30 X. IT. Agr. Experiment Station [Bulletin 318 



Summary 



Farm woodlands supply an important part of farm income in Carroll 

 county, New Hampshire. Consequently, any methods by which income 

 from forest products can be increased should be of value to farmers. 



While this study is confined to a section of Carroll county, its findings 

 are applicable to many other parts of northern New England. 



Woodland acreage, in the area studied, totaled 223,000. of wliicli ap- 

 proximately 52,000 acres supported merchantable timber. 



Total stand of merchantable timber approximated 2G0 niilliun boanl 

 feet. For the next few years the annual cut on a sustained yield basis 

 would be about five million board feet. 



An analysis of the eff"ect^s of various factors upon the production of 

 merchantable timber was made. For the purposes of this study a pro- 

 duction period termed "intermediate" of two to twenty-five years was 

 considered of greatest significance. 



Present market outlets take about six million board feet annually. 

 Some three and a half million of this goes to more or less permanent in- 

 dustries and the remainder is handled by portable mills. Plant capaci- 

 ties bear little relation to the amounts of timber cut by particular indus- 

 tries. In general, effective plant capacities are far in excess of annual 

 consumption. 



Comparing the average annual cut in recent years with that estimated 

 to be allowable on a sustained yield basis, it is found that except for 

 hardwood the present cut exceeds the increment of merchantable timber. 



Stumpage prices have ranged all the way from $1.50 per thousand 

 board feet for low-grade or relatively less accessible hardwood to S5.00 

 and over for especially desirable pine and spruce. 



Log prices have fluctuated considerably over the past 15 years, as 

 shown by the series for pine logs delivered to the mill. Starting at $18 

 jier thousand in 1924, they reached a peak of $20 in 1927 and then de- 

 clined, at first gradually, then rapidly, until 1932. From this point to 

 the present, except foi' a slight rise in 1937. they have remained at $10. 



Transportation charges have ranged upward from $1.00 per thou- 

 sand minimum, and tend to vary wdth distance rather than value of 

 product. No attempt was made to determine relationship between charg- 

 es and actual costs for transportation of forest products. 



It appears that during the intermediate time period considered the 

 area is well supplied with wood-using industries. These industries have 

 capacity ample to take care of a normal ]iroduction. 



Farm income from the sale of woodland ]")roducts was about $30,000 in 

 1929. This income could be increased by making more efficient the as- 

 sembling operations, and adopting improved production practices. 



Cooperation offers opportunities for increasing farm income from mar- 

 keting forest products in the area. A large projiortion of the woodland 

 containing merchantable timber was found to be in the hands of persons 

 favoralile to cooperative effort,. Another fair-sized portion was controlled 

 by those indifferent, and only a small amount was in the hands of per- 

 sons definitely antagonistic to cooperation in this field. 



The directions in which cooperative effort might be most successful are 

 in assembling sawlogs, keeping in touch \\i\h markets and market condi- 



