Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-05-03
THE TIMBER SUPPLY.
Three Times as Much Timber
Used Each Year as the Forest
Crows.

Grows.
Every person in the United States is
using over six times as much wood as he
would use if he were in Europe. The
country as a whole consumes every wear
between three and four times more wood |
than all of the forests of the United |
States grow in the meantime The aver
age acre of forest lays up store on only |
10 cubic feet annually, whereas it ought
to be laying up at least 30 cubic feet |
in order to furnish the products taken
out of it. Since 1850 more than zoo, 000.- /
900, 600 feet of timber have been cut for
lumber alone, including $4,000 600, 600
feet OF coniferous timber in excess of the
total coniferous stumpage estimate of the
census in 1880.
These are some of the remarkable
statements made in Circular 81 of the
Forest Service, which deals with the
timber supply of the United States and
reviews the stumpage estimates made by
all the important authorities. A study
of the circular must lead directly to the
conclusion that the rate at which forest
products in the United States have been
and are being consumed is far too lavish,
and that only one result can follow I'M
less steps are promptly taken to prevent
waste in use and to increase the growth
rate of every acre of forest in the United
States. This result is timber famine
| This country is to-day in the same posi-
ton with regard to forest resources as
was Germany $50 years ago. During
this period of $50 years such German
States as Saxony and Prussia particu-
larly the latter. have applied policy
of government control and regulation
which has immensely increased the
productivity of their forests The same
policy will achieve even better results in
the United States, because we have the
rope has learned and paid for in the
course of century of theory and prac-
tice.
Lest it might be assumed that the
rapid and gaining depletion of Amer
lean forest resources is sufficiently ac-
counted for by the increase of popua
ton, it is pointed out in the circular
that the increase in population since 1880
is barely more than half the increase
in lumber cut in the same period. Two
areas supplying timber have already
reached and passed their maximum pro-
duction-the Northeastern States in 1870
and the Lake States in 1890. To-day the
Southern States. which cut yellow pine
amounting to one-third the total annual
lumber cut of the country, are undoubt-
eddy near their maximum. The Pacific
States will soon take the ascendency.
The State of Washington within a few
years has come to the front and now
ranks first of all individual States in vol
ume of cut.
At present but one-fifth of the total
forest area of the United States is en-
braced IN National forests. The re-
naming four-tifths have already passed
or are most likely to pass into private
hands. The average age of the trees
felled for lumber this year is not less
than $50 years. In other words, if he
is to secure second crop of trees of the
same size, the lumberman or private
forest owner must wait, say, at least one
hundred years for the second crop tC
grow. AS rule, such longtime invest
ments as this waiting would involve dc
not commend themselves to business
men who are accustomed to quick re
turns. But the states and the natioI
can look much farther ahead. The larg
er, then, the area of national and state
control over woodlands, the greater is
the likelihood that the forests of thu
country will be kept permanently pro
d ductive.