The utilization of beech, birch, and maple in the Northeast

This dissertation gives a description of conditions in a timbered section of the united States where this and other improved methods of utilization can be applied to particular advantage. It is an exemplification of how better timber utilization adds value to standing timber in the woods, to logs at the sawmill, and to lumber at the factory, and also increases the quantity of wood available for use. The region to be discussed is in the Northeast, where there are large areas of low-grade hardwood timber and markets for various kinds of forest products near-by. Here the question of efficient utilization is particularly important. Much of this timberland - even virgin stands - will not yield a profit under the marketing methods in most common use at the present time. More efficient utilization would make profitable large areas of this timber now lying idle and would result in greater returns from timberlands that are being cut. This is particularly true of beech, birch, and maple - the most important group of hardwoods in this region. The facts concerning the different hardwood industries of the Northeast presented here were obtained during the summers of 1926, 1027, and 1928 through personal contacts in the field. Scores of all kinds of sawmills and factories using these woods were visited and data were obtained bearing on the important problems of the industries. The basic statistics presented were obtained from the Forest Service and the Bureau of the Census.