The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-10-17
OUR TIMBER
RESOURCES
NATIONAL CONSERVATION
COMMISSION PUSHING.
INQUIRIES.
Forest Service Estimates Supply
at Less than Fourteen Hundred
Billion Board Feet--Consump-
ton Is at Present Over One
Hundred Billion Feet Yearly.

Seattle, Oct. 1O.-The Washington
correspondent of the Post-Intelligencer
sends the following:
The national conservation commits
sion has caused the first comprehensive
attempt at a census of the standing
timber in the United States ever un-
dertaken. The forest service has for
several years been eager to take such a
census, and the bureau of the census
has expressed its willingness to CO.
operate, but funds have never before
been available.
Estimates of the amount of standing
timber in the United States range all
the way from 1922, 682, 900, 600 to 1000,
600, 600, 600 board feet difference
of more than trillion feet in the esti-
mates of the best qualified authorities
of the country.
In the opinion of the forest service,
the most carefully prepared estimates
yet made are those by Henry Gannett,
published by the twelfth census in
1900. These placed the total stump
age at 1890, 900, 900, 600 board feet.
Valuation of Estimates
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. The
concensus Of opinion among those
equipped to judge is that the present
annual consumption is about 100, 600,
600, 600 board feet, or something more
than that. One leading authority has
placed it as high as $50, 900, 600, 600
board feet.
Assuming stumpage Of 1,4OO, 900,
600, 900 feet, an annual use of 100, 900,
600, 600 feet, and neglecting growth in
the calculation, the exhaustion of our
timber supply is indicated in fourteen
years. Assuming the same use and
stand, with an annual growth Of 49,
600, 600, 900 feet, we have supply for
% years. Assuming an annual use of
$50, 600, 600, 900 feet the first suppose
ton becomse nine years, and the Sec
ond thirteen years. Assuming stand
of 2, 600, 600, 900, 600 feet, use of 100,
600, 600, 0O0 feet, and neglecting growth
we have twenty years supply. As
Stunning the same conditions, with an
annual growth of 40, 600, zoe, 600 feet,
we have thirty three years supply.
With an annual estimate of $50, OOO,-
900, 600 feet, these estimates become
respectively thirteen and eighteen
years.
Commission Canvass Through
The chief difference between the meth
DDS now being employed by the con-
servatiOn commission and those the
bureau of the census would use are
that while the bureau would send out
enumeratOrs to make personal visits
to all parts TO the country, the COM
mission is aiming at the same results
through tremendous amount of cor
respondence. For instance, 8, 100 letters
have gone out to county clerks asking
for statements of forest areas in their
counties. Seven thousand lumbermen
and timber land owners have been
asked to supply similar information
In all nearly $50, 900 letters have been
sent. These letters also ask for a
wide variety of information besides
the area and capacity of the forests.
They touch upon all the phases not
only of the numbering and milling in
dustries, but of all others which are
even Indirectly dependent upon the
use of wood. The purpose of the
commission is not merely to learn how
much wood is growing now, but how
long it msy be expected to last and
how long the supply may be prolonged
by economy.
ALI the states of the Union are CO.
operating and will furnish statistics
concerning state forest lands.
AAn l.