The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-05-11
TIMBER SUPPLY.

Some interesting facts are given
in the circular on The Timber Sup
ply of the United States just is
sued by r. s. Kellogg, forest inspec-
tor of the forest service, United
States department of agriculture.
Every person in the United States
is using over six times as much wood
as he would use if he were in Eu-
rope. The country as whole con-
sumes every year between three and
four times more wood than all of the
forests of the United States grow In
the meantime. The average acre OF
forest lays up store of only 10 Gu
bic feet annually, whereas it ought to
be laying up at least 80 cubic feet In
order To furnish the products taken
out of it, Since 1880 more than
700. 900. 900. 900 feet of timber have
hen cut for lumber alone, including
$4,000, 600, 900 feet of coniferous
timber in excess of the total confer
Gus 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 es-
Inmates made by all the important
4 Ct Of nj n T.
must lead directly to the conclusion
hat the rate at which forest products
in the United States have leen and
are being consumed is far too lavish,
and that only one result can follow
unless steps are promptly taken 10
prevent waste in use and to increase
he growth rate Of every acre of for
est in the United States. This result
is a timber famine. This country is
today in HE same POSITION with re-
gard tu forest resources as was Ger
many lJo years ago. During this
period OF 40 years such German
states aus sazout ana Prussia, particu-
Iafls jnc latter have applied Il policy
of government control and regulation
when haz Immensely increased the
productivity of their forests The
same poii# VIII achieve even better
results ia lhe United States. because
We have the advantage of ali the les
SONS which Europe has learned and
paid for in tbe courst Of q century of
theory and practice.
Lest it might be assumed that the
rapid and gaining depletion of Ameri-
can forest resources is sufficiently ac-
counted for BY the increase of popu-
lation, it is pointed out in the circu-
lar 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 alreday reached and
passed their maximum production
the northeastern states in 1870 and
the lake states in 1890. Today the
southern states, which cut yellow
pine amounting to one-third the total
annual lumber cut of the country,
are undoubtedly near their maxi
mum. The Pacific states will soon
rake the ascendency. The state OF
Washington within a few years has
come to the front and now ranks fret
OF all individual states in volume OF
cut
AT present but one-fifth OF the to-
tal forest area OF the United States Ia
embraced In national forests. The
remaining fonr-f1fths 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 so years. In other
words, If he is to secure a second
crop of trees of the same size, the
iumberman or private forest owner
must wait, say, at least one hundred
years for the second crop to grow
As a rule, such lone-time investments
as this waiting would involve do moi
commend themselves to business mer
Who are accustomed TO quick returns
But the states and the nation car
look much farther ahead. The larger
then the area of national and state
control over woodlands, the greater
is the likelihood that the forests OF
the country will be kept permanently
productive.