The Logging Industry Adjusts to New Standardization
Loggers and millmen debate the shift toward standardized 16-foot log lengths to meet Eastern market demands.
T.R. Fleming of the Fleming-Averat Company at Ballard discussed the challenges of adapting local cedar siding production to the standard 16-foot lengths favored by Eastern architects and carpenters. He noted that historically, loggers cut timber in varying lengths, which complicated milling. W.S. Jamleson, a veteran logger of Port Gamble, explained that current practices were dictated by the physical infrastructure of skid roads—loggers traditionally used 24-foot lengths to accommodate the nine-foot spacing between skids. He noted that while cutting logs into shorter, 16-foot sections before hauling would be difficult without adding more skids, it might actually improve scaling metrics for the logger.
“The trade has now got accustomed to the sixteen-foot lengths, and it is a hard thing to buck against established custom in matters of trade.”
This tension between regional traditional practice and the demands of national, standardized markets is a recurring theme in the Pacific Northwest's history. It mirrors contemporary struggles where local industries must balance unique, historical methods against the demands of globalized, high-efficiency supply chains.
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