MAHOGA]IY IMPORTI]IG GOMPA]IY

Importers and Distributors ot Mexican, African and

Specialists in Custom Milling and Kiln Drying

CUSTOM MIITING

Resawing, ripping, S2S, S4S, or detcril motcher work qt our remanufqcturing plcrni crt Long Beqch, Cclifornic rIIr..[ DRYING

Philippine Mahosany and other hardwoods from Tropical Ameiica and the Philippine lslands, CONGRATULATIONS and Begt Wishes [or thc T\TENTY.FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE cALIFORNIA LUMBER - of a nation-wide program this development is comparatively recent, yet there already are 113 certified Tree Farms totaling 2,403,113 acres in the Western Pine region. California has over half a million acres in 24 certified units. fmprovements in sawmills have come right along with better woods operations. When the California Lumber Merchant first made its appearance in 1922 it was an unusual pine mill that had dry kilns. Now nearly all of the larger and some smaller mills have kilns in which carefully controlled heat, humidity and circulation season the lumber better and much quicker than did open-air drying. Mechanical piling of lumber on kiln tru'cks is done with but a fraction of the labor that is required for hand piling. Even sqme of the smaller mills pile green lumber mechanically into units and then a lift truck or straddle carrier whisks the units out into the yard for drying, and afterward brings them back to the planing mill. or shipping dock.

Precision drying of both hordwoods ond softwoods.

California has a little over 13 million acres of commercial forest land in the Western Pine region, which includes all the forested areas of the state except the northern coastal counties where Redwood is the principal species. The total stand of timber on these 13 million acres is about 171 billion feet, of which a little over 40 per cent is Ponderosa Pine and Sugar Pine; the balance is Douglas Fir, White Fir and other associated woods. About 54 per cent of Cali. fornia's {orest land is publicly owned and inanaged.

The 1946 production in the pine district of California was just under two billion board feet, a record volume even higher than that of any of the war years. So California has enough timber already standing to equal 85 years' production at this record rate. Whether the present volume would last 75 years or 100 is oT little practical importance, however, because the rate of new growth is constantly increasing as the inactive mature forests are first logged over and again become productive. Standing timber forecasts at best are only estimates and are usually very conservative. California has on the west side of the Sierra some of the best timber-growing lands in the entire Western Pine region. With even fairly good treatment they will produce tihber faster than it has yet been cut from them.

The old horse-drawn "buggies" on which lumber used to be moved around the plants have been replaced by faster conveyors or equipment of several types which moves lumber in compact units and puts it right where it may be most conveniently fed into machines or car doors.

The Western Pine mills have a reputation for good planing mill work. Newer machines have high speed cutterheads which will surface lumber at 400 or 5@ feet a minute and not show a knife mark. This smooth machining is especially important for knotty pine paneling where broken knots and torn grain would ruin the desired effect.

The work of the Association's Grading Bureau, though financed by the mills to assist in the orderly distribution of lumber, is even more important to the users of lumber. The grading at member mills is checked by Western Pine Association inspectors every month and nearly all sales, even by non-members, are based upon the standard grades. The accurate methods of grading developed in normal times were surprisingly well adhered to during and since the war. The Association maintains a reinspection service which is available to any buyer who believes the grade or tally of a shipment is not as invoiced.

Improved methods of operation have meant as much to the industry's employees as to its customers. Producing lumber still requires much hard and sometimes dangerous work but increased mechanization and safety programs have greatly improved the conditions under which men work. The old camp bunkhouses, with their double and even triple deck bunks, are things of the past. Now loggers live at home and drive to work in their own cars or, if they. live in the modern camps, at least can get home to their families for week-ends. Wages have increased more than the average for industry generally, \Mestern Pine employees in California now receive, including the last increase, an average of about $1.60 per hour. Their hourly increases since