Magne Hagen

The states of Oregon and Washington form the backdrop for one of the most interesting dramas of the First World War. When the U.S. entered the War, it was quickly discovered that the nation had no capacity to build warplanes in quantity. Even though the U.S. had invented the airplane, by 1917 the European powers had already spent years developing it for warfare, and deploying it in deadly combat. Those nations were trying to produce enough machines to keep the skies occupied over the front lines in France. The lumber industry in the Pacific Northwest of the United States was supplying the Allies with spruce timber, vital to the construction of wing spars and other parts. As 1917 continued into 1918, the logging industry lost many men to the draft, and labor strife increased. These labor shortages caused the flow of aircraft spruce to nearly dry up.
The Army formed the Spruce Production Division (SPD) to increase the flow of airplane wood, by providing men to work in the forests and mills. Eventually, the use of Army men and equipment helped to greatly increase the production of spruce, fir, and cedar (all being used for airplane and ship production). A large contingent of Army men worked side-by-side with civilians in the forests and mills. (They were paid the same wages as the civilians, minus their Army pay.)
In addition, Army men built and worked in a special wood production plant at Vancouver Barracks. This "cut-up" plant provided wood ready for the airplane manufacturers, since most mills in the Pacific Northwest were not equipped to meet airplane specifications.
Finally, many Army men in the field built roads and railroads to reach the spruce stands along the Pacific coast. They even operated the railroads, and drove the log transport trucks. In the past, commercial loggers had paid little attention to these trees, and the stands were not accessible to existing roads.⁶