1160 



Canadian Forestry Journal, June, 1917 



Turning the Tree to New Account 



By Dr. John S. Bates, 

 Sup't, Forest Products Laboratories, Montreal. 



How Canada Depends on Forest Supplies 

 to keep the National Machine Running. 



By far the most important and 

 extensive utilization of wood consists 

 in the manufacture of lumber and 

 other products by mechanical pro- 

 cesses, whereby the wood still retains 

 its identity. 



Under the heading of wood used 

 in the rough, firewood takes first 

 place and in value accounts for about 

 30 per cent, of the primary wood 

 products. Air-dry wood has a calori- 

 fic value rather more than half that 

 of coal, pound for pound. The nor- 

 mal annual consumption of railway 

 cross-ties in Canada is about 20,000,- 

 000 with an average value of about 

 45 cents each. Half of these are 

 used for renewals showing the trem- 

 endous destruction which is mainly 

 due to decay rather than mechanical 

 wear. Only about 7 per cent, of 

 the ties receive preservative treat- 

 ment indicating the scope for exten- 

 sion of modern wood preservation 

 processes in the case of a number of 

 the Canadian tree species. Treat- 

 ment with creosote and other pre- 

 servatives is practised very extensive- 

 ly in the United States and especially 

 in Europe with the result that the 

 life of the tie is doubled in most cases. 



Making Track Ties 



In order of importance the Can- 

 adian tie woods are jack pine, eastern 

 cedar, Douglas fir, hemlock, tam- 

 arack, western larch and small quanti- 



ties of other species. Hardwoods 

 such as birch and maple are now com- 

 ing into use, as creosote treatment 

 successfully overcomes the low dura- 

 bility of hardwoods, and the ties have 

 the advantage of high mechanical 

 strength. Large numbers of wooden 

 fence posts are used throughout the 

 country but there are no accurate 

 figures. The fence post problem 

 is particularly important in the 

 Prairie Provinces where the per- 

 ishable poplar and willow are the 

 only local woods available. An in- 

 vestigation of preservative treatment 

 is now being carried out. The annual 

 consumption of round mine timber is 

 over 53 million linear feet with a total 

 value of $524,000, while the mines 

 consume sawn timber to the extent 

 of 23 million feet board measure 

 valued at about $304,000. About 

 140 coal and ore mines in Canada use 

 timber, the leading woods being 

 Douglas fir, spruce, balsam fir, lodge- 

 pole pine, jack pine and hemlock. 

 The high humidity and elevated 

 temperature in the mines promote 

 rapid decay and it is likely that pre- 

 servative treatment of, mine timber 

 will be taken up in Canada, at least 

 for timber used in permanent haul- 

 ways. The demand for poles has 

 fallen off in recent years largely on 

 account of decrease in telephone line 

 construction. In 1914 the returns 

 show 283,184 poles used with a value 



