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were valued at close to $70,000,000. It must be borne in mind, however, that much of the increase in value between 1914 and 1919 was due to rising prices, in addition to the actual increase in tonnage.

In 1920, when world trade had regained some of its former freedom, our exports of paper dropped off by nearly $4,000,000. The heavy cut in this trade occurred in 1921, however, when exports of paper dropped in value by more than 55 percent, partly as a result of an actual decline in volume of shipments and partly because of a shrinkage in prices. This downward trend continued for some years, the average annual value for the 5-year period 1921-25 amounting to but a little over $25,400,000. Only in 1928, when exports of paper rose to nearly $31,000,000, was any great increase recorded. Another rise of $6,000,000 brought them, in 1929, to well over $37,000,000.

In the succeeding year our exports of these products dropped back to some $30,000,000, and similar decreases followed in 1931 and 1932. The lowest point in recent years was touched in 1933, when exports were valued at less than $15,000,000. A portion of the loss in value during these years, as during the years immediately following 1920, was due to a scaling down in prices. The volume of trade suffered, it is true, but not to the extent indicated when total trade value of 1929 is contrasted with that of 1933.

Exports in 1934, 1935, and 1936 improved considerably, those of the latter year surpassing in value the exports of any year since 1930. Even with these increases, however, the yearly average for the 5-year period 1931-35 was 40 percent under that of the 1926-30 period, and nearly 30 percent under that of 1921-25.

The trend during the past 15 years has been away from papers and toward converted products and specialties. Thus, while exports of printing, writing, and wrapping papers and of boards accounted for 78 percent, by value, of our paper exports in 1920, the proportion had dropped to 46 percent by 1930. That ratio has continued up to the present time. In the meantime, many new items have appeared on the export schedules; and while individually small, they account in the aggregate for a considerable volume of our export trade.

Table 31 (appendix B) shows the volume of paper and board exports by classes for the years 1922 to 1936, inclusive.

Our exports to the various regions show a considerable shifting from year to year, as increased or decreased tariff duties, quota allotments, exchange restrictions, or other conditions influence, favorably or otherwise, the purchase of American papers. Through all the changes that have taken place, however, Canada has for 15 years remained our largest single customer, taking, on an average, approximately onefourth of our total paper exports. The greater part of the remaining exports up to the last 5 years have gone to Latin America and to the Far East. Shipments to European countries have lately assumed increasing importance.

Table 32 (appendix B) shows exports of paper and paper products to the various regions, by values, and also the percentage taken by each region over 5-year periods from 1901 to 1935.

WOOD PULP

Small exports of wood pulp from the United States are recorded as early as 1900. Shipments were relatively insignificant prior to 1916,

never reaching 25,000 tons in volume or $1,000,000 in value; in that year and again in 1919, however, they shot up to 40,000 tons. The next year they dropped back to 32,000 tons, following which they averaged around 30,000 tons yearly up to 1929. During the next 4 years they averaged 50,000 tons a year, since which time the everincreasing demand for sulphite pulp, particularly bleached sulphite pulp, has pushed exports to a 1936 figure of 193,500 tons. Whereas prior to 1932 the value of these exports never amounted to 10 percent of the total for the group, they represented 28 percent of the total in 1934, 28 percent in 1935, and 31 percent in 1936.

Table 33 (appendix B) shows the total United States exports of wood pulp from 1900 to 1921, inclusive, while table 34 (appendix B) shows the volume from 1922 to 1936, inclusive, by class.

OTHER PAPER BASE STOCKS

Aside from wood pulp, our exports of paper-making stock are relatively unimportant. Exports of rags and waste paper for paper making have averaged around 33,000 tons annually since 1928, except for the years 1929 and 1934 when they rose to between 50,000 and 55,000 tons. Up to 1936, rags and other waste were classified together, and it is not possible to tell just what proportion was rags and what proportion was paper. In 1936 rags made up 36 percent of the volume but only 64 percent of the value of these exports. Shipments were almost equally divided between rags valued at $50 and up per ton and those valued at less than this amount. Waste paper and other waste stock during the same year represented 64 percent of the volume but only 36 percent of the value of the rag and waste shipments. Canada, the principal customer, sometimes takes as much as 90 percent of the total consignments. In 1936 Canada took one-half of the rag shipments and three-fourths of the other waste shipments.

Table 35 (appendix B) shows the exports of rags and other waste for the years 1910 to 1936, inclusive.

PULPWOOD

Up to and including 1936, exports of pulpwood have been confined to relatively small shipments to Canada. Occasionally these shipments have run up to 50,000 cords a year and in a few instances have exceeded that amount. More frequently they have averaged between 20,000 and 30,000 cords, and on at least one occasion they fell as low as 10,000 cords. The annual exports of pulpwood are shown in table 36 (appendix B).

In 1928 and in previous years these shipments were considerably larger, owing to the inclusion of shipments of overissue newspapers, which, beginning with 1929, were shown separately in the paper schedule.

ABILITY TO MEET FUTURE PULPWOOD NEEDS

A question sometimes raised is this, "Can the United States meet its future pulpwood needs?" For at least two reasons this would appear on the surface, at least-to be a logical question. First, we are continually importing pulpwood, pulp, and paper, a fact which might suggest a dependency, even at this time, on foreign sources. Second, our steadily rising pulp and paper consumption leads one to wonder as to the future situation.

The answer to the question can be but opinion, and it must come as the result of certain assumptions. These assumptions can, however, be intelligently made by taking into consideration all known facts and figures. Curran and Behre, of the United States Forest Service, in their report, National Pulp and Paper Requirements in Relation to Forest Conservation,' have made what would seem to be reasonable assumptions, and their answer to the question is "Yes." They believe that the United States can quite readily supply its future pulpwood requirements on the condition that we pursue sound forestry practices in all of our forest areas, both public and private.

DETERMINING PROBABLE NEEDS

In considering the question of self-sufficiency on the part of the United States, it is first necessary to assume a future-day pulpwoodconsumption figure. This figure must not only provide pulpwood for paper, but must allow for that used by the rayon, the transparent cellulose sheeting, and the plastics industries as well-industries which are growing rapidly. One authority estimates that by 1950 the consumption of pulpwood for paper products alone will total 20,000,000 cords a year, as compared with a figure of approximately 16,000,000 cords needed for our paper requirements in 1936. Another, the Copeland report, estimates the Nation's future pulpwood needs at 25,000,000 cords a year.

POSSIBLE SOURCES OF SUPPLY

IMPORTS

What may we expect of imports? At the present time, no small proportion of our pulpwood, wood pulp, and paper requirement is imported. These imports are largely from Canada, Sweden, and Finland. There is no reason to believe, however, that these supplies will be dependably available forever. Imports from Canada are not likely to supply permanently an appreciably greater quantity than at present. Sweden and Finland, though their forests are on a sustained-yield basis, are closer to European markets than to the United

? Prepared in response to S. Res. No. 205, 73d Cong.

A National Plan for American Forestry (S. Doc. 12, 72d Cong.).

States; and with European pulpwood, pulp, and paper demand on the increase, what are now our imports might easily be diverted to European markets. Certainly this would be true in case of a European war; for not only can wood pulp be used for explosives and clothing, but wood suitable for pulpwood might be diverted to other military uses. There are, of course, the Russian timber stands, which may be thought of as potential sources of pulpwood. Even were these stands available, however, numerous economic and political factors might make it inadvisable for the United States to depend on this Russian pulpwood. All in all, when one looks to the future, it is not difficult to imagine the necessity of our being able to supply our own pulpwood requirements.

NONWOOD FIBERS

The use of cornstalks, grasses, bagasse, straw, and other products for paper has often been advocated; and from some of these, a good quality of paper can indeed be made. In each case, however, there are one or more economic factors present, such as the cost of collection of the raw product, difficulty of storage, or cost of manufacture, which have made their use unfeasible up to the present time. It is indeed doubtful if any of these substitutes will seriously displace pulpwood for paper so long as the present situation persists.

ADDED PRODUCTION

Supposing that the Hale Report is correct in its assumption that a supply of pulpwood sufficient for all domestic needs can be produced within our own borders, it will be of interest to visualize in perspective the assumed regional distribution of this supply.

Eight forest regions are given consideration in the Hale report. Of these eight regions-namely, the (1) New England, (2) Middle Atlantic, (3) Lake, (4) Central, (5) Northern Rocky Mountain, (6) Southern Rocky Mountain, (7) South, and (8) Pacific Coast-the latter two are thought capable of the greatest increases in pulpwood production. Each of these two is believed capable of producing approximately 30 percent of the 25,000,000 cords of pulpwood necessary by 1950; whereas the New England and the Lake regions are to be depended on only to the extent of 13 percent each. These four regions, it will be noted, largely carry the United States stands of coniferous timber, and together they will supply approximately 86 percent of the presumed pulpwood requirement.

THE SOUTH

The production of the 7,500,000 cords of pulpwood annually (30 percent of the total) by the South is not an unreasonable expectation, when one considers the potential timber growth of the region. The 11 Southern States comprising this region embody an area of approximately 130,000,000 acres, on which one or more of the southern pines suitable for pulp predominate. Besides this vast acreage, these pines make up a substantial portion of the forest cover on several million additional acres. The pine stands reproduce easily in the South and grow rapidly. Under intensive forest management the annual growth of species suitable for pulpwood can theoretically be

National Pulp and Paper Requirements in Relation to Forest Conservation is often so referred to.

71424-38-5

Courtesy Gaylord Container Corporation.

Figure 24. Hand-planted slash pine, eight years old, being grown for pulpwood by a large southern kraft-pulp manufacturer. The open band in the foreground is a fire band, left to

[graphic]

prevent spread of fire.

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