Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-06-08
OUR FORESTS DISAPPEARING.

b. e. Fernow, chief of the forestry
division of the agricultural department
at Washington, has written an interest
ing letter to Secretary Morton Oh the
SUBJECT of forest growth and timber
consumption. in which lie takes direct
issue with Henry G. Uanuett, the chill
geographer IF the geological survey,
who in Il recent article said th?t the tim
Der growth in the United States is re-
newing itself much faster than it is
being consumed Mr.. FernOw says
"Brielly, regarding the status of our
timber supply Mr.. Gannett says that the
wooded area of the United States covers
approximately l,1l3,0G0 square miles
(7l2,320, 600 acres); that each acre pro-
duces annually 10 cubic feet of wood
that we consume annually between
twenty billion and twenty-four billion
cubic feet of wood accepting the esti-
mated made by the forestry division);
that, therefore, no shortage is to be
feared, but that an Over-productiOn Of
from six billion to ten billion cubic feet
of wood takes place on this area. With
more knowledge than MI. Garrett in
these matters | venture to say that his
figures exceed at least ten times he
actually. How he arrived at his eX-
travagant figures | am at Il loss to UNI
derstand. Since the question Of wood
growth per acre per year is of considera
bic general interest, ! will explain the
condition more fully, and cite statistics
of more than usual reliability, which are
fortunately available to me.
I'm the Well-managed forests of PruS-
81, 4
stocked on poor land, the average total
production of wood per acre for Il long
series of wears has not been more than
q cubic feet, but tins includes branch
wood, brush, and roots. which are not
used in our country. OF tins only II
per cent or hardly three cubic feet,
represents material fit for the industrial
uses, and we should add that in the
United States fireWOOd is also made from
such material.
"In the government forests of Prus-
sia (some 100000 acres, exemplary iii
their management, the production
reaches nearly sixty cubic feet. The
highest wood production in German
forests is reported from Baden (OnlY
4,330.0O0 acres of foresD, with some
what over fifty cubic feet Of wood per
acre per year. Assuming also a larger
per cent of sizcable timber, namely, 20
per cent. We would find the annual pro-
ducton per acre of such material a. we
are in the habit Of using at tie rate Of
10 cubic feet per acre. Competent writ
ers on the subject, no believe that the
government reports understated the an
nual growth, have calculated the same
to be as high as 30 cubic feet per acre
(see report of forestry division, 1856.
page lS4), of which they assume - peI
cent to represent wood over 3 inches in
diameter. Even this larger figure would
bring the product of sizeable wood to
less than 10 cubic feet per year. And
repeat, what is we'll known, that IN
the United States we hardly use the
smaller sizes even for tirev God.
$40 come now TO the more familiar
measurements, we can figure out the
possibilities or probabilities in the fol.
lowing manner. leaning toward eXtrava
gance rather than conservatism ADV
lumberman acquainted with the vaIiou,
forest regions of the United States vii
admit that, leaving out the eXceptiona
conditions on the Pacific coast, cut OF
10000 feet (board measure) per acre
from our virgin forests would be an alb
surdly large average estimate.
"Ihis would represent. with excellent
PliN'lNN III liV VI wv wa
terial, say 2000 cubic feet of round
, forest grown timber; and since the
trees cut to yield such material are al
least $50 years old-they are in reality
mostly over 200 years-the annual pro
ductiOn would appear under such con
diions as fourteen cubic feet per acre
per annum, or about as much as the
: most advantageous results reported
from well-managed German forests.
Apply this most eXtTavagant figure Il
the area as given 10y Mr.. Gannett anC
we find that our consumption at present
is from 100000, 000 to 1900, COCOON
cubic feet in excess of what the area
: could possibly produce as ali annua
crop, or that we are cutting into Oul
capital to the extent of more than II
per cent of our consumption, and NOT. as
Mr.. Gannett would have it, that We are
: layil & up for the future, which, by the
way, Increases the demands for raw
! material at the rate of more than 81 pei
cent every decade