Archives West Finding Aid

During World War I, the Pacific Northwest was the primary supplier of wood for the war production of airplanes and ships in both the United States and the Allied nations of Italy, France and Great Britain. Even before the United States entered the war in April 1917, the Allies' need for lumber was so high that it surpassed the capacity of already established lumber mills. At the time, northwest lumber mills were producing two million board feet monthly and Allies were requesting five times that amount. Lumber industry strikes in 1917 further complicated issues of supply since there were no workers available to log the land. To offset the loss of labor from the strikes, the United States government created the Spruce Production Division to ensure a steady lumber supply and increase the overall production capacity of the region. The division was part of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, led by Brice P. Disque, and headquartered in Portland with the main operations center in Vancouver, Washington. Almost 29,000 soldiers were recruited to build roads, lay track, cut wood, fight forest fires, and protect sawmills from sabotage. During its 15 months in operation, the Spruce Production Division produced 143 million board feet of lumber, nearly five times the monthly quota completed by the lumber industry at the start of the war. In addition, they constructed approximately 60 temporary military camps, dozens of roads and bridges, and 13 railroads with some 130 miles of track. The infrastructure created by the Spruce Division enabled the Pacific Northwest to become a dominant force in lumber production after the war's conclusion.