The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-06
HALL REPORTS ON TIMBER RESOURCES Hard Wood is Decreasing At a
 Very Rapid Rate IN APPALACHIAN GROUP Mountains From Maine to Alabama Should Be Devoted to Hardwood
 Because This Is Their Most
 Profitable Use.
BY WALTER HARPER.

William L. Hall, assistant forester ot the United States forestry bureau. who was appointed some time ago to make an investigation of the Appalachian and White mountain forest conditions for rs- port to the next session of Congress has just made a report to the department that is of great interest to the entire coun- try.
 A bill will be considered at the next ses- sion of Congress to establish ill the Ap- palachian region a national forest re- serve for the preservation Of the timber supply of the country which is rapidly be- ing exhausted. MT. Hall was selected to make an investigation of the present conditions and make suggestions as to the best method of establishing the re- serve and since early in the spring he has been busy with this work. MT. Hall will be remembered in Alabama as the department expert who accom- panied Capt Richmond Pearson Hobson on his educational tour of the Sixth dis- trict.
 In reviewing the timber situation in the United States MT Hall sounds timely warning that should be instantly needed by not only the people but the legisia- tive bodies of the government.
 He shows that the supply of timber, es- pecally the hardwoods, is rapidly decreas- ing in face of the fact that the demand and prices are increasing at rapid rate It is estimated that the hardwood supply will be entirely exhausted in 1e years at the present rate of consumption
 MT. Halls Report.
 MT. Hall says in his report:
 "The hardwood lumber cut in 1899. ac cordng to the census, was 8,6S4,O21 thou sand feet; in 1906 it had fallen to 7,3l5,- 491 thousand feet, d decrease of 10. per cent.
 ""rhis decrease took place during period when American industries sprang forward at pace unparalleled when there was the strongest demand ever known for every class of structural ma terlal, when the output of pig iron in- creased 10 per cent, that of cement l32 r per cent, and even that of softWood timber 15.6 per cent
 That the decrease Is due to diminished supply rather than to lessened demand seems to be proved beyond question Dur ing the same period the wholesale price of various classes of hardwood lumber advanced from 25 to 65 per cent; every kind of hardwood found in quantity suf- ficient to make it useful has been put on the market and hardwood timber is now being cut in every state and every locality where it exists in quantity large enough to be cut with profit. These con ditions could not prevail were the de- crease in production due to falling off in demand.
 "The most notable shrlnkage has been in the leading hardwoods to which the public has been accustomed.
 Oak. which in 1899 furnished over half the entire output Of hardwood luna Der, fell off 36,5 per cent. Yellow pop lar which in 1899 was second among hardwoods in quantity produced, fell off 37.9 per cent. Elm, the great standard in olack cooperage, went down 50.8 per cent. Cottonwood and ash, largely used in mapy industries, lost. respectively, 36.4 and 203 per cent.'
 Sources of Supply.
 It is shown by the report that many states not heretofore considered worth while are being called upon for hardwood supplies and at the present rate these short supplies will be exhausted in q few years. Hardwoods are being brought from far and near and still the cut is going down. The main produc- ton has now been confined to the lake states. the lower Mississippi valley and the Appalachian mountains.
 In the lake region there is a slight gain in the amount of production. but it does not compare with the increase in demand and the maximum has about been reached and will begin rapid de- cline in q very few years A slight increase in production is shown in the lower Mississippi valley, but it is pointed out that while the maximum has been reached here the supply is not perma- nent from the fact that the lands are very fertile and are being converted to agri- cultural purposes as as fast they are cleared of timber
 Appalachian Group. , In the Appalachian group the pro duction in 1899 was 3,667,4 thousand feet. which was 42 per cent of the total cut of the United States. In 1906 the cut was 3,54666S thousand feet. or AS per cent of the entire country This section increased its production 6 per cent though the actual decrease was 121 million feet.
 Continuing. MT. Hall says:
 While but small parts of several of tn csc Appalachian states lie in the mountains it is true of the region as a whole that the bulk of their hard wood timber is now to be found in