The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-03
At SEA WITH DATA
No One Can Tell How Much
Timber in United States.
ENOUGH FOR FORTY YEARS
Curtis Writes Interestingly on
the Subject.

| Washington, Jan. 2.-"Unfortunately
| said ]. E. Defebaugh, editor of the Amer
| lean Lumberman, the other day. no one
knows how much timber there is in the
United States All sorts of estimates have
been made. but 10 census of standing
timber has ever been taken. Add together
all the information in possession of indi-
viduals and firms and corporate as to
their holdings, and of the government as
to the timber on public lands and reserva-
tons, and you will have an approximately
correct idea of the grand total; but even
that would not be absolutely conclusive,
for methods of estimating differ. In some
sections trees measuring six inches III
diameter are taken into account. In other
sections nothing that will not measure
twenty-four or thirty inches is counted.
The census officials asked the holdings
of lumber manufacturers, but did not in
sist upon an answer. If the responses had
been complete, there would still have
been left out of the calculation the ire
mendous holdings of individuals and of
companies not running saw mills, includ-
ing hundreds of thousands of farmers
with wood lots, and the wood lot is very
important factor in the timber supply.
"A rough guess, made up of information
from various sources and estimates where
information is lacking, gives grand total
of approximately 1,500, 00o, 100000 feet of
what is called merchantable lumber, suit
able for making lumber. and does not in
clude that adapted to cordwood, charcoal
and many miscellaneous uses. On this
basis there is only enough to provide for
a period of about forty-three years. But
the best authorities are agreed that if the
enough standing timber to supply in per-
petuity the needs of the country from its
natural increase. The figures as to the
standing timber given would undoubtedly
be augmented largely by the closer cut
ting which is done as the industry devel-
opes in any section. In the early DAYS
of the white pine industry in Michigan
nothing but large timber was cut. Then
the forests were gone over again and
again, cutting smaller timber each time,
until anything that would square up four
inches was taken.
Such facts as these indicate much
larger actual supply in the outcome than
would be indicated by any figures derived
from present methods of estimating. But
the supply is undoubtedly approaching, if
Il has not already reached, the point
where care must be taken to conserve
cur resources and to provide for perpetu-
ating the forests. The United States, in
respect TO it's timber is like the man who
has put his capital into a safety deposit
vault and is drawing it as his needs re-
quire. Let him put it at interest. and he
will have All income equal to his needs
without drawing upon the capital. In tim
Der, if we adopt preservative and repro
ductive methods, our timber wealth viii
probably always supply our needs from its
natural increase. But we must stop con-
sdering it simply as dead capital"
What has been the development of the
lumber industry?
Early lumber development followed the
water courses first in New England and
along the middle Atlantic coast. then on
such streams as the Hudson, Delaware
and Susquehana. then on the Ohio river.
and along the great lakes, then on the
Mississippi Finally. as the timber in i'm
mediate proximity to water courses began
to reach out into the forests, saw mills
began to be built along them independ-
ent of water transportation of logs aud
lumber. and enormous timber resources
which had heretofore been unavailable
ed on cars could be transported great
distances so that now We have the lum-
Der of Washington or Georgia competing
with that from Wisconsin or Maine.
This fact of general competition is one
which should be kept in mind. A white
pine manufacturer does not have to COM
pete simply with other white pine pro-
ducers but with those of a dozen other
woods in dozen different sections. This
is why the lumber industry is practically
a unit on the question of tariff. Canadian
lumber competition is not felt simply by
the white pine producers of Michigan.
Wisconsin and Minnesota. or by the
ireMetaoinshrdlueta oishrdIuetaoicmfwy
spruce producers of Maine. New Hamp-
shire anu New York. but equally by the
Iumbermen of the entire south and Pacific
coast The Dingley bill with the s. duty
on lumber put on its feet the sickly lum-
Der interests of West Virginia. which ex-
plains why il was so heartily supported
by Senator Elkins. and did the same ser
vice to North Carolina and Georgia and
other southern states, which explains why
many of their representatives and sena-
tors went contrary to their old theories
an dvoted for the lumber duty. or opposed
a reduction in the duty ey the reci-
procity route.
THE decline in the white pine lumber in
dustry is largely responsible for the de-
velopment of the business in other sec
lions. Yet il is a mistake to suppose
that white pine is exhausted. Its maxi
mum product from the timber Of Michi-
gan. Wisconsin and Minnesota in any
one year was about s,s06 10000 feet in
1892 In 1891 the product was about $780,
90 feet. The decline was great ore. but
white pine still furnishes one-seventh cf
the entire sawed lumber product of the
country. while the white pine states re-
main the heaviest lumber producers. AS
white pine has declined. the product Of
henlock and hard woods has increased.
so that in the census year the leading
states in order OF volume of production
were Wisconsin. Michigan. Mime sofa.
Pennsylvania. Arkansas. Washington.
Georgia, Ner1h Carolina. Texas. Missis-
ssr,.i louisiana. Alabama and Indiana.
IA of them produce over l coo GO % feet