The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-10-30
The Lumber Supply.

For years it has been predlcteu that IN
quarter of a century the lumber supply of
the country and particularly OF Maine, will
be entirely exhausted. Although the public
realizes the fact that the better qualities of
lumber are almost unknown in our State and
the commouer varieties are only to be found
in the more remote parts, along small streams
or at long distances from rivers upon which it
can be foated, there is general feeling that
the fears and predictions respecting the ex
haustion of the timber supply, to say the
least, are not well grounded. Mr.. James
Little of Montreal, the Oldest lumberman in
Canada, and we fear if his predictions are
true the greatest destroyer of forests, has
prepared paper which was read to the Ma
tional Board of Trade last week. in which he
makes the startling statement that at the
present rate of consumption, lumber in the
United States will be exhausted in ten or
twelve years at most. Mr.. Little does not
appear to be making random assertions, for
he details with great minuteness, the present
rate of consumption in each lumber produc.
ing district al the probable number of years
they are likely to stand the drain put upon
them.
The total annual consumption of lum-
Der in the United States, at the present time,
is put at about ten thousand million feet.
The vastness of this annual lumber pile may
be better conveyed to the mind by putting it
in numerals-10,0 00, 100000 feet-or suffic-
lent in amount to plank a road once and a
hall times around the globe. The chief
sources of supply are Maine, Canada. Penn
sylvania, Northern New York, Michigan,
Wisconsin and Minnesota Maine, M. Lit
Tie computes, furnishes seven hundred mill
ion feet annually. At this rate of consump-
tion, he concludes that the ''Pine Tree State"
will not only be without that kind of timber,
but will also be completely stripped of all the
lumber it has worth bringing to market in
less than ten years. Other authorities say
that five years will suffice to put Maine out
of the list of lumber-producing States. The
Canadian product amounts annually to about
thousand million feet, or one-tenth of what
is required for the United States; and Mr..
Little estimates that if Canada was called
upon to furnish the whole supply for this
country, every stick of pine east of the Rocky
mountains would be exhausted in three years.
Pennsylvania furnishes annually five hundred
millions; and at that rate five years will ex-
haust the lumber of that State. Northern
New York furnishes three hundred millions,
but the reservation of the numbering coun-
try for State park and water reservoir, will
cut of that source of supply. Michigan pro-
duced this year two thousand million feet;
and at this rate, it will take but ten years to
exhaust the pine forests of that State. TAX
ing into account the increase of population,
it is predicted that Wisconsin and Minnesota
will be stripped CT their wealth of lumber
ng during the next decade.
If Mr.. Titles staten ents are correct, and
it must be admitted that in connection with
the topic, there is an unpleasant air of GER
tainty in his figures, the present generation
will have to find a substitute for wood or else
take timely, precautions to prevent the de-
struction of forests at the present rate. In
Maine we have hardly rid ourselves of the
idea that forests are the natural prey of man
if not the foe to civilization. In the newer
sections of the State we still find sturdy men
making war upon the forests Every year
timber lands are wasted quite as much by
mans carelessness as his rapacity las thousands
of acres are burned over every year and rem
dered valueless by fires carelessly set by these
who prowl about the woods. 1t mast be evil
dent to all that new policy should be adopted.
Forests must be protected aud the cultiva-
ton of forest trees encouraged by State and
National legislation, not only to provide for
future supply of useful lumber but to prevent
populous and fourishing districts from be-
coming barren deserts and bowling wilder
nesses.