The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-10-06
A CENSUS
OF FORESTS
A Unique Feature of National
Commission
FOR SAVING THE TREES
BY Means of This Census We May Know
Fairly Accurately How Long Our
Timber Will Hold
Out.
FOR SAVING THE TREES

Washington, D. c., Oct. 6.--The ma.
tonal conservation commission has
caused the first comprehensive attempt
at census Of the standing timber in
the United States ever undertaken. The
forest service has for several years been
eager to take such census, and the
bureau of the census has expressed its
Willingness to cooperate, but funds
have never been available. The eonser.
walton commission, however, needs the
information to help complete its inven.
tory of the country's natural resources.
which it viii include in its report to
the president, and since that report is
TO be submitted on the first Of next
year, il needs the information at once.
In consequence the work on the census
las been started with a rush and is
now under full Roadway.
IL may be a slight eXaggeration to
speak of n census OF timber. for of
course il is impossible TO count the in
diyidual trees in the forests; even the
most ambitious plans Of the forest ser
vice and the bureau of the census did
not contemplate that. But trained
man can with great accuracy "cruise"
tract of forest and estimate the num-
her 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 never been
brought together and no organized ef
fort has ever been made to gather them
into one total, nor to supply the def
ciencies where hitherto no estimates
have been made.
As result. the geusses az 70 the
amount of standing timber in the Unit
ed States, range all the way from s22,
6S2 million to 1000 billion board feet
a difference of more than a trillion feet
in the estimates of the best qualified
authorities in the country.
In the opinion Of the forest service,
the most carefully prepared estimates
vet made are those by Henry Cannot,
published by the twelfth census in 1900.
These placed the total stumpage at I !,
800 million board feet Mr. Gaunett.
it so happens, has been chosen by the
president to compile all the information
gathered for the commission, and vita
his previous acquaintance with the sub
iect Of forestry he is at work now en-
larging the knowledge Of forest 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
our timber supplies will last. Through
the cooperation Of the forest service
and the census bureau the country's an
nual consumption Of wood is known
with tolerable accuracy, because a large
amount of wood is used for posts. fuel,
and domestic purposes. for which no
data have yet been col
lccted But the consensus OF opinion
among those equipped to judge is that
the present annual consumption is about /
100 billion board feet, or something
more than that. One leading authority /
has placed it as high as $50 billion
board feet.
Assuming a stumpage of 400 bill |
lion feet, an annual use of 100 billion /
feet, and neglecting growth in the cal
the exhaustion Of our timber |
supply is indicated III II years. Assum- /
ing the same use and stand, with an
annual growth of 40 billion feet. the I
first supposition becomes Q years, and I
the second IS years. Assuming a stand /
Of 1000 billion feet, use OF 100 bill I
lion feet, and neglecting growth, we