frames. The Nichols Cabin, at Fresno Flat, Calif., built of pine in 1854, is still a comfortable home for the descendants of the builders. Though it never has been painted, the lumber on the sides is as sound as when it was put in.

A combination of desirable qualities has made the western pines outstanding in the millwork field. Colonial architecture may easily

Figure 2.-Clear Idaho white pine paneling and door lend dignity and beauty to this entranceway.

be reproduced from the western pines. Beautiful entrances, doors, siding, and trim are produced in large quantities to meet a constant demand for quality products of these types. What is more appealing than a nicely painted home, with its inviting entrance way framed in well-designed period architecture, with wood shutters beside the windows and the friendly softness of its walls finished with wood siding and neatly trimmed?

PERPETUAL TIMBER SUPPLIES

FOREST CONSERVATION

The extensive pine forests of the far Western States represent the principal source of soft-pine lumber. In that area are located the fine stands of Idaho white pine, ponderosa pine, and sugar pine. For some years several of the sawmill operators in the western-pine region have adopted a conservation policy which aids in keeping their forest land productive. Some operations are already on a sustained-yield basis. True conservation is best expressed by wise use and renewal of forest resources-an objective which in no way conflicts with well-conducted lumbering operations.

In selective logging, usually only the larger and more mature trees are cut, with provision made for the protection of the smaller trees from injury. The leaving of a few large seed trees helps in the reseeding of the cut-over areas. With these practices in effect, and under favorable conditions, natural reproduction is sufficient to make planting unnecessary.

Another important phase of the western-pine industry's forestconservation program is protection from forest fires. Relatively few fires are caused by logging operations; but the industry must protect its forest lands from fires caused by lightning, or by hunters, campers, and others. This work is done by well-trained fire-control organizations, for which the industry, in cooperation with the State and Federal Governments, is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. This protection is essential if vigorous young forests now growing are to reach useful maturity.

Conservation activities in the region are directed by well-organized committees of operators, advised by the forest engineering staff of the Western Pine Association. These committees are constantly investigating practical methods of protecting pine forests from fire, insects, and disease, and are seeking answers to the economic problems which often prevent operators from making systematic plans for growing a second crop of timber on their cut-over lands.

RAILWAY AND HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT

Since none of the western-pine forests are near the seacoast, it was natural that their general utilization should await the building of transcontinental railroads giving access to the markets of the Middle West and the East. Some heavily timbered parts of the region have been made accessible by railroad, and highway development has come within just the last few years.

ANNUAL LUMBER PRODUCTION

Lumber production in the western-pine region increased steadily until 1925, when for the first time it exceeded 5 billion board feet. Production has varied with economic conditions since then; and it now appears evident that an annual production of 4 to 6 billion feet, which is well within the sustained-yield possibilities of the region, may be considered normal. Increasing emphasis is being placed on the quality and refinement of manufacture, rather than upon volume, a point which well illustrates the far-sightedness of the industry.

Figure 3.-Logging scene in the western pine region. Skidding of logs is handled by tractors and logging arches. Logs are commonly loaded on trucks for hauling to the mills. These methods allow for selective cutting, assuring a perpetual timber supply.

WHAT ARE THE WESTERN PINES?

There are three distinct species of western pines. Two of these, the Idaho white pine and the sugar pine, are classified botanically as true white pine. The third western-pine species, ponderosa pine, while not botanically a white pine, is truly a "soft-textured" pine.

IDAHO WHITE PINE

Idaho White Pine (Pinus monticola) is a true white pine found in the dense forests of Idaho and adjacent parts of Washington and Montana. The trees are straight and tall. Mature timber runs up to 3 to 5 feet in diameter, and often to 150 feet or more in height. The small, short, side branches often occur only near the tops of the trees, so that the higher board grades are characterized by small sound knots, which machine smoothly and do not show when properly painted. Annual production is about 500 million board feet, and the reserve stand of timber, together with regrowth, assures an adequate supply for future years.

PONDEROSA PINE

Of the commercially important species in North America, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) has about the widest geographic range. The total stand of this species is estimated at about 250 billion board feet, enough to produce 10 million carloads of surfaced lumber. This tremendous reservoir of virgin stumpage, if properly handled, is sufficient to provide material indefinitely at an annual production of about 3 billion board feet.

Mature ponderosa pines from 3 to 5 feet in diameter and up to 200 feet in height are not uncommon. The rich reddish-brown color of the bark and the scantiness of undergrowth between the trees give the forests a beautiful park-like appearance. The large logs yield a good percentage of select lumber and of choice factory grades which have large clear cuttings between the occasional knots.

SUGAR PINE

Sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), another true white pine, is the largest of all the pines. Its tall, straight trunk is covered with cinnamon-brown bark, rather deeply furrowed, and is often free of limbs for 75 or 80 feet above the ground. Trees are commonly 4 to 7 feet thick, and occasional specimens reach a diameter of 12 feet and a height of 250 feet. The huge logs produce a high percentage of the upper or select grades.

This species is produced in California and southern Oregon. The normal annual production of sugar-pine lumber approximates 300 million board feet. and timber reserves will last a century at this rate, without taking into consideration the regrowth which is occurring, and assuming that the entire reserve supply will eventually be economically accessible.

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