Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-05-10
THE Tlr1BER SUPPLY
Three Times AS rluch Timber Used
Each Year as Forests Grow.

|
| is using over six times as much
W, oil 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 tie forests Of the United States
grow in the meantime. The average
acre of forest lays up store OF oa-
| " 10 cubic feet annually. whereas
it ought to lay up at least ~ cubic
feet in order to furnish the prod
| ucts taken out Of it. Sluce 1880
more than 70O,O00,000,OOO feet Of
,, timber have been cut for lumber
alone, including S00,0oO,OOo,O #.
of coniferous timber in excess OF
the coniftrous 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 stunirage es
Inmates made by all the important
authorities. A study of the circu
lar must lead directly to the conclu
sion that the rate at which forest
products in the United States have
been and are being consumed is far
too lavish, and that only Ole result
can follow unless steps are r'mpf-
ly taken to prevent waste in use
and to increase the growth rate of
every acre Of forest in the United
States. This result is "a timber
famine. This country is to-day i'll
the same position with regard to
forest resources as was Germany
$50 years ago. During this period
of $50 years such German States as
Saxony ard Prussia, particularly
the latter, have applied a policy OF
government control and regulation
which has immensely increased the
prod uctivity of their forests. The
same policy will achieve even bet
ter results in The United States, be
cause we have the advantage OF all
the lessons which Europe has learn
ed and paid for in the course of a
century Of theory and practice.
Lest It might be assumed thattl 9
rapid and gaining depletion of
American forest resources is sutfi-
GENTLY accounted for by the in
crease Of population, it is pointed
out in the circular that the increase
in population since 1880 is barely.
more than half the increase in lum
! b er cut in the same period. Two
areas supply ing timber have alrea-
DIV reached and passed their maxi
mum production-theN ortheastern
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 undoubtedly near their maxi
mum. The Pacific states will soon
take the ascendpncy. The State of
Washington within few ,ears. has
come to the front and now ranks
| first of all individual states in vof
um'e of cut.
| At present but is Of the total
forest area Of the United States is
embraced in National Forests. Tie
remaining 4 5 have already passed
or are most likely to pass into prI-
yate hands. The average age OF
the trees felltd for lumber this
year is not less than $50 years. In
other words, il he is to secure Sec
| ond crop Of trees of the same size
| the lumberman or private forest
owner must wait, say, at least lOC
wears for the second crop to grow
| As a rule. such longtime invest.
ments as this waiting would involve
do not commend themselves to
business men who are accustomed
to quick returns. But the States
and Nation can look much .farthel
ahead. The larger, then, the area
of National and State control over
woodlands, the greater is the like
lihood that the forests Of the coun'
try will be kept permanently pro-
ductive.