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Show Lumber Industry Very Prosperous The timber sale business during 1D23 on the National Forests of the Intcrmounlain district was extremely satisfactory says District Forester, K. II. Kutledge of the U. S. Forest Service. Sales totaling 181,650 thousand thou-sand board feet were made during the year. This was the largest amount of timber ever sold in one year since the organization of tho Forest Service, with the exception of 1920, when the amount slightly exceeded ex-ceeded two hundred million board feet. While the large amount sold in 1920 was due to a single exceptionally excep-tionally large sale in western Wyoming, Wyo-ming, the amount sold this year indicates in-dicates a more normal growth in the lumber industry in this region as the sales are not greatly concentrated in any one place. The widespread development is indicated by the number num-ber of different forests making exceptionally ex-ceptionally large sales. The Targhee National Forest with headquarters at St. Anthony, Idaho, is the leading forest with sales of approximately 66 million board feet. The Payette National Na-tional Forest with headquarters at Emmett, Idaho, sold 48 million. The Boise National Forest with headquarters head-quarters at Boise, Idaho, sold 30 million mil-lion and the Idaho National Forest with headquarters at McCall, Idaho, 11 million feet. The rest of the Forests For-ests show less remarkable sales for the year, although on none of them could the timber sale business be classed as poor. These sales, some of which will run ten years before the last of the timber is cut, will bring into the Government a revenue of about $454,000. Of this amount 25 per cent will go to the County in which the sales are made according accord-ing to law in lieu of axes on National Nation-al Forest Lands in these counties. Approximately 40 million feet of timber were cut this year. This is not record breaking, as is has been exceeded three times during the last fifteen years. Nevertheless, it is considerably above the average. The lumber industry is looking forward to a period of expansion in this region, re-gion, and it is to be expected that this amount will be increased to a very marked degree in the next few years. A number of timber sales are now being negotiated and it is believed be-lieved that 1924 wil show no slump in the National Forest timber sale business in the region. |