Logging and Mi lling Waste the next largest contributors, these with lumber ac- 
counting for 94 percent of all net waste (table 16). 
The ratio of total net waste (134.3 million cubic feet) 
to total drain (350.6 million cubic feet) was 1 to 2.61; 
that is, for every 261 cubic feet of finished product 
there was 100 feet of completely unutilized waste. 
Quite obviously, the forest industries, dealing with 
a scattered resource like timber, subject to wide vari- 
ations in quality and adaptability for specific products, 
cannot be expected under present supply and demand 
relationships and values to achieve 100-percent utili- 
zation of their raw material. Nevertheless, only 73- 
percent utilization of a critical resource like timber 
is too wasteful. Continuing research to point out the 
way to reduce this waste is needed. The degree of 
Reference has already been made to the excessive 
waste occurring in both woods and manufacturing 
plants. It is a problem of forest management and 
utilization, the solution of which would provide raw 
materials for new industries and reduce the drain upon 
the present timber stands. A special study reveals the 
extent of logging and milling waste in the primary 
forest industries of Virginia in 1944. Gross waste, 
that is, the total volume of material not utilized for 
the finished product of a given industry, is distin- 
guished from net waste, which is defined as the volume 
of material which is not used for any purpose. 
The net waste consists of 86 million cubic feet of 
logging waste and 48.3 million cubic feet of milling 
waste (table 16). The largest single source of waste 
is the portion of the tree left in the woods, in stump, 
tops, cull or broken logs, or in incomplete utilization 
of the stem. ~ This waste amounted to nearly 61 mil- 
lion cubic feet, nearly one-half of the total net waste, 
and nearly three-fourths of all logging waste. The 
second largest source of waste is in sawdust and shav- 
utilization could be increased by more complete use 
of the tree in the woods—lower stump, use of a longer 
portion of main stem, more careful bucking for cull, 
and use of more of the tops for pulpwood, fuel wood, 
and small-dimension stock. Since the unused portions 
of trees left in the woods account for nearly half the 
net waste, the greatest savings would be made here by 
: s ' ne : improved management and logging practices. Only 
ings in the processing plants, 31.4 million cubic feet, 
nearly a fourth of all waste, and 65 percent of all 
milling waste. Sixteen percent of all waste came from 
trees destroyed in logging, and 13 percent from slabs, 
edgings, trimming, and similar waste in the processing 
plants. An additional 2 percent was in uncut inferior 
trees which could have been utilized, but which would 
die soon after the logging. 
Because the lumber industry is by far the largest 
if, by such practices, the operators can reduce costs, 
or obtain a higher yield of salable product at the same 
cost, will such improved practices be adopted. Use 
of sawdust and shavings, the second largest source of 
waste, is more difficult at present but far from hope- 
less. This waste product, except for cost of trans- 
portation, is cheap and in a form that can readily be 
cooked, digested, or otherwise converted. As such it 
forest industry, it accounted for 78 percent of total can be used for producing alcohol, wallboard, and 
net waste. Fuel wood, pulpwood, hewn cross ties, other converted products. The same is true of most 
and cooperage-stock production, in that order, were of the other milling wastes. 
TasL_e 16.—Net logging -and milling waste in primary forest industries, 1944 
(Thousand cubic feet; i. e., 000 omitted] 
Logging waste Milling waste Total waste 
Sound in- - 
P fe |eolu de- s Slabs, Sawdust, 
Kind of product ear eee sieved ferior trees Total trimmings,| shavings, ote Vol Percent of 
left in in log- uncut which | logging edging, | other fine ey eS eee total 
woods ging will soon waste etc. materials Me gSte 
die 
Lumber____- Bee OE 43, 662 14, 714 2, 308 60, 684 15, 883 27, 888 43,771 104, 455. 77.8 
le lkwoodese sete rne ieee rary oN eC 4,915 2, 854 291 SSOP) eek Ge ae ee eae [es et 8, 060 6.0 
; Pulpwood (loggineton ly, Seer ee a Ses SS 4, 349 2, 099 584 T3032 Eee | Se Se 7, 032 L677 
K@ross}tiess (hewn) mse wee ee a eS a ae 2,431 507 73 3,011 ISOS Si /ESES wanes 1, 038 4, 049 3.0 
Mlolestandepilessesce sens eerste ee OT KS Soa 488 166 28 CSB | ESS 1 RUA a ENG | a Aaa 682 a5 
Op peraseistac a= weet ren ete Se Wee Sy 147 37 11 LOS pase P eee 2, 620 2, 620 2, 815 2.1 
sanninkandichemicalawoodssasn- = ENS ee 184 BOSS pester es G92 zee se ee Saat Ppa area 492 .4 
TPO SERS a SE Ee Se Ne a a cae rene 1,051 281 19 eS Sie Pesan e 493 493 1, 844 1.4 
Wieniee neces man aay cee ti 8 Prt ae ts aes 1, 096 242 34 V3 /2)3| See 51 51 1, 423 al 
Ronndmimestimibers sae ev eee enue yw VEE EU 1, 827 387 13 DD Di Fi epee ats WERE | fe A Jae eg s-pa---2-- 2, 227 1.6 
theresa Be ae Rta ee eb wad sae eR ier 2 686 131 47 8647 || eee 358 358 1, 222 9 
es PAT ieproductstses see ie ee ee ee en 60, 836 21, 726 3, 408 85, 970 16, 921 31, 410 483311 U 134.301 | ean emo 
Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent 
45.3 16.2 2.5 64.0 12.6 | 23.4 36501 aes 100.0 
41 
irginia Forest Resources and Industries 
