Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1907-04-28


is using over six times as much WOO,
as he would use if he were in Europe
The country as a whole consume,
every year between three and foul
times more wood than all Of the for
ests of the United States grows il
the meantime. The average acre o.
forest Jays up store of only IL
cubic 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,
0O0,O00,OO0 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 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 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 for
est in the United States. This result
is a timber famine. This country is
today in the same position with re.
gard to forest resources as was Ger.
many $50 years ago. During this
period of $50 years such German
States as Saxony and Prussia, par.
ticuarly the latter, have applied
policy of government control and
regulation which has immensely In
creased the productivity of their for
ests. The same policy will achieve
even better results in the United
States, because we have the advant-
age 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 Ameri-
can forest resources is sufficiently &C.
counted for by the increase of popula.
ton, it is pointed out in the circular
that the increase in population since
1880 is barely more than half the in.
crease in lumber cut in the same
period. Two areas supplying timber
have already reached and passed their
maximum production-the Northeast.
ern States in 1870 and the Lake
States in 1890. Today the Southern
States, which cut yellow pine amount.
ing to one-third the total annual lum-
Der cut of the country, are undoubted- |
ly near their maximum. The Pacific |
States will soon take the ascendency. !
The State of Washington 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-fifth Of the total
forest area Of the United States Is
in National Forests. The
four-ffths have already |
passed or are most likely TO pass into !
private hands. The average OF the /
trees felled for lumber this year Is
not less than 100 years. In other
words, If he is to secure a 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 a
rule, such longtime investments as
this waiting would involve do not com.
mend 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 likelihood that the forests OF |
the country will be kept permanently |
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