Douglas Fir Has Record Year

Bv H. V. Simpson, Executive Vice President \flest Coost Lumbermen's Association

Peacetime production records were set in the West Coast Douglas fir region during 1946, and even greater Production volume may be expected f.or 1947. At the same time, progress made in the region's industrial forestry Program was outstanding, Promising permanent high-level Production for the future.

Douglas fir sawmills exceeded six billion foot output in 1946, topping the 1945 total by 169 million feet, and supplying enough lumber suitable for housing to build 300.m0 homes.

Lumber rolled from Pacific Northr,r'est manufacturing plants during 1946 at the rate of 833 railroad cars a day' Production for the year was 6,133,4@,000 board feet. In only two years before the war and since the fabulous 20's in 1936 and 1937, has lumber production surpassed the 1946 volume.

In 1947 West Coast sawmills will add a half billion feet to the 1946 production for a total cut of 6,500,000,000 feet, barring unforeseen obstacles.

In general the distribution pattern duplicated that of prewar years. Major exceptions were the Eastern seaboard, r,vhich because of transportation difficulties received less lumber than formerly, and the West Coast, which because of substantial population increases received more'

We expect that 1947 will witness more "shaking down" to the prewar shipping pattern. We are catching uP on a good many short items, and by spring or early summer the general lumber picture will be definitely improved-

We have 440,000,000,000 feet of saw timber still standing, and more than 9,000,000 acres in growing forests from 10 to 90 years of age. Under sound forest practices we are