The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-10-08
Census of Trees
will Be Tdkeu

WASHINGTON, Oct. S.-The ma
tional conservation commission has
caused the first comprehensive attempt
at a census of the standing timber in
the United States ever undertaken.
The forest service has for several
years been eager to take such a CEN
sus, and the bureau of the census has
expressed its willingness to cooperate,
but funds have never been available.
The conservation commission, however
needs the information to help complete
it's inventory of the country's natural
resources, which it will include in its
report to the president, and since that
report is to be submitted on the first
of next year, it needs the information
at once. In consequence the work on
the census has been started with a
rush and is now under full Roadway.
1t may be a slight eXaggeration to
speak of a census of timber, for of
course it is impossible to count the in
dividual trees in the forests; even the
most ambitious plans of the forest
service and the bureau of the census
did not contemplate that But a trained
a tract of forest and estimate the
number of board feet it contains. Large
portions of the forests of the country
including practically all the national
forests, have been estimated at various
times, but these figures have newer
been brought together and no organ
lied effort has ever been made to gath
err them into one total, nor to supply
the deficiencies where hitherto no es-
Inmates have been made.
AS a result, the guesses as to the
amount of standing timber in the
United States, range all the way from
822,6S2 million to 1000 billion board
feet-a 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 Gannett.
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 Informal
ton gathered for the commission. and
the subject of forestry, he is at work
| now charging the knowledge of for
est areas at present available
The Importance of this census lies
largely in the fact that it will give an
accurate basis for computing how long
timber supplies will last. Through the
cooperation of the forest service and
t. the census bureau the cOuntry's annual
consumption of wood is known with
tolerable accuracy, although even here
there are some discrepancies, because
large amount of wood is used for
posts. fuel and domestic purposes, for
which no satisfactory data have yet
been collected. But the consensus of
opinion 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 is high as $50
million board feet.
Assuming a stumpage of 400 billion
feet, an annual use of 100 billion feet
and neglecting growth in the calcula
ton, the exhaustion of our timber
supply is indicated in IA years. Assam
ing the same use and stand. with an
annual growth of 40 billion feet, we
have a supply for % years Assum-
ing an annual use of $50 billion feet,
the first supposition becomes nine
years and the second 10 years Assum-
ing stand of 1000 billion feet, use
of 100 billion feet, and neglecting
growth, we have 20 years supply. AS
Stunning the same conditions, with an
annual growth of 40 billion feet, we
have SO years supply. With an annual
use of $50 billion feet these estimates
become respectively, Is and IS years.