cent, or to 85 million board feet per year. This increase 

 is, of course, purely a speculation and probably a liberal 

 one at that. In any case, the present cut is much greater 

 than can be sustained. 



.At this point it is well to recognize that poor cutting 

 practice is not necessarily a companion to overcutting. 

 Potlatch Forests, Inc., the principal private timber opera- 

 tor in this district, has followed the practice of partial 

 cutting on such of its timberland as was suited to this type 

 of management, combined with good management ot 

 young stands. This company expects to be able to return 

 to partially cut areas in two, three, or four decades, and 

 thus receive a greater total yield per acre from two cuts 

 than from one clear cut. It is apparently the only private 

 concern in northern Idaho attempting this on a large 

 scale. 



Western white pine is being logged at a much more rapid 

 rate in the Clearwater district than it can be grown. But 

 in the opinion of the company cited, even though the west- 

 ern white pine timber cannot permanently sustain the 

 present cut, it will be possible in future decades to lean 

 more heavily on the secondary species and thereby con- 

 tinue in operation. There is certainly nothing unreason- 

 able in this policy, but whether the other species will have 

 improved enough in value during the next 20 to 40 years to 

 offset the western white pine shrinkage depends upon 

 factors to be discussed in the chapter on economic factors. 



Cedar Poles 



The cedar pole situation is more or less parallel to that 

 just described tor western white pine. The cedar pole is 

 also a quality product actually worth more than pine lum- 

 ber per board toot. Pole production is more sensitive to 

 economic conditions and has fluctuated more widely as a 

 consequence. The average dram upon this resource has 

 exceeded the producing capacity over a period ot years. 

 As already estimated, the average annual drain ot cedar 

 poles and piles for selected years since 1925 has been 245,- 

 000 pieces. In 1937, which was a very good year, the 

 output totaled 382,000 pieces. The present inventory 

 (January 1, 1939) is 6.9 million poles, 6.3 million in saw- 

 timber stands and 0.6 million in young stands. In a 

 detailed analysis of the cedar pole problem, Cummings 

 and Varney ^^ estimated that almost 1 million poles will 

 grow into utilizable size between now and 1958. With an 

 annual cut of 245,000 poles, the resource would be ap- 

 proaching exhaustion in 32 years. At a rate of 382,000 

 per year, the period will be tnuch shorter. They point 

 out that, if a period of lean years is to be avoided, the 

 present resource plus the additions up to 1958 should be 



"Cummings, L. J., and Varney, R. M. western red cedar pole 



RESOURCES IN NORTH IDAHO AND NORTHEASTERN WASHINGTON. North. 



Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Expt. Sta. Forest Survey Release 

 No. 16, 36 pp., illus. 1939. IProcessed.] 



spread over a 45-year period, or until the vast acreage of, 

 young stands reaches a usable size. From the average of 

 245,000 pieces yearly, it is desirable to reduce the annual 

 cut to something like 1 80,000 pieces. 



The Effect in Terms of Jobs and Dollars 



In contrast with the prosperous twenties, the lumber 

 industry decline has made the fourth decade of this century 

 a hard one for the forest communities of northe^-n Idaho. 

 During 1929 the sawmills and logging camps furnished 

 approximately 9,800 man-years of employment. With 

 the production slump since then, many workers have had 

 to turn to other means of livelihood and the work has 

 been spread more thinly among those still dependent upon 

 lumbering for income. An average of 6,000 man-years 

 of employment was furnished during the 4 years 1935-38. 

 For every person in the lumber industry in 1929 there 

 were from 3.5 to 4 people directly and indirectly relying 

 upon his income. This includes the worker, his family, 

 and those in secondary industries and occupations de- 

 pendent upon his expenditures. Thus the decline in 

 employment by the lumber industry has affected the 

 welfare of a great many people. 



Unless the utilization ot the secondary species increases, 

 a further decline in emplovment by the lumber industry is 

 inevitable. The longer this is postponed the lower it will 

 go. It the other species continue to be utilized only at 

 the present rate, and the western white pine cut is reduced 

 to 140 million board feet, the annual employment will be 

 no more than 3,600 man-years as compared with 6,000. 

 Eventually, however, if the western white pine resource is 

 most effectively managed, the volume ot employment 

 can be greatly increased beyond 3,600 man-years, even 

 with adverse markets. If also, by some good fortune, the 

 secondary species become completely marketable, sustain- 

 able employment can be higher than the 1935-38 average. 



The great economic loss resulting from fire is sometimes 

 not fully appreciated. Were it not for fire, the allowable 

 cut of western white pine could be 26 million board feet 

 (log scale) more than it is. This additional volume would 

 furnish 340 man-years ot employment from stump to 

 freight car. Directly and indirectly, it would furnish 

 livelihood, at the 1929 standard, to 1,200 or 1,400 persons. 

 To the forest economy of northern Idaho, these are im- 

 portant figures. The fact that, for every 50 acres of 

 western white pine seedlings and saplings swept by fire, 

 1 man-year of potential forest employment goes up in 

 smoke, is a matter of no small consideration. 



The seriousness of fire loss can be expressed a little 

 differently in terms of dollars. The f. o. b. selling value 

 ot western white pine lumber fluctuates around J30 per 

 M board feet (lumber tally). This must cover stumpage, 

 wages, taxes, other expenditures, and profit. Thus, fire 

 in reducing the allowable cut ot western white pine timber 



44 



