The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1908-01-25

ana ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 01.o per
cert. or m6re than half of the total
lumber production of the United
States. In 1906 these States pro-
Gueed SIS per cent, practically the
same proportion, but the changes
which have taken place in the out
rut of Individual states are very
ST. liking. Michigan, for in staEce,
cut 20 per cent of the total in 1880
and but Sc per cent in 1906: LOUISE
ana cut OF per cent of the total
II 1880 and rs per cent in 1906:
Washington furnished but o. per
cent of the lumber production of
1880 and lis per cent of that Ct
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 required has in
creased year by year. The increase
inconsumption of timber since 1880
has been more rapid than the in
cresae of population, and greater
than in any similar period in the his
tory of the country. This shows in
a striking manner how much the ma
ton depends upon forest products
and indicates how greatly all interests
GER and dearer.
Statistics gathered by the Bureau
of the Census and the Forest Service
show that the quantities OF timber
used last year for lumber, shingles,
ties, pulpwood, cooperage stock, mine
timbers, lath, distillation, veneer,
poles, tanning and turpentine and
rosin, expressed in board feet, reach
total 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,
i regarding which it is more difficult
/ to obtain information, because the
products often pass through no mar
| ket, but are consumed on the farm
where they were produced. Careful
estimates, however, place the total
of wood used for fuel alone at an
equivalent of so billion board feet
a year.
1t will be seen, then, that the pres
ent consumption of wood in all forms
is above 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 so board feet per acre,
the yearly increase is from 80 to AZ
billion feet. At this rate, the annual
growth barely equals the amount con-
sumed for lumber alone. Consider
ing all the drains, the annual con-
sumption of wood is probably three
times the annual growth. Detailed
estimates of standing timber range
from 1,400 to 1000 billion feet. U.s.
ing the larger figure, and considering
the annual growth of 40 billion feet
it appears that there is not more
than thirty-three years supply OF
timber in this country at the present
rate of consumption.
At present only about % per cent
! of our total forest area is in State
or National forests, the remainder
/ being unreserved public lands or in
private hands. The forest area is
amply sufficient, if rightly managed,
| to produce eventually enough TIM
j Der to supply all our needs. Yet pri-
! vate owners, as we'll as the State and
National Governments, must use
their forest lands in a right way if
we are to maintain our timber supply.
| Circular 1923, just issued by the
Forest Service, contains discussion
of the drains upon the forests and
the sources and the duration of the
timber supply. This publication will
be sent free upon application to the
Forester, u S. Department of Agri-
culture, Washington, D. c.