PRODUCTION OF LUMBER, LATH, AND SHINGLES IN 19H. 21 
SPRUCE. 
The immense demand for spruce for airplane material is not re- 
flected in the lumber production figures for 1917, since the accelerated 
production did not take place until late in the year. Much spruce 
gotten out in the woods was in the form of rived bolts, and was not 
the product of the sawmill. 
The total reported cut, 978,265,000 feet, was 13 per cent smaller 
than in 1916. Maine, which has contributed annually about one- 
third of the total spruce milled, sawed only 79,000,000 feet, or 21 
per cent less in 1917 than in 1916; even with the reduced cut the 
State maintained first rank among the producing States. The cut 
in Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York also was reduced, and 
this reduction, as in Maine, is directly attributable to the higher price 
obtainable for spruce as pulp material than as lumber. Oregon 
ranked seventh in 1915 among the spruce producing States, jumped 
into fourth place in 1916, and assumed third place in 1917. Oregon 
cut 65,000,000 feet in 1915, 96,000,000 feet a year later, and 121,000,000 
feet in 1917. Washington's cut was slightly smaller in 1917 than for 
the preceding year. North Carolina, Minnesota, Colorado, California, 
and Idaho enlarged their total for 1917. 
The average value reported for spruce lumber was $24.41 per 1,000 
feet, though from $100 to $250 per 1,000 feet was paid for the highest 
grade procurable for airplane construction. The average value in 
1916 was $17.58, so that the 1917 value represents a rise of 39 per 
cent. 
Table 14. — Reported production of spruce l lumber, 1917. 
[Computed total production in the United States, 1,125,000,000 feet.] 
Number of 
active mills 1 
reporting. 
Quantity 
reported. 
Per cent. 
Average 
value per 
1,000 feet 
f. o. b.mill. 
United States. 
1.320 
Feet B. JA 
978, 265, 000 
Maine 
Washington.. . 
Oregon 
West Virginia. 
Vermont 
North Carolina. . 
Minnesota 
New Hampshire. 
New York 
Colorado 
California 
Idaho 
Wisconsin 
Michigan 
Montana 
All other States (see Summary 
p. 39). 
298 
66 
26 
18 
244 
17 
67 
112 
184 
47 
4 
23 
42 
68 
11 
93 
297,949,000 
198,271,000 
120, 647, 000 
68, 895, 000 
48,630,000 
47,360,000 
40. 999, 000 
36, 057, 000 
27, 215, 000 
22, 896, 000 
20, 659, 000 
19,171,000 
7,852,000 
6,703,000 
6,437,000 
8,524,000 
100.0 
30.4 
20.3 
12.3 
7.0 
5.0 
4.8 
4.2 
3.7 
2.8 
2.3 
2.1 
2.0 
.8 
.7 
.7 
$24. 41 
23.43 
22.34 
28.28 
30.30 
24. 28 
28.33 
24.28 
23.47 
28. 51 
17.14 
17.50 
22.49 
25.78 
24.06 
18.22 
19.79 
1 Red spruce (.Picca rubra) is the principal species cut in the northeastern States and the Appalachian 
region. 
Sitka spruce (Picca sitchensis) is the principal species cut in Oregon and Washington. 
Black spruce (Picea mariana) is cut in limited quantit.es in the northeastern States. 
White spruce ( Picca canadensis) is cut in the Lake States. 
Engelmann spruce ( Picca cngelmanni) is cut in the Rocky Mountain region. 
