2 BULLETIN 673, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Compilation of the figures for the Western States was madehy the 

 district products offices of the Forest Service at Missoula, Denver, 

 Albuquerque, Ogdcn, San Francisco, and Portland. Figures for 

 New York State were furnished by the New York Conservation 

 Commission. The work in all of the other States east of the Rocky 

 Mountains was done by the Office of Industrial Investigations of the 

 Forest Service, Washington, D. C. 



The entire project was carried on in cooperation with the National 

 Lumber Manufacturers' Association, which not only contributed 

 financially, but, through its affiliated organizations, assisted ma- 

 terially in making the statistics complete. 



TOTAL LUMBER PRODUCTION. 



The estimated total production of lumber in the United States 

 during 1916 was 40,000,000,000 board feet, or approximately 5 per 

 cent greater than in 1915. The quantity actually reported by 

 17,269 active mills was 34,791,385,000 board feet. 



Production of lumber, particularly the more commonly used 

 building woods, was exceptionally heavy during the spring and 

 early summer, reaching its apex in May. Then followed a severe 

 curtailment, which was carried on into July. From July on pro- 

 duction was again increased until a maximum was reached in October, 

 to be followed by the usual decline upon the approach of winter. 

 The output of the sawmills of the country in 1916 was restricted to 

 a considerable degree by an unprecedented shortage of cars, by 

 increased wages and an insufficient supply of labor, and by the 

 largely inflated cost of supplies. Building operations, however, were 

 on a record-creating scale throughout the United States: and this 

 condition was responsible for the heavier production in 1916 than 

 in the previous year, since a proportionately greater quantity of 

 lumber went into domestic consumption than under normal world 

 conditions. Exports of both softwoods and hardwoods were con- 

 siderably reduced through lack of available tonnage. The pro- 

 duction of certain woods was stimulated by world-wide war de- 

 mands, but on the whole the lumber industry profited little directly 

 by the impetus given many industries in 1916 by the war. 



In Table 1 is shown the cut reported each year from 1899 for 

 which data have been compiled, together with the number of active 

 mills reporting. The estimated total cut for each year is also given. 

 The statistics for all of the years are not directly comparable, since 

 the intensiveness of the individual canvass made must be taken into 

 consideration. The enumeration for 1899 and 1909 was practically 

 complete, since the field agents of the Bureau of the Census in carry- 

 ing on the decennial censuses reached nearly all, if not all, mills. 



