| Administrative History | During WWI, the supply of overseas timber to Britain was disrupted and imports fell from 6 1/2 million tons in 1916 to 2 1/2 million tons in 1918. A Home-Grown Timber Committee was appointed by the Board of Agriculture in 1915, with authority to organise timber supplies and establish its own sawmills. This body proved ineffective and was replaced in 1917 by a Directorate of Timber Supplies, which was quickly reconstituted as the Timber Supply Department of the Board of Trade. This operated until the end of the war and had control over timber stocks, production and importation, and instituted a system of rationing and maximum prices. |