I heard yesterday our good friend 

 Mr. Weiss, speak of the bathing facilities afforded in the vicinity. I 

 have tried them all and I can say that after an early morning swim in 

 this lake, one can undertake almost any obligation in connection with 

 the problem confronting us. 



Our industry is credited as being the largest consumer of the 

 products of the forest. Our chief forester, Colonel Greeley, made the 

 statement that the forest gro^vth is but one-fourth of the normal or 

 annual consumption. 



I regret being compelled to make this statement, but it seems to be 

 the consensus of public opinion that the average lumberman is opposed 

 to a federal, or forestry policy. I hasten to correct this idea. We lum- 

 bermen are in sympathy with any reasonable forest policy. It is a 

 broad problem which cannot be solved by the theoretical gentlemen, the 

 practical ones, or the technical ones, but only by all of them working 

 cooperatively. 



I have every reason to believe that they can bring forth a policy 

 handling this most important problem that will be worth our while. 

 We must bear in mind that we need a conservative one, one that will 

 endure and one to which our posterity fifty years hence will say "Well 

 done". That is our spirit, and that is what we want incorporated in 

 that policy. 



We lumbermen insist that there shall be provision made for the 

 proper utilization of the natural stands of timber by economical means. 

 We believe that the opportunity exists for the handling of that timber 



