Lumbering in Arizona

The Southwest Lumber Mills at McNary

The largest lumber company operating in Arizona is the Southwest Lumber Mills, Inc., at McNary. Incorporated in November, 1935, this organization is an important producer of Ponderosa Pine products, and has an annual production of fifty to sixty million feet, producing a wide variety of grades. During the 15 years of its operation, the company has expended an average of one million dollars a year in wages, salaries, supplies, stumpage payment and taxes. Products of the company are marketed in 25 states By Raymond Carlson, Editor, Arizona Highways Pictorial Study by Max Kegley LUMBERING is an important industry in Arizona, providing a livelihood for several thousand people at Flagstaff, Williams, McNary and in other places throughout the mountain ranges of the state. That there are trees in Arizona may be a surprise to many people. That there are forests of sufficient extent to nourish a large lumber industry may be even a greater surprise. As a tribute to the lumber industry in Arizona as a whole, and as a tribute to our largest mills, the Southwest Lumber Mills at McNary and Flagstaff, ARIZONA HIGHWAYS concerns itself now with a pictorial essay on lumbering in this state.

The total estimated stand of timber in Arizona, in board feet, is about twenty billion feet, of which from eighty-five to ninety per cent consists of Ponderosa Pine, the balance being Douglas Fir (sometimes called Oregon Pine) White Fir, Spruce, and other species.

Arizona contains about 3,500,000 acres of timber land, of which about 2,330,000 acres are in the national forests of Arizona, and about 1,215,000 acres in the Indian reservations.

Arizona's chief marketable forest product, then, is Ponderosa Pine. In its production, the state ranks sixth among the states in this type of standing pine.

Mr. Warren is vice-president in charge of mill-operations at the McNary plant. His mission: to see that the ponderosa pine is translated cheaply into fine lumber, moulding, lath, Venetian blind products.

The president of the Southwest Lumber Mills, Inc., is James G. McNary, one of the leading lumbermen of the United States, after whom the town of McNary was named. Mr. McNary is president of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association. This distinguished Arizonan has been an active influence for the betterment of the industry.

Ponderosa Pine

Arizona ranks sixth among the states in standing Ponderosa Pine. The total estimated stand of timber in Arizona, in board feet, is about twenty billion feet, of which eighty-five to ninety per cent consists of Ponderosa Pine, the balance be-Douglas Fir, White Fir, Spruce and other species. The principal Ponderosa Pine Forest in Arizona is about fifty miles wide and approximately two hundred miles in length. Ponderosa Pine grows at high altitudes, is of slow growth and soft in texture.

The Ponderosa Pine forests of Arizona are found at altitudes from 6000 feet and up. Ponderosa, usually soft in texture, grows slowly and in this is contrasted with the Long Leaf Yellow Pine, which grows at very low altitudes. The principal Ponderosa Pine Forest in Arizona is about 50 miles wide and approximately 200 miles in length, extending from north of Flagstaff in a southerly direction in the counties of Coconino and Apache, then easterly to the New Mexico border. Commercially, Ponderosa Pine is a superior product. Soft textured pines have been long valued by the American building trades. Since colonial days, this pine has been built into American homes. Indians in Arizona used this pine centuries ago. Its durability is attested to by the fact that beams taken from old Walpi, built in the 14th century, are sound and strong. The Franciscan Fathers used Ponderosa Pine in San Xavier Mission, built nearly two centuries ago. This pine has stood the most trying test of all wood time. Ponderosa is a "three needle" pine, classified as a member of the great yellow pine family. It is soft-textured, adaptable for smooth dressing, good nailing and good gluing uses. Its light and uniform grain permits easy working. It is light in weight and free from undue shrinkage and swelling under atmospheric conditions. Ponderosa pine is of Logging is possibly the most interesting department in a lumber operation. Here are "flatheads" felling a tree. Every tree cut is first individually selected by trained U. S. Foresters.

The operations of the Southwest Lumber Mills exemplify the very high degree of conservation and utilization of Arizona's forest resources. The Government agencies with private industry have developed a "sustained yield" policy, which simply means the lumber crop is harvested to assure a perpetual operation. There is no sign of old-fashioned cut-over timber land. Shows here is a view of a part of the forest which has been cut. Wastage is carefully piled up and burned during periods of heavy snows. Under wise lumbering, our forests will never be depleted.

From Forest to Mill

The Southwest Lumber Mills uses trucks mainly to transport logs to the mill. At present the company maintains logging operations over about forty miles of its own logging highways with side roads. Finest engineering skill goes into the construction of these highways to render the mighty truck most effective and economical. During heavy snows of winter, logging off the side roads comes to a standstill, but snow equipment keeps the main roads open. The company owns and operates about seventy-five miles of main line common carrier railroad, called the Apache Railway, connecting the town of McNary with the main line of the Santa Fe at Holbrook.

quired the plant and properties of the Flagstaff Lumber Company. During the intervening fifteen years, this company, through its operations, has expended, on the average, about $1,000,000 a year in wages, salaries, purchase of supplies, stumpage payments to the government and taxes to the state, counties and Federal government.

The Southwest Lumber Mills, through the operation of its plant at McNary, gives regular employment to approximately one thousand people. When its Flagstaff plant is operating, this number is increased by about two hundred and fifty men.

The annual production of the Southwestwest Lumber Mills, McNary, is from 50,000,000 feet to 60,000,000 feet, and the Flagstaff plant, when operating at full capacity, has an annual production of from 20,000,000 feet to 25,000,000 feet. It produces a wide variety of grades: from box lumber and No. 4 common up to the finest quality of C and D select. Its lower grades are manufactured into box shook and used for various industrial purposes. Its middle grades, such as common boards and dimension, like 2x4's, are distributed through the retail lumber dealers for general building purposes. Its higher grades, such as factory lumber and selects, are sold to manufacturers of sash and doors, and for all sorts of fine interior trim.

The mills of the Southwest Lumber corporation draw their supply of timber partly from the Indian forest and partly from the National forests. Payments for stumpage from the Indian forests go into the special fund of the Apache Indian reservation, from which appropriations are made by act of congress, for tribal uses. Payments for National forest timber are made to the Regional (Turn to Page 30) From the mill pond, logs are floated to the log slip where they are pulled by bull chain to the log deck. In a very few minutes, this particular log will be through the mill, bound for the manufacturing plant. Should the operation be required, a growing tree can be cut and put through the mill process in a few hours.

When delivered to the mill, the logs are dumped into the mill pond for easy handling. A huge truck, rolling in from the woods, is spotted and in a wink of the eye a crane dumps the logs into the water. Here the pond worker, tripping about with the ease of the average person in his own home, directs the logs to the log slip. The whole process is timed to perfection, no delay, no wasteful hurry. Two minutes of delay in any part of the milling process is felt throughout the process.