California Lumber Production Reaches Lowest Ebb in Many Years

In the year 1930 thd lumber production of the state of California totalled only 1,381,255,000 feet, the lowest ebb it has reached in many years.

California lumber production reached its highest peak in 1926 when the total was 2,085,869,000 feet. The pievious year, it missed the two billion mark'by less than ten million feet, producing l,9X),662,000 feet in [525. But it still held to its above two billion mark in 192V. when the total was just over that high'uiater mdrk with a'total of 2,013,581,000 teet.

Qg1_the drop in consumption was already being felt, and in L928 California produced a total of 1,881;689,0@ feet. In 1929 it_sank to 1,775,792,000 feet. And in 1930 it dropped faster than ever before, with the total above stated.

But 1930 figures will not look so small when the totals for 1931 are in, for it is more than likely that California totals for this year, based on estimates of present produc- tion and progpects for.the next few months, may drop as low as 1,200,000,000 feet.

California Redwood reached its highest production year in 1924, when the total Redwood cut was 602,988,000 feet. That was exactly one hundred million feet more than the next best year, which was 1926. In 19'26 the cut of Redwood was 502,000,000 feet. The Redwood production for 1930 was 398,000,000 feet.

Redwood production so far in 1931 is lower than in 1930. General curtailment is in effect, and several mills have cut out and shut dciwn for good. It is certain that 1931 totals will fall below ihose of 1930;

California White Pine had its biggest year in 1925, when its total production in California was 854,67?,O00 feet. However this species lingered in that immediate vicinity for several years, the production in 1924being 844,581,00Ci feet, and that of. t926 being 841634,000 feet. Its ,cut was 728 million in L927,799 initlion in L928,785 million in 1929, and, then down to 551 million in 1930, the exact figures for last year being 551,344,000 feet.

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California White Pi'iie will also show a reduction in production in 1931., fhe cut has been less the first half of the year than the fir's1'half of last year, and with conditions as they are the latter half of the year may bring the total for this year well belo.w the half-billion mark foi this year.

California Sugar Pine had its biggest year in L926 when the cut was 322,43O,000. Beginning with 149 million in L924 Sugar Pine jumped to ?8 million in L925, reached the 322 peak the next year, dropped to 264 in 1927, raised to 295 in L928, held to 291 in 1929, and then flopped more than one-third for its low total of. 196,74O,00O feet in 1930.

Like Redwood and California Pine the production of Sugar Pine for 1931 will likewise be lower than that of the prevlous year.

California produces a whole lot of lumber besides these three well-known major woods already mentioned, chiefly Douglas Fir and White Fir. There ii a huge quantity of stumpage of these other sorts in California, and when the demand for lumber was g'enerally good, the production of these other woods increased amazingly, then dropped ofi as demand decreased.

For instance, in t927 these other woods combined produced a total of more than half a billion feet of lumber. this being its banner year. The exact total was 508,925,000 feet. It is impossible to give the totals of these other woocls by species for the reason that the official figures furnished for the Redwood -region do not separate the"various species of whitewoods, simply grouping lhem in a total as ,khite woods"._ The reports from the pine regions do separate these other -woods, but since the Redwo6d regions do not it is_impossible to state the separate totals.

---flg production of these virious other woods for 1930, like White Pine, Sugar Pine, and Redwood, fell to the lowest ebb in many years, the total for the year being 235,171,000 feet.

Here are the detailed figures of California lumber pro- duction beginning with 1924:

Total

Redwood Consumption

The California Redwood Association reported for the year 1930 that association mills cut 337,124,m feet of Redwbod. shipped 291,723,0ffi feet, and received orders for 287,ffiZ,M feet. The distribution of the shipments made were as follows: