The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1907-05-04
The r,nhe, suDolv Of the Uuiled States.

Every peESOu III VIC OAA'0o ASS'oo
is using over six times as much wood
as he would use if ne were in Europe.
The country as whole consumes every
year between three and four times more
wood than all the forests of the United
States grow in the meantime. The ay'
erage acre of forest lays up store OF
only 10 cubic feet annually, whereas 1t
ought to be laying up at least 30 cubic
feet in order to furnish the products
taken out of 1t. Since 1880 more than
roc, 600, 600, 600 feet of timber have been
cut for lumber alone, including 80,-
OOO, 900, 600 feet of coniferous timber in
excess of the total coniferous stump
age 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 aut lorities.
A study of the circular must lead die
rectly to the conclusion that the rate
at which forest products in the United
States have been and are being con-
sumed is far too lavish, and that only
one result can follow unless 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 famo
inc. The United States is today IL 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 and
Prussia, particularly the latter. have
applied policy OF government. con-
troll and regulation which has i'm
mensely Increased the productivity of
their forests. The same policy will
achieve even better results in the
United States, because We have the ad.
vantage of all the lessons which Eu.
Erope 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 Amer
lean forest resources is sufficiently &C.
counted for by the increase OF popula-
ton. 1t is pointed out in the circular
that the increase in population since
I 1880 is barely more than half the In"
crease in lumber cut during the same
periods Two areas supplying timber
have already reached and passed their
/ maximum production-the northeast
ern states in 1870 and the lake states
in 1880. Today the southern states,
which cut yellow pine amounting to
/ one third the total annual lumber cut
of the country, are undoubtedly near
their maximum. The Pacific states
will soon take the ascendencys The
state of Washington within few years
has coma 20 the front and now ranks
first of all individual states in volume
of cut
At present but one.fifth OF the total
4 1OceS6 area Oh buS OH1GoO obeLt0S 10 GILL;
braced in national forests. The re-
naming four ffths 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, il he
i is to secure a second crop OF trees of
the same size, the Iumberman or pri-
vate forest owner must wait, says at
least one hundred years for the second
crop to grow. As a rule, such long,
time investments as this waiting would
involve do not commend themselves to
business men who are accustomed so
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 likelihood that the for
ests of the country will be kept perma-
nently productive.