Middletown transcript., 1907-05-04
THE TIMBER SUPPLY

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 whole consumes eyery yea,
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 a store of only 10
cubic feet aanually, 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 zoo, 900, ,OO0, 900 feet
OF timber have been cut for lumber alone,
including S0,000,000 $1,000 feet of confer.
Gus timber in excess of the total coniferous
stumpage estimate of the Census in 1880.
These are some OF the remarkable state
ments 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 con-
etuslon that the rate at which forest pro-
ducts in the United States have been and
are being consumed is far too lavish, and
that only one result can follow unless
steps are promptly taken to prevent waste
III use and to increase the growth rate
OF every acre of forest in the United
States. This result is a timber famine,
Ibis country is to-day in the same posi-
tion with regard to forest resources as
was Germany 150 years ago. During this
period of $50 years such German States as
Saxony and Prussia, particularly the
latter, have applied a policy of govern
ment control and regulation which has
immensely increased the productivity of
their forests. The esame policy will achieve
even 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 century of
theory and practice.
Lest it might be assumed that the rapid
and gaining depletion of American forest
resources is sufficiently accounted for by
the increase of population, it is pointed
out in the circular that the increase in
population since 1850 is barely more than
half the increase in lumber cut in the
same period. Two areas supplying tim
Der have already reached and passed
their maximum production-the North
eastern 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 max
imum. The Pacific States will soon take
the ascendency. The State of Washing
ton within a few years has come to the
front and now ranks first of all individual
States in volume of cut.
At present but one-ffth of the total
forest area of the United States is en-
braced in National Forests. The remain
ing four-f1fths have already passed or are
most likely to pass into private hands.
The average age of the trees felled for lum-
Der 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 lumber
man or private forest owner must wait,
say, at least one hundred years for the
second crop to grow. As rule, such
ong-time investments as this waiting
would involve do not commend them
selves to business men who are accus- |
.omed 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 wood |
ands, the greater is the likelihood that
the forests of the country will be kept
productive.