1,000 



400 



PRODUCTION 



1900 



1960 



Figure 42. — Trend in Minnesota pulpwood production and consump- 

 tion, 7900-7954. 



years (fig. 42). In the period 1946-54 production 

 of softwood pulpwood averaged about 620,000 

 cords and hardwood pulpwood about 250,000 cords. 



Less Wood Cut for Fuel 



Accurate records are not a\ailable to show year- 

 to-year trends in fuelwood cutting. Available evi- 

 dence indicates a substantial decline in Cjuantities 

 cut, both on farms and on commercial operations. 

 Production in 1 936 was estimated at 2,200,000 cords, 

 with about 36 million cubic feet coming from growing 

 stock (by present inventory standards). In 1953, it 

 was 1,197,000 cords with 29,760,000 cubic feet from 

 growing stock. Although the 1953 cut was only 

 about half the 1936 cut, it apparently included a 

 smaller proportion of logging residues and other 

 salvage, and thus was only 17 percent less in terms 

 of growing stock removal. 



Veneer Log Production Gaining 



The cut of veneer logs approximately trebled 

 between 1946 and 1952 and increased further in 1954 

 (table 27). Three-fourths of the logs were shipped to 

 other States in 1952. 



Some Industries Dropping Out 



Cooperage mills, which as recently as 1947 took 

 3 million board-feet of local hardwood logs, have 

 practically ceased to use Minnesota timber (table 27). 



No excelsior mills operate now in Minnesota. 

 About 700 cords of excelsior bolts were cut for ship- 



ment to Wisconsin in 1952. The cut in 1946 was 3,000 

 cords, mostly going to a Minnesota mill (table 27). 



Lath and shingle production is very small compared 

 with the output 50 years ago but is holding fairly 

 steady at current levels. 



Table 27. — Veneer tog, cooperage log and e.xcetsior boll production, 

 Minnesota, 79.36, 7946-52, and 7954 



Year 



\'cncer lops ' 



Cooperage 



loRs — 

 all hard- 

 woods ' 



Excelsior 

 belts- 





Total 



Softwoods 



Hardwoods 



all hard- 

 woods 



1936 



Thousand 

 bd.-ft. 

 ! 6,500 

 2,500 

 4,805 

 7,105 

 6,670 

 6,370 

 7,250 

 8,000 



Thousand 



bd.-ft. 



2 200 



30 



20 



5 



20 



30 



20 



8 



15 



Thousand 

 bd.-ft. 

 "6,300 

 2,470 

 4,785 

 7,100 

 6,650 

 6,340 

 7,230 

 10,375 

 10,37=; 



Thousand 



bd.-ft. 



280 



2,600 



3,000 



2,100 



1,660 



1.260 



650 



18 



11 



Thousand 

 cords 



2.4 



1946 



3.0 



1947 



2.0 



1948 





1949 



.2 



1950 



.3 



1951 . 



5 



1952 



.7 



1954 

















' International J-j-incti rule. 



" Includes match stock not shown for other years. 



Pole and Post Business Rebounding 



Production of cedar poles, at one time a fairly 

 large business in Minnesota, has declined to a very 

 low level. On the other hand, there has been a 

 substantial increase in production of pine poles in 

 recent years (table 28). 



Use of wooden posts sluin])cd during and after 

 World War II. Manpower shortages and the 

 inroads of steel were the primary causes. Recently, 

 wooden posts have recovered some of the lost ground — • 

 partly as a result of improved quality of production 

 and treatment; 1952 output was half again as large 

 as that of the low year 1949 (table 28). 



Mine Timber Use Falling Off 



Year-to-year demands for mine timber, such as 

 posts, ties, and lagging, fluctuate in fairly close 

 harmony with ore production. The long-range trend, 

 however, appears to be gradually downward. The 

 development of open-pit mining is an important 

 factor in this downward trend. Production of mine 

 timbers in 1952 was less than half that in 1936 

 (table 28). 



Total Cut Increasing 



Timber cutting in Minnesota reached a low point 

 during the early 1930's when operations were affected 

 both by economic depression and depleted timber 

 supplies. Since 1934 the trend in cutting has been 

 gradually upward (fig. 43). 



36 



Forest Resource Report No. 13, U. S. Department of Agriculture 



