CHAPTER III 
FOREST LABOR 
The successful conduct of forest operations depends in a large 
measure on the character, supply and efficiency of labor, factors 
which are influenced by the economic conditions of the country. 
In prosperous times work is abundant and capable men are not 
attracted by the average wage paid for forest work. This means 
a restless woods force, a portion of which constantly shifts from 
camp to camp. Business depression is quickly felt in the lumber 
industry because in hard times railroad companies and other 
large consumers of forest products reduce their purchases of 
lumber, crossties and other material. The dull market prompts 
the lumberman to cut down expenses, and one of the first steps 
taken is to reduce the labor charge since this is one of the chief 
items in the cost of lumber production. 
The agricultural interests of different regions also may have 
a decided influence on labor supply during certain seasons. 
This is illustrated in the cypress region of Louisiana, where 
sugar production is an important industry and where Creoles and 
negroes prefer to work in the fields and sugar mills during the 
cane-harvesting season. 
LENGTH OF EMPLOYMENT 
The length of time forest laborers are required each year is 
governed by the character of the operation. In the northeastern 
part of the United States, in some parts of the Lake States and 
in the Inland Empire there is a demand for the maximum number 
of laborers only from eight to nine months of the year; in the 
southern pine, cypress and Pacific Coast forests, where rail- 
roading replaces sled haul and water transport, loggers operate 
the year round. 
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