The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-09-02

abroad. To produce this amount
Of timber Germany would have TO
possess a forest area of 1900, 900
acres in addition to the 5000, 900
now available. In other words,
she would need 1000, 900 acres
OF forest in order to meet her own
timber requirements, or 93.2 acres
for every 100 inhabitants. Ger
many is an extremely good exam
pie with which the productivity
OF the forests OF other countries
can De compared, because her for
ests can be taken as a standard of
productiveness.
In this country, where the per
capita consumption IS six times as
great as that in Germany or France
and the annual growth per acre
may be estimated roughly as one
third OF that in those countries,
the forest area would have to be
1000 acres for each 100 inhabi-
tants, or more than twice the pres
ent area. in order to maintain the
present cut. The present area of
. us acres for every 100 inhabitants
at the present per capita consump-
ton and annual growth per acre
would be sufficient to meet our
own needs if there were not a viz
gin timber, the accumulated CAPT.
tai OF centuries, to meet the defci-
ency. With the exhaustion of
this remaining virgin supply,
which can last only about 80 years
more, there must come a time
when not only all our exports of
timber must cease, but there will
not be enough wood for home con-
sumption.
Even as it is, the total exports
OF wood from this country amount
to only five per cent. OF the lumber
but, while the surplus of exports
over imports is only IS per cent.
an insignificant amonnt. This
shows clearly that we have practi-
cally ceased to be an exporting
country and the tendency will be
more and more toward becoming
a wood-importing country.
How shall this shortage be met?
With an increasing demand for
land for agricultural crops there is
little hope of increasing the ex-
tent of forest land. AS We have
seen, the area necessary for this
purpose would have to be more
than double the present area and
this IS entirely ont the question.
Much Of the land now under for
est, but capable of producing crops,
will have 70 be cleared and titled
to provide for the increased popu-
lations All the evidence, there
fore, IS that the land under forest
will during the next fifty years be
reduced to 100000, 900 acres and
this reduced area will have to pro-
vide for population almost twice
as large as the present Nor will
there be much hope for covering
the shortage Of our home produc-
ton by importations from abroad.
The demand for timber is CON
stantly growing all over the world.
1t increases at the rate Of FIVE per
cent. annually. If we compare
the total excess of imports over ex-
ports Of all wood-importing coun-
tries CT Europe with the total ex-
cess of exports over imports Of all
wood-eXporting countries we shall
find that there is a deficit for Eu.
rope Of al, 900, 900 cubic feet,
which is met at present by imports
from North America. Sweden,
Norway and Austria Hungary
have already touched the highest
point i'll their exports. Russia
could probably increase to some
extent its exports from the north,
where there are still large areas of
virgin forest, but the growing
scarcity of timber in the other
parts Of the empire make il very
unlikely that larger supplies of
timber for export will be available.
Canada is still able to increase its
exports, but the drain upon the
Canadian forests is growing every
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