F-377179 



Figure 5. — Demands for 

 lumber put heavy pressure 

 on the forests of New 

 Hampshire — especially on 

 the pine. More than half 

 of the timber volume har- 

 vested is sawed into lum- 

 ber. 



The depression of the 1930's ga\"e the softwood 

 growing stock some time to reco\er. But the hurri- 

 cane of 1938 caused a heavy loss of pine in some parts 

 of the State. And under .the heavy demands of World 

 War II and the postwar years, pressure has been put 

 on the softwoods again, especially on pine. The prob- 

 lem now is how to sustain a reasonable rate of soft- 

 wood lumber production without depleting the soft- 

 wood growling stock beyond recovery. 



Hardwood lumber production accounts for only 1 1 

 percent of the total output, even though 39 percent 

 of the sawtimber volume available is hardwood. 

 Quality is the rub. The problem is how to market low- 

 quality material. 



Hardwood lumber is used chiefly for manufactur- 

 ing fabricated products; and producing lumber for 

 this use requires proper milling facilities, sawing for 

 grade, and good seasoning. Most small sawmills in 

 New Hampshire are not equipped to turn out high- 

 quality standard hardwood lumber. 



The Pulp a7id Paper Industry 



The economic contribution of the pulp and paper 

 industry is far greater than is indicated by the amount 

 of wood it uses (fig. 6). Employment and earnings 

 in pulp and paper mills are higher, per unit of wood 

 used, than the average for the other wood-using indus- 

 tries in New Hampshire. It is doubtful that any of 

 the State's other natural resources generates wealth 

 more effectively than pulpwood. 



Pulpwood production in New Hampshire has gone 

 through two drastic slumps in the past 35 years, one in 

 1916-24. the other in 1926-32. Since 1932, produc- 

 tion has steadily increased to its present level of about 

 250,000 cords annually. This upward trend seems 

 likely to continue, because pulp-mill capacity has been 

 increased recently. Even more important is the recent 

 introduction of new processes that have increased the 

 use of hardwood for pulp. In 1947, for example, hard- 

 woods constituted only about one-fifth of the 242.000 

 cords of total production. In 1952 about one-third of 

 the pulpwood harvested was hardwood ( / ) . 



E\en though heavily forested. New Hampshire 

 doesn't produce all the pulpwood its mills consume. 

 For example, in 1947 the pulp and paper industr\- con- 

 sumed 199,000 tons of woodpulp. But to fill its need, 

 it imported 79,000 tons — 25,000 tons of pulp and the 

 pulp equivalent of 54,000 tons in pulpwood (fig. 7). 

 This means that not more than 60 percent of the new 

 wood fiber used in the manufacture of paper in the 

 State is supplied by New Hampshire's own forests. 



Of course there is no economic virtue in being self- 

 sufhcient if it is cheaper to get raw materials from 

 outside. Parts of Maine can furnish pulpwood more 

 cheaply than distant parts of New Hampshire. Parts 

 ot Canada are also nearby sources of supply for the 

 pulp and paper mills. 



The supply situation is complicated somewhat be- 

 cause a number of out-of-State mills draw pulpwood 

 Irom New Hampshire. .'Ml in all, the State has a net 

 deficit in pulpwood supplies. 



Forest Resource Report Xo. 8, f '. .V. Department of Agriculliirt 



1 



