The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1907-05-11
THE TIMBER SUPPLY
Three Times as Much Timber Usel
Each Year as the Forest 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 year between three and four
times more wood than all of the for
ests of the United States grow in the
meantime. Theaverage acre of forest
lays UP a store of only 10 cubic feet
annually, whereas it ought to be lay
ing up at least 80 cubic feet in order
to furnish the products taken out of
It, Since 1880 more than 100000
ooo, 900 feet Of timber have been cut
for lumber alone, including 10000
ooo, 900 feet of coniferous timber III
excess of the total, coniferous stump
age estimate of the census IN 1890
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 es-
Inmates 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 Law
| ish. and that only one result can fol-
| low unless steps are promptly taken
| to prevent waste in use and to in
crease the growth rate OF every acre
of forest in the United States. This
result is timber famine. This coun-
try is today in the same position with
regard to forest resources as was
; Germany $50 years ago. During this
/ period of 40 years such German
states as Saxony and Prussia, partic-
uiarlv the latter. have applied a pol
icy of government control and regu-
lation which has immensely increas-
ed the productivity of their forests.
! The same policy will achieve even
i better results in the United States.
| because we have the advantage OF all
! the lessons which Europe has learned
and paid for in the course OF CEN
:, fury of theory and practice.
! Lest it might be assumed that the
rapid and gaining depletion OF Amer
! lean forest resources IS sufficiently
1 accounted for by the increase IN pop
Il ulation 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 production,
! the Northeastern states IN 1870 ana
the Lake states in 1900. Today the
Il southern NliiNii Ut yNAiO''
; pine amounting to one-thlrd the to-
I tai annual lumber cut of the coun-
try, are undoubtedly near their max
imum The Pacific states will soon
). take the ascendency The state OF
I Washington within few years has
come to the front and now ranks
first of all individual states in vol
ume of cut
At present but one-hfth Of the to-
tai forest area of the United States
, is embraced in National Forests. The
remaining four-fifths have already
passed or are most likely to pass IN
to 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 sec
ond crop of trees of the same size,
the 1umberman or private forest own
, er must wait, say, at least one hun
dred years for the second crop to
grow AS a rule, such longtime IN
vestments as this waiting would III
volve do not commend themselves
to business men who are accustomed
to quick returns. But the states and
! the Nation can look much farther
ahead The larger, then, the area OF
National and state control over
woodlands, the greater is the like
lihood that the forest of the country
will be kept permanently productive.