<P> As old - growth forest disappeared rapidly, the United States' timber resources ceased to appear limitless . Canadian lumberman James Little remarked in 1876 that the rate at which the Great Lakes forests were being logged was "not only burning the candle at both ends, but cutting it in two, and setting the match to the four ends to enable them to double the process of exhaustion ." </P> <P> To deal with the increasingly limited availability of timber resources, the Division of Forestry was established in 1885, and in 1891 the Forest Reserve Act passed, setting aside large tracts of forest as federal land . Loggers were forced to make already cut lands productive again, and the reforesting of timberlands became integral to the industry . Some loggers pushed further northwest to Alaskan forests, but by the 1960s most of the remaining uncut forest became protected . </P> <P> The portable chain saw and other technological developments helped drive more efficient logging, but the proliferation of other building materials in the twentieth century saw the end of the rapidly rising demand of the previous century . In 1950, the United States produced 38 billion board feet of lumber, and that number remained fairly constant throughout the decades moving forward, with the national production at 32.9 billion board feet in 1960 and 34.7 billion board feet in 1970 . </P> <P> Presently there is a healthy lumber economy in the United States, directly employing about 500,000 people in three industries: Logging, Sawmill, and Panel . Annual production in the U.S. is more than 30 billion board feet making the U.S. the largest producer and consumer of lumber . Despite advances in technology and safety awareness, the lumber industry remains one of the most hazardous industries in the world . </P>

Where is the most lumber produced in the us