November 1952
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Tablo 111. Fisheries By-Product. of New England Ana in 1950
Product
No. of Plants 10 7 10 7 4 3 2
T&
IV.
.
Pack of Canned Vegetables and B l u e b r r i e s in New England Stat- in 1949 (9
Roduot Greenbeam W U bc&M
CWS
CO*
Par Pum k h and aquaah BlUage.r*. Total
219,038 438,847 1,148,087 158.465
48.518
604.187 -~ 2.612.122
berries. The pack of green beans, wax beans, corn, peas, pumpkinins, squash, and blueberries in the year 1949 exceeded 2,330,000 cases. A variety of other products are produced in this area, mch as cranberry sauce and jelly, blueberry jelly, and pickles. %me dehydrated foods are also produced in varying amounts at ditlerent times. During World War I1 a large fraction of dehydrated potatma wa9 supplied to the armed forces from the stnte of Maine. It seem8 evident, then, that there has been developed in the New England a m a substantial, although diverse, industry based on crops from the soil. Furthermore, the writer believes that m c h and industrial development in these fields will result in considerable expansion of existing products and of new products. INDUSTRIAL W
C
H AND DEVELOPMENT8
It
appropriate to quote a statement from an article on “New England’s Pulp and Paper Industry” (S). and manufacturem are displaying awarenw of the ~ face. ~ They e yare drawingheavily on their financial reaourcea to provide the millions of dollars required to replace antiquated machinery and to im rove plant layouts. Of even more aigni6cancs, they are re-enyisting their imaginations and ingenuity and taking advantage of the opportunities presented c
h
~
2327
b{ ,chan@ng t+?a to strengthen t e a positions in the trade. They are making themelves known as murm of a IT vacety of distinctive and hi -specific.%tion pulpa, papers, and pa er hoards in order t o apply tfeii technical knowledge and .skill more advantageously. The following are some of the accomplishments made by the pulp and paper industry in thii area in recent yearn that tend to support this statement‘. The Paper Trade Jonmal(8) describes the exteasive improvement of produrtion facilities made by the 8. D. Warren Co., Cumberland Mills, Maine. Another pulp mill in Maine wm the first to develop and utilize ammonia-base sulfite pulping of wood as an improvement over calcium-base sulfite pulping. Other mills in the New England area have modified their processes to allow the utilization of large fractions of hard wood. Many of the mills have installed expensive equipment to permit better recovery of heat and to allow the production of high grade coated and specialty papers. Another mill has designed a PIOCESE, and expects to have it in operation in the near future, for the production of sulfur dioxide from pyrrhotite. The pr00ess is derigned for approximately goo0 tons of sulfur and will alleviate materially the critical shortage of sulfur. The ore is, of c o w , in close proximity to the mill. It is recognized that them, and other engineering accomplishments, are largely the reault of planned, long-range reeaarch. That such research is in progress, in substantial quantity, is heartening and bespeaks well for the future of industry in New England. LITERATURE CITED (1) Commissioner of Sea and Shore Fisheries. State of Maine,
Au-ta.
Maine. privste communication.
(2) Depsrtment of &s and Shore Fisheries. State of Maine. Augusta,
Maine. statistics.
(3) Federal Reserve Bmk ofBoston, JfoonWlv R o i m (August 1951). (4) Fish and Wildlife &rvim, U.8. Dept. Interior. “Canned Fish and By-Produeta.” C.F.S. 671 (1950).
Food Technologist. Unimnity of Maine, Omno, Maine. private communication. (6) P o w Trade J . , 134. No. 9. 20 (Feb. 29. 1952). (6)
Rec=rvro for review Maroh 31. 1952.
Accs~rA r ~u m t 28. 1952.
Timber Resources EDWIN L. GIDDJNGS PENOBSCOT CEEMCAC
N EW. .
England is a heavily forested region, despite widespread opuuon to the contrary. Seventy-seven per cent of her total area is covered by fore&, and those forests are growing a great deal of wable wood. In fact, they are growing as much wood as i~ being removed from them, except in a few special categories. There is an excw of uaable hardwoods. This excw is 80 great and the hardwoods are 80 ueahle that the National production Authority hae recently received applications for &ilicate of neceesity involvine new DUID facilitias in New England valued at Sll;OOO,000. %he new fhililies are expected to Mmsllme over aoO,000 c o d of hardwood per year, and there rillstill heplenty left. New England eontaina more than 31,000,000arrw of forested
W.. GR8XT WOPXS. MAINE
land (Table I), slightly over half of which, or 17,000,000 acres, is in the state of Maine. New Hampshire, Vermont, Maasaohusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island have lesser and leseer amounts. Leas than 1% of this total forest land is noncommemial, 80 that the great bulk of the land is available for the production of timber crops, provided they are cut properly. Each year there is less acreage availablefor heavy or destructive cutting. The many and varied forest stand6 of New England can he reduced .to four principal forest tm (Fiaure 1). The spruce 61 type that ia found i. the northpi portion aupplies moetof the wood for the extensive pulp and paper industry of New England. Sprure and fir predominate in this type, wilh the 61 rapidly u~ldng the commanding role. Mixed with these two speeies are varying
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
2528
There is a vast supply of timber available for industry in New England. Although shortages of individual species and varieties of timber exist in certain localities, there is for the region a n excess of growth over drain, particularly i n hardwoods. Applications have been made for oonstruction of additional pulp mill facilities which will utilize some of this excess. More intensive timberland management practices are becoming evident and the current rates of growth will no doubt be raised, particularly i n the areas where demand exceeds supply. More roads are needed and will be built t o open up the vast wilderness areas where timber cannot now be profitably logged. In addition to standing timber, there is a considerable volume of slabs, sawdust, and shavings not being utilized and for which uses may eventually be found.
4
4
4
amounts of hemlock, pine, and cedar, and the northern hardwoods, beech, birch, and maple It is because of the qualities of these woods, the productiveness of the forest lands in this type, and the abundance of water for manufacturing that there is ti concentration of pulp mills in northern New England. The white pine-hardwood type of central New England covers some 8,000,000 acres and supplies much of the pine pulpwood which is in increasing demand. However, sammills consume most of the timber grown on lands of this type. The stands found in this area are of white pine and red pine alone, and in mixtures of beech, birch, and maple.
SPR LICE-FIR WHITE PINE
Vol. 44, No. 11
the situation. The volume has probably changed ~.elativcl y little since then. At that time there were estimated to be 146,000,000 cords of softwoods and 175,000,000 cords of hardwoods standing in the forests. I n both the hardwood and the softwood categories the species in greatest volume are those of chief interest to the pulp and paper industry, spruce and fir in the softwoods, and beech, birch, and maple in the hardwoods. Of all the woodusing industries, the pulp and paper industry is by far tho rnoht interesting to the chemical industry.
Table I.
Forest Area of New England
Forest Area, 1000 Acres Land Area ConiNoncom1000 Acres' inercial mercial Total Maine 19,866 16,605 123 16,788 New Hampshire 5,773 4,722 78 4,800 Vermont 5,038 3,820 13 3,835 hIassachusetts 5,060 3,297 l? 3,310 Rhode Island 677 447 452 7 Connecticut 3,138 7 1,907 1,000 New England 40,451 30,851 241 3 m Source: "Wooden Dollars," Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. ~
I _
__
% ~~~~d Area Yorested 84 5 83 I 64.6 65.4 66 8 60 8 76 9
Table 11. Timber Volume in New England a t Beginning of 1945 (Nillion rough cords. I n trees 5 inches Softwoods Spruce a n d fir 83 W. a n d S o r w a y pine 34 Hemlock 22 Other 7 Total 146 Source: U. 6 . Forest Service.
diameter breast height a n d larger.) Hardwoods Beech. birch, a n d maple 12s Oak 19 Aspen I1 Ot.her ..y2 Total 175
i\ithtlram& from the timber supply (Table 111) are i o i i t i c annually by two major agencics. The first of these is the annual cut of vood for the appro\imatcly 2500 active primary woodusing plants in S e w England. The largest portion of the totai cut goes to the numerous savrmills \\-hich yaw both hard and ..oft nood and are located in all portions of the section. Only a hantlful of these sawmills could in any n a y be called large, and none of them rnompares with the size of the large southern and weston mills. The large consumers of wood pcr mill are the pulp mills (Table IV), and they draw on neaily all the species groan in New England for their supplies. Fortunately, most of the pulp vompanies are backed by large timberland holdings where su+ tained supplies of n-ood are available for the mills. They a180 Innchase appreciable quantitiw from farmers and land owner^
N O R T H H D W 'DS OAK P I N E ~
Figure 1 .
Table 111. Primary Forest Products Plants in New England (1947)
Types of Forests
The northern hardwood type, also located generally in central New England, covers some 6,000,000 acres and supplies wood for nearly all types of the many wood-using industries. Sawmills, veneer plants, and turning and novelty mills are the big users of the hardwoods found here The dominant species are beech, birch, and maple. Southern New England contains the oak-pine type with oak dominating the stands. No major forest industries have developed near these stands, but numerous small enterprises use the wood from these forests. The timber volume of Kew England (Table 11) was last estimated properly in 1945, when the IT. 8.Forest Service reappraised
Source: U . 8. Forest Service.
Table IV. Pulp Mills in New England (1951) State No. of Plents hfaine 8 New Hampshire I 3 Vermont Connecticut I Rhode Island 1 Massachusetts 2 Total 45 Source: Lockwoods Directory, 1951.
S o , of Firms 16
4 3
1
1 2 -
27
No. of TOM lib 2I) 5 3
1 I
2 32
N0nmb.r 1952
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
The second major agency drawing wood steadily from New
6m,h t a , and k e . Fire is the most speotao~lar,but the damage done by insects and k e is by far the most extensive (Table V). Although there are variation6 from year to year, it is .stimated that on the average h t a and disease are twenty The U. 8. Forest Service estimated timen M deatructive 1y1&e. that all three combined agencies annually remove 450,000 cords ofsoftwood and I,saO,ooO cords of hardwood. In years of severe insect infestations the losses run much high- than the average.
Tab1o "'
Commrdd
-
rowh cords) Boftmodi Errdaood. 4250 3a5a
(Tho-nd
.&
Timber out Timber n m o d by &trap tin agentiea-h inIOEt.. (&. for
450 47w
Io-Yar pniod) Gourca:
in
Nmw England
12'54 16w
Totd 7M)o
1700 9200
U. 8. Fonst &vim
Table VI. DMin os. Q m w t h
Boftaooda
€ludrood. TOtd
4700
45w 92w
5.050
6.100 11.1110
350
IBW 1950
A comparison of the drain of all agencies with the estimated growth in our timberlands (Table V I ) made by the U. S. Foreat Service indicates a small surplus of softwood and an appreciable surplus of hardwood The figures taken simply ere a little hard to believe, for the age-old complaint of the loggers is that it is harder and harder to h d logs each year. There are shortages of timber of certain kinds and eapeoially in certain localities. For example, the cut of pine enw loge in central New England probably exceeds the p w t h rate considerably, wherees in
2529
northern Maine white pine trees overmaturity. Pulpwood is invariably overcut in the immediate vicinity of the pulp mills, while thousands of cords elsewhere rot for lack of a market. Thus the apparent mrplus is located in generally less acceeaihle areas. The key to the utiiiaation of most of these s u r p l ~w d lies in the construction of made which will permit logging crews and equip merit to bring out the wood and in the aolution of the serious woods labor shortage problem which plagues the industria. The growth rate of timber is a very complex matter, and m y of the technical ddails of contmllbg it are still unknown to foresters. However, existing knowledge is sufficient to increaae current growth rata substantially through the application of already proved techniques. The pest few years have produced a very marked increase in the adoption of better management prcgrams. Improved marketa for timber have made more intensive forest management attractive, and the growth rate will no doubt rise witb this wactice. The two goals of better management ere better qualitiand more rapid gro&. Twice as much and higher quality timber can and will be grown by the foresten in New England whenever markets are su5icientlyattractive. Over and above the growing timber marked for industry, there is a considerable supply of so-called waste material which develops in the manufacture of wood produots. Most of this wsste material is used for fuel in the plants, hut there is an unused excem estimated as 25,000,000 cubic feet annually. The material is principally in the form of slabs, edgings, sawdust, and shavings which accumulate or are burned as traeh at sawmills. A few plants are making wood flour from some of this material, but many potential users h d it unacceptable because of the preg ence of the hark. The current development of a process for chemical debarking of trees during the logging will gradually eliminate this objection and wider uses will be found for this m&88 of raw material. Such trends are already evident.
w
RICF%VSD for review Maroh 31. 1952.
A c c a ~ r a oJuly 3. 1952.
Mineral Resources JOSEPH M. TREF'ET" LlNNEESITY Or aUmq ORONO. MAINE
N
EW England is as complex geologically as it is industrially and ethnologically. The rocks that comprise the area are of all types, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic, and the div d t y of minerals corresponds. Throughout most of the region a cover of glacial debris mantlen the surface. Broadly, New England is a region of worndown mountains, a continuation of the Appalachian Piedmont. It owes much of ita grandeur and charm of landscape to the complexity of ita framework. However, rich es the region is geologically, and diverse as 8re ita minerals, economic concentrations of minerals are spllr~eand limited. This poverty of mineral rwurces is reflected percentagecollectively the New England state produce lese than 0.5% of the United States total of mineral raw material. With 6% of the United S t a t e population, New England accounta for 11% of the total value of manufactured goods in this country. The relatively d l portion of the mineral production, c o r n puently, cannot be ascribed to an indolent or lethargic population. Nevertheleas, there are Borne basic mineral r w u r w in the re-
gion present in large supply. Some of these are currently drawn upon; and Bome are potential, waiting exploitation. It is convenient in diacusaing mineral resollrces to eepnrate metallica from nonmetallies. The hulk of New England production is from the nonmetallic group. These nonmetallies include gravel end aand, crushed stone, dimension stone, slate. feldspar, cement rock, apstone, structural clays, graphite, mica, asbestos, talc, and a few other minor commodities.
N0NI"ALS Sand and Gravel. Reliable ststisties on the production of sand and gravel are nonexistent, because of the widenpread distribution of these remuroes and the resultant pmductiou from a multitude of large and emall operations. Most of the sand and gravel, used for construction purposes, is obtained from looslired but widespread de@@ of glacial outwash, especially in Connecticut, Maasaohusetts, and Maine. Vermont and New Hampahire h v e
