Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1901-12-26
THE LUMBER SUPPLY.
There Is Plenty Of 1t Left in onr
Pine Forests.
Although Exports and Consumption
Have Deen Increasing Year After
Year There In No Present
Prospect of Exhaustion.


THE Lumber Trade Of the United
States" is the title Of monograph just
issued by the treasury bureau Of sta
tistics, Washington. The lumber in
dustry and trade, it finds, has within
quite recent years changed from a
small scale Of production to one in
which machinery, a arge outlay Of
capital and far-sighted policy Of de-
velopmeDt Of properties are booming
controlling factors. This charge .a due
partly 10 the growth Of dom t.c de-
mand and partly 10 the fear Of prema-
turely exhausting our timber re-
sources.
The existence Of surplus capital look
ing for new fields Of investment has had
tendency to~eliminate the small scale
lumberinen and the policy Of European
states in riridly limiting the annual
cut OF lumber TO something BIKE the
rate Of Increase IN the growth Of for
est, has forced European lumber con.
suming interests TO come 10 the Onileo
States and Canada. especially for hard
woods and lumber for building pur-
poses. As a result the foreign lumber
trade OF the United States has grown
enormously. Within quite recent years
IL has developed froma local TO world
wide commercial movement.
In the foreign trade the Atlantic
ports, the gulf ports and those on the
northern Pacific coast have shared
most liberaIy. More lumber is now be-
ing shipped from these ports and from
the country as a whole than atauy pre-
vious time In the history Of The country.
The total exports Of timber lumber
and manufactured wood for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1900, amounted 70
$50, ,591 .eOs. showing balance Of almost
exactly 0OOGOOJ Of exports OF this
class over imports ABOUT half Of these
imports came from Canada, consisting
mainly Of plauks. boards, logs and
shingles. Another principal feature in
our timber imports Is The tropical tim
Der. including Cuban mahogany and
cedar and mahogany from Central and
South America and Africa.
The wooded area Of the United States,
according to the United States geolog
ical survey, is 1904, ,4o6 square miles, or
81 per cent OF the land area. From this
standing supply OF timber 1t is esti-
mated that from 100000, ,000,0 600 10
2 900. 900 ono, 600 of board measure feet
OF lumber are available. The annua,
lumber cut has been estimated for the
year 1890 at 10000 100000 OF board
measure feet; that is, we cut approxi-
mately two per cent, Of our national
timber resources annually, or this cut
$4,000, 900 are credited to the lake
region, 10000 100000 to the southern
states, 5000, 100000 to the northwest
and north Atlantic states, 5,000,000O00
to the central states, 1000 900. .0o0 to the
Pacific states and 1000 100000 70 the
mountain states, according TO the New
Orleans Lumber TrWie Journal. These
figures are, however, only an approx
nation on the part OF those familiar
with the industry as whole, yet they
indicate that our timber supply is not
disappearing at an alarming rate, pro-
vided the destructive waste OF forest
fires can be prevented
The timbered territory Of the coun-
try covers hsa different sections, from
which commercial distribution is
made. Beginning with New England,
the output Of Maine ls still the leading
feature OF this section, and the middle
states, from the Adronduclts and
northwestern Pennsylvania, still sup
ply a considerable market OF more or
less local character. The greatest
areas OF standing timber are found in
the southern states, where the long
leaf and the short leaf pine and the
cypress are the leading features. In
the lake region OF the northwest, in
cluding Michigan, Wisconsin aud Min
nesota. We have the largest output,
where the white pine and hemloclt are
the leading features The Pacific coast
section includes the pine and ir for
ests of Washington and Oregon and the
red wood Of California as the leading
kinds OF timber. The Rocky mountain
states are as yet OF subordinate com
mercial Importance compared with the
southern, northwestern and paci.lc
states,
A comparison Of southern exports Of
timber, lumber and manufactures
thereof with the total from the United
States shows that southern ports fur
vf-h le mop ptDt ~ cha euv..I aim, hrr