As decades passed, it emerged that the 'endless' supply of strong native timber was running out. The choice to replant forests in fast-growing pine was there, but in the middle of the 20th century the ability to treat this new soft wood for outdoor building was not available. Raetihi felt the loss of the timber industry more as each year passed. Farming was an option for some but it would never be as high an employer as the forests once provided.