The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-07-19

the Worlds Supply VIII Give out.
The June number of The Forester
contains the account of a recent adj
dress by Dr. w. Sclich, the well-known
forest expert before the London So
ciety of Arts, in which he predicts, a
positive timber famine in the near flu
ture. unless systematic measures for
increasing the worlds supply be speed
lily adopted. The use of wood is stead
lly increasing, despite its displacement
by coal as fuel, and by steel for build
ing purposes. The per capita consump-
tlon in the four principal countries of
Europe has increased to fourteen cubic
feet year, and win soon reach twenty
feet. a steady rise in prices shows
that the worlds supply is diminishing.
The scandinavian peninsula and Rus
STA are the principal exporters of tim
Der in Europe and the limit of produc-
ton in the former has already been
reached. The decrease i'm supplies is
largely of coniferous woods, which are
most in demand. The danger of a de-
hctent supply Of wood of this character
is not for the future, but is already at
hand.
The state of Washington is rapidly
becoming one of the foremost centers
in the production of timber from conf
ferrous woods. With the rapid exhaus-
ton of forests elsewhere, not only in
Europe, but in the United States. it
will be called upon to make good more
and more of the deficiency i'm lumber
If ordinary commercial prudence be OBJ
served, 1t Will be possible to obtain
steadily advancing prices for our out
put, as the area of production narrows
while the demand for consumption in
creases. 1t is already question
whether it would not be a better com
mercial proposition to await the in
evitable demand, with the inevitable
advance in prices, which seems to be
coming in the near future, rather than
to force the opening of new markets.
which afford "A bare margin of profit
while tending to exhaust the present
supply of standing timber.
For example. in the GrayS harbor re-
gion, the logging business has expand
ed more rapidly than milling. An over
supply of logs is reported, with fall
ing market, leaving a bare margin for
the Oggers In some instances the
price is so low that logging operations
have been conducted at an actual loss.
Yet. according to the opinion of forest
experts, there is prospect for a heavy
advance in the price of all coniferous
timber in the near future. Judgin" by
past experience in the older timber re-
giOns of the United States, the time
is not far distant when timber will be
worth more in the tree than it is now
selling for in the log, delivered at the
mill The moral would seem to be that
owners of timber land should hold their
product, and not force it uDon an over
loaded market as is being done in the
Grays harbor region. True economy
would encourage the conservation of
our timber supply for the ultimate
large profit which the future will have
in store, rather than to exhaust our
forests for the purpose of obtaining
bare margin of present gain.
On the other side of the forest ques-
ton, the restoration of deforested lands.
the state of Washington is exception
ally well situated for the exercise Of
practical forestry. Save where con-
stantly recurring forest fires keep down
the young growth, there is a constant
tendency for logged-over lands to re-
forest themselves. Lands which have
been completely cleared of forest
growth and which have been thorough
ly burned over in limited areas, de-
stroying all of the down stuff, rapidly
spring up into new forest growth, a
phenomenon particularly noticeable in
the vicinity of our large towns and
cities. The growth of the Douglas fir
is fairly rapid. There are in many
places on Puget sound today thick
growths of young frs, suitable for pile
timber now, on lands which We're COM
pletely deforested by logging and fires
in pioneer days 1t must likewise be
remembered that what is reckOned as
pile timber on Puget sound would pass
as fair saw logs in some timber re-
gions of the country.
Generally speaking, if certain neces-
sary precautions were enforced for the
protection of young timber. self-seeded,
the new growth of forest timber in the
region surrounding Puget sound could
be kept fairly abreast of the destruc-
ton of forest growth by logging oper-
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