The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-07-30
income tax agitation for a long time
In the future.-sioux City Journal.
What Timber We Have Left.

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What Timber We Have Left.
Secretary Wilson of the Depart
ment of Agriculture makes the graf
flying statement that popular inter
est in forestry is increasing rapidly
in every part of the United States.
To answer almost innumerable re-
quests of the people generally for in
formation as to our timber supply,
the Department of Agriculture has
just published a bulletin giving sta
tistics collected by the bureau of the
census, the forest service and, the
geological survey, supplemented by
reports Of, state officials, individuals
and conservative commissions.
This bulletin is the nearest ap-
proach to a timber census yet taken
in this country. Secretary Wilson
says that a complete timber census
must eventually be taken by the gov
eminent to furnish the basis for per-
manent forest conservation.
The original forests of the United
States covered $50 million acres and
contained $3.50 billion feet Of lum-
Der, board measure. Cutting, clear
ing and fire have reduced the acreage
to 55O,000,000 today, with a total
stand Of about $500 billion board
feet. The stand of timber in every
region has been reduced i'm greater
proportion than the acreage, the best
trees having been cut for lumber in
all thickly settled areas.
The bulletin affords ome inter-
esting comparisons OF the uses made
Of our forest products. Their value
in 1907 was $1,280,000 900. For
firewood alone we used $250,000,00O
worth, thus burning up one-third as
much, in dollars, as the total value
of all the lumber lath and shingles
produced that year.
The railroads in 1907 used $780,
100000 worth of timber for cross
ties alone. Telegraph and telephone
poles, fence posts and rails amounted
to 500, 100000. The naval stores
turpentine, rosin and tar, were worth
$50, 900 900. Over 100000 900
worth Of wood was used in making
paper. Tanbark and extracts pro-
duced had a value of SIS 900.
In coal and other mines yer $10,-
600, 900 worth Of round timber was
used.
It is estimated that about twenty
percent of the standing timber in
the United States today is held by
the federal. and state governments,
in national forests. Indian reserva-
tons, national parks and in state re-
serves. The forest reserves are To-
Gated in thirty-one states. Illinois
is not one of them.
There are two distinct classes of
private timber lands. The first are
farmers wood lots, the second are
large holdings of corporations and
individuals. The woodlots are scat
tered remnants of original forests
and, as aarule, they have been Sc
verely culled. They are mainly in
the eastern half of the United States
and cover some 200 million acres,
which is a stand of perhaps 800 bill
lion board feet of lumber.
Secretary Wilson puts out that the
total yearly drain upon our forests
is about 20 billion cubic feet, not
counting the losses from fire, storms
and insects. Taken as a whole, the
annual growth Of the forests does not
exceed IL cubic feet per acre, maxi
ing a total of less than Z billion Gu
bic feet.
These figures prove that we are
cutting our forests three times as
fast as they are growing. Germany
makes her state forests produce an
average OF forty-eight cubic feet
per acre. We have faster growing
species of trees and better soil than
Germany. Therefore bnly intelli-
gent and hearty cooperation of the
forest owners and the federal gov
eminent and state governments are
necessary to make our forests as
productive as they should be to avert
all danger Of q timber famine. I'M
less we do have this cooperation.
however, such a famine is inevitable.
Inter-Ocean.
ZLE