316 



Canadian Forestry Journal, December, 1915. 



Lumbermen and Forestry 



The View of J. E. Rhodes, an American Lumberman— Refore- 

 station the Business of Governments, not Corporations. 



The National Lumber Manufac- 

 turers' Association is a federation of 

 practically all of the associations of 

 lumber manufacturers in the United 

 States, and represents a combined 

 membership of about 1,500 of the 

 largest saw mills of the country, 

 having an annual output of over 

 fourteen billions of feet of lumber. 

 The lumber manufacturers have 

 taken a general interest in forestry. 

 They recognize that timber is being 

 cut much faster than it is reproduc- 

 ing itself, and that necessarily lum- 

 ber can be consumed at the present 

 rate only a few years. It is now 

 generally admitted by lumbermen 

 that the climax of lumber produc- 

 tion in this country has been reach- 

 ed and passed. There was a time 

 when it was thought that the great 

 white pine forests of the Northern 

 States were inexhaustible, but the 

 generation of the lumbermen now 

 passing has seen the white pine for- 

 ests nearly cut off. As they disap- 

 peared timber of other sections has 

 increased in value. It is now be- 

 lieved that the climax of the produc- 

 tion of yellow pine of the Southern 

 States has been reached. 



Conservative Methods. 



The evolution of economic condi- 

 tions in the lumber business is, 

 therefore, just beginning to make 

 possible the consideration of fores- 

 try methods in practical logging op- 

 erations. The lumber manufactur- 

 ers admit (those of them whose op- 

 erations will extend over ten years 

 or more) that conservative methods 

 must soon be applied to their busi- 

 ness. With each material reduction 

 in the output will come an increased 



value of standing timber, and when 

 the price of stumpage has risen to 

 the necessary point (and other con- 

 ditions being favorable), scientific 

 forestry will surely be adopted by 

 lumbermen. 



They are too intelligent business 

 men not to undertake those methods 

 which will perpetuate their supplies 

 of raw material and thus prolong 

 their business. If forestry cannot 

 be undertaken with profitable re- 

 sults, it cannot be considered at all, 

 as individuals cannot be expected to 

 conduct a work of this kind at a loss 

 to themselves no matter how much 

 they may be prompted by sentiment 

 or regard for future generations. 

 The price of timber products must 

 reach a point where it will pay to 

 grow trees (or at least to conserve 

 virgin timber), or forestry cannot be 

 thought of. The time when fores- 

 try can be seriously considered by 

 the lumbermen, therefore, depends 

 entirely upon the development of 

 economic conditions. The lumber- 

 men generally appreciate that even- 

 tually the cutting of timber must be 

 in proportion to its annual increase 

 and growth, but they feel that that 

 time is in the distant future. 



Were Critics Right? 



Lumbermen resent the criticism 

 which have been made against them 

 to the effect that they have wasted 

 the nation's resources. They have 

 utilized every part of the tree from 

 which a profit could be realized. 

 Much has been said about the reck- 

 less waste of our timber resources, 

 but very little has been left in the 

 woods to rot and burn which could 

 have been saved. Men are not in 



