FOREST 



RESOURCES 



O F 



THE 



NORTH-LOUISIANA 



DELTA 



Possible Future Trends 



->5>- 



— 4^ 



dustry toward production at or near the sawmill of 

 rough or semifinished standard industrial parts and 

 of finished special parts. The development of this 

 secondary manufacture in the producing territory 

 makes possible the profitable utilization of timber 

 of a smaller size and a som.ewhat lower grade than 

 is at present commonly utilized for industrial pur- 

 poses at greater distances from the mill. It also 

 makes possible a greater local utilization of in- 

 completely manufactured lumber and thus expands 

 the market for the output of small hardwood 

 sawmills, which in the past have been limited 

 chiefly to the production of structural material. 

 This development of the small-dimension in- 

 dustry is of especial significance to the north- 

 Louisiana delta because of the imminent shortage 

 of high-grade timber in this area and the relatively 

 large reserve of marginal timber, for which the 

 small-dimension industry off"ers the most imme- 

 diate opportunity for an adequate outlet. 



Based upon the available supply of raw material 

 and indications of market requirements, the veneer 

 industry as a whole is likely to maintain itself 

 with but little expansion or contraction during 

 the next decade. Any contraction will take place 

 most probably in the production of the highest 

 grades of commercial and face veneers; whereas, 

 owing to the widening market for plywood, ex- 

 pansion is more likely to develop in the common 

 commercial veneers. 



The cooperage-stock industry, as a whole, can 

 be expected to continue without any considerable 

 change during the next decade. Owing to an 

 increasing scarcity of high-grade white oak needed 

 for the production of the higher classes of tight- 

 cooperage stock, the manufacture of these classes 

 may fall off somewhat. On the other hand, the 

 abundance of timber suitable for the production 

 of the common items of slack-cooperage stock indi- 



Forest Industrial Plants 



IN THE future, the small sawmills that cut 

 cross ties or structural material will probably 

 increase in relative importance. There is an 

 abundance of timber suitable for this use and at 

 present not otherwise marketable. Much of it is 

 of species generally used, but in trees that have 

 been left standing by the industrial lumber-mill 

 operator because of their low quality. Timber in 

 species now discriminated against might, under 

 improved manufacturing methods and with a 

 growing scarcity of more desirable woods, become 

 quite acceptable for cross-tie or structural use. 

 Relatively efficient mills cutting chiefly structural 

 material are not yet common in the unit, since in 

 the past such material has been largely supplied 

 to the rural markets by the industrial lumber mills 

 from accumulated material of too low grade to 

 warrant shipment to industrial markets. With the 

 passing of some of the large sawmills this source of 

 supply will be greatly reduced throughout the unit 

 and eliminated entirely in some localities. Local 

 agricultural development has probably not reached 

 its peak and a substantial increase in the local 

 demand for cheap building material may therefore 

 be expected. Moreover, when fully equipped 

 mills producing structural material ai'e once estab- 

 lished, their product should be able to compete 

 successfully with southern pine and western soft- 

 v/oods. From the standpoint of the national 

 market, it seems likely that hardwoods, in compe- 

 tition with both softwoods and substitutes, will 

 supply an increasing proportion of the heavy 

 structural material. Any general increase of this 

 nature will further increase the relative importance 

 of the small mills cutting this material. 



During the past decade there has been develop- 

 ing a pronounced trend within the hardwood in- 



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