The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-02-20
DRAIN UPON THE FORESTS.

| Since 1880 the sources of lumber
have undergone remarkable changes.
The first change was in the regions
from which the principal kinds of
lumber were procured< AMI this was
followed by the Substitution of other
kinds of wood in their places. Keith
er the centeIs of the lumber INDUS
try nor rhsfleading classes of woods
are the lame as they were twenty.
five ye&fs ago. In 1880 nine states.
Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin,
New York, Texas, Arkansas, Missis-
shSpi. Louisiana and Washington
Produced 52.S' per cent, or more than
half of the total lumber production
of the United States. In 1906 these
states produced 51.5 per cent Dract:
| cally the same proportion, hit the
changes which have taken place in
the output of individual states are
very striking Michigan, for instance,
cut 90 per cent of the total in 1880
and but Sc per cent in 1906; Louisi-
ana cut or per cent of the total in
| 1880 and rs per cent in 1906; Wash
ington furnished but 90 per cent Of
the lumber production of 1880 and
tll.5 per cent of that of 1906. The
cutting out OF the virgin timber in
the north and east has been followed
by increased drains upon the forest
resources of the south and west.
Despite these conditions the amount
of timber has increased year by year.
The increase in consumption of tim
Der since 1880 has been more rapid
than the increase of the population,
and greater than in any similar pc
riod in the history of the country.
This shows in a striking manner how
much the nation depends upon forest
products, and indicates how greatly
all interests must suffer as lumber
becomes scarcer and dearer.
Statistics gathered by the bureau
of the census and forest service show
that the quantities of timber used
last year for lumber, shingles, ties,
puipwood, cooperage, stock, mine tim
beers. lath, distillation, veneer, poles,
tanning and turpentine and rosin, ex-
pressed in board feet. reach total
of approximately so billion board
feet,
While these drains upon the forest
are known with reasonable certainty,
there are others of which there is
no record. These are the demand for
posts. fuel and domestic purposes, re-
earding which it is more difficult to
obtain information, because the prod
ucts often pass through no market.
but are consumed on the farm where
they were produced. Careful esti-
mates, however, place the total OF
wood used for fuel alone at an equiva-
lent OF so billion board feet year.
II will be seen, then, that the pres
ent consumption of wood in all forms
is about 100 billion board feet an
nually. Estimating the forest area
OF the United States at from 500 TO
700 million acres, and the annual
growth at 60 board feet per acre, the
yearly increase is from 30 to AZ bill
| lion feet. AT this rate, the annual
growth barely equals the amount con
sumed for lumber alone. Considering
ali the drains. the annual consump
ton Of wood is probably three times
the annual growth. Detailed estimates
OF standing timber range from l,400
Ito 1000 billion feet Using the larg
er figure. and considering the annual
growth of 40 billion feet, IL appears
that there is not more than thirty
three years supply OF timber in this
country at the present rate OF con.
sumption.
AT present only about p per cent
OF our total forest area Is in state OF
national forests. the remainder being
unreserved public lands or in private