The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1908-10-15
CENSUS OF STANDING TlMszRs'
Great Work Taken up by the Ma
tlonal Conservation Commission.

tional CONSERVATION SN''''SsS'"
Washington.-The National conser
walton commission has caused the
first comprehensive attempt at cen
sus of the standing timber In the
United States ever undertaken. The
forest service has for several years
been eager TO take such a census, ana
the bureau of the census has express
eed its willingness to cooperate, but
funds have never been available. The
conservation commission, however,
needs the information to help COM
plete its inventory of the country's
natural resources, which it will in
dude in its report to the president,
and since that report is to be submit
ted on the first of next year, 1t needs
the information at once. In conse-
quence the work on the census has
been started with rush and is now
under full Roadway.
1t may be a slight exaggeration to
speak of a census of timber, for of
course IL is impossible to count the
individual trees in the FORESTS; even
the most ambitious plans of the for
est service and the bureau of the CEN
sus did not contemplate that. But a
trained man can with great accuracy
Cruise" a tract of forest and esti-
mate the number of board feet it con-
tains. Large portions of the forests
of the country, including practically
all the national forests. have been
estimated at various times, but these
figures have never been brought to-
gether and no organized effort has
over been made to gather them into
enc total, nor to supply the deficien-
oies where hitherto no estimate have
been made.
AS a result, the guesses as to the
amount of standing timber in the
United States, range all the way from
S22,GS2 million to 1000 billion board
feet, difference of more than a tril-
lion feet in the estimates of the best
qualified authorities in the country.
In the opinion of the forest service,
the most carefully prepared estimates
yet made are those by Henry Can
nett, published by the twelfth census
in 1900 These placed the total
stumpage at 1890 billion board feet.
Mr.. Gannett, it so happens. has been
chosen by the president to compile
all the information gathered for the
commission, and with his previous ac-
Quaintance with the subject of for.
estry, he is at work now charging
the knowledge of forest areas at pre-.
sent available.
The Importance of this census lies
largely in the fact that it will give
an accurate basis for computing how
long our timber supplies will last.
Through the cooperation of the for
est service and the census bureau the
country's annual consumption of
wood is known with tolerable accur-
acy, although even. here there are
some discrepancies, because a large
of wood is used for posts.
fuel. and domestic purposes, for which
no satisfactory data have yet been
But the consensus of opin.
ION among those equipped to Judge
Is that the present annual consump.
ton Is about 100 billion board feet,
or something more than that. One
leading authority has placed It as
nigh as $50 billion board feet.
Assuming a stumpage of 1.4OO bill
non feet. an annual use of 100 billion
leet, and neglecting growth in the
calculation, the exhausting of our
timber supply is indicated in IA wears.
Assuming the same use and stand
with an annual growth of 40 billion
.eet, we have supply for % years.
Assuming an annual use of $50 billion
-eet, the first supposition becomes 9
years, and the second 13 years. AS.
'uming stand of 1000 billion feet. |
use of 100 billion feet, and neglect.
ng growth, we have 90 years SIM. |
ply. Assuming the same conditions.
With an annual growth of 40 billion
'eet, we have 93 years supply. with |
IN annual use Of $50 billion feet
hese estimates become, respectively.
s and IS years.
1t is apparent from these commute.
ions why the national conservation
commission considers the census Of |
imber so essential to the prepara.
ion OF its inventory.