The Meeker herald., 1901-06-29
THE LUMBER SUPPLY.
There Is Plenty Of It Left in 0nr
Pine Forests.
Although Exports anA Cesssnptisa
Have Been Iacreasins Year After
Year There 10 No Present
Prospect of Exhaastton.


States" is the title OF Q 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
small scale of production to one in
which machinery, large outlay OF
capital and far-sighted policy of de-
velopmen mt of properties are becoming
controlling factors. This changeis due
partly to the growth OF domestic de-
mand and partly to the fear OF Prema-
turely exhausting our timber re-
sources.
The existence OF surplus capital look
ing for new fields of investment has had
q tendency to eliminate the small scale
lumbermen and the policy of European
states in rigidly limiting the annual
cut of lumber to something like the
rate of increase in the growth of for
est, has forced European lumber con-
suming interests to come to the United
States and Canada, especially for hard
woods and lumber for building pur-
poses. As result the foreign lumber
trade of the United States has grown
enormously. Within quite recent years
it has developed from 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 hberauy. More humber is now be-
ing shipped from these ports and from
the country as whole than at any 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 to
S50, sol ,gOs, showing balance OF almost
exactly $30.000,0 900 of exports OF this
class over imports. About half OF these
imports came from Canada, consisting
mainly of planks, 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, 4ss square miles, or
81 per cent. of the land area. From this
standing supply of timber It IL esti-
mated that from 1880, 000, ooo,000 to
1900. 900 600, 900 of board measure feet
of lumber are available. The annual
lumber cut has been estimated for the
year 1899 at 10000. 900 900 Of board
measure feet; that Il. we cut approxi-
mAtely two per cent. Of our national
timber resources aunuaiiy. OF this cut
$4,000, 900 900 are credited to the lake
rerion, 10000, 0oo, 600 70 the southern
states, 5000. 100000 to the northwest
and north Atlantic states. 5000, o0o, 900
to the central states, 4, o00, 900, 900 to the
Pacific states and 1000. 100000 to the
mountain states, according to the New
OrleanA Lumber Trade Journal. These
figures are. however, only an approd-
nation on the part Of those familiar
with the industry as a 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 five different sections, from
which commercial distribution 10
made. Beginning with New England.
the output Of Maize is still the Leading
feature of this section. and the middle
states, from the Adirondacks and
northwestern PennsylvaniA, still sup
ply a considerable market Of more or
less local character. The greatest
areas OF standing timber are foundin
the southern states. where the long
leaf and the short .eaf pine and the
cypress are the leading features. In
the lake region of the northwest, in
GLIDING Michigan. Wisconsin and Min
nesota, we have the largest output,
where the white pine and hemlock are
the leading features. The Pacific coast
section includes the pine and Ar 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 Pacific
states. 4.a
A comparison Of southern exports Of
timber, lumber and manufactures
thereof with the total from the United
States shows that southern ports fur
nish SO per cent. Of the sawed timber
exported, 81 per cent of the hewn
timber, "a per cent. of the logs, etc, So
per cent. Of the boards, deals and
planks, n per cent. Of the joints and
scantlings, 81 per cent. of the slaves, IS
per cent of all other lumber and 10 per
cent. of the manufactured lumber
remarkable exhibit of the progress
which southern lumber products have
made In our foreign trade. \
Is
ne CAfssea Workers Story.
~It'sclos quarters in those little cais-
sons, you see," went on the old Sand
Hog. cts wonder I'm alive. came