The San Mateo item. (San Mateo City, Putnam County, Fla) 189?-19??, 1909-12-25

Lumber Worth 100000 said 70 BE
Wasted Each Year

. I
erly IFS wealth OF timber is ostlmat
cd by Fred A. Gilbert OF the Great
Forthern Paper Company at over
SiO,OO0,000 on FIVE OF the most com.
mon kinds-spruce, pine, fr. hem.
lock and cedar. - In addition to this
the State Is slowly losing one OF IT'S
principal assets, the standing
growth OF the timber itself This
latter loss Is not due TO the cutting
and marketing Of the tlmber--in fact
| little more than one-half OF what the
State is capable OF producing is ever
marketed-but TO waste, decay and
loss by fire and wind
There are in Maine 9,461,10S acres
OF timber land and unincorporated
and public lands, and conservative
estimate OF the pine, spruce, fir,
hemlock and cedar growing thereon.
and OF a marketable size in some
form, is 473O5. $4,000 feet, or at the
rate OF 5000 feet an acre. The rate
OF the growth OF spruce Is nearly 3
per cent, and as spruce grows more
slowly than any OF the other kinds OF
trees mentioned per cent. is con.
servative estimate OF the rate OF
growth OF the FIVE classes given.
This indicates an annual timber
growth in Maine OF about 100000
600 feet and a fair estimate OF the
quantity cut and marketed annually
in 750,000000 feet; and yet. says Mr..
Gilbert, while Maine is marketing an
nually 650.000000 feet less than II
Is capable OF producing, the supply
of timber remaining is constantly
The greatest single cause of this
condition, says Mr.. Gilbert, is lack
OF proper railroad facilities. over
OF the timber of the State
Is either not accessible at oil or else
Is so remote from transportation
lines that only a small part OF it
can be profitably marketed. These
lands for the most part are either
actually losing in value, so far as
The quantity of standing timber is
concerned, through the maturity and |
iecay of the trees, or else standing |
annual growth just Offset
ing the decay. The largest single
pocket of this timber is in what is
commonly known as the Allagash
egion.
Other causes of the great waste
re loss by fire, by wind and in cut
Ing, which, while they cannot be en-
rely prevented, could be reduced to
minimum by systematic regula-
on OF cutting under modern fores-
~ methods, a complete system OF
re patrol and by making all of the
mber readily accessible.
Given the needed railroad facilI.
es into this now inaccessible wealth
timber" says Mr. Gilbert, "a prop
care In cutting and an efficient
re patrol and the State is capable
producing 1,400,Q00,OO0 feet OF
'ruce, pine, cedar, hemlock and fir
annually, or 65O,0O0.00O feet, less I'M
'oidable fire and wind losses, more
an 1t Is now marketing, to say
'thing OF hard woods, and yet gain
the quantity OF timber standing.
I'VE are apt to think OF the value
timber as being the value to the
'ner OF the land AS a matter OF
CT competent authorities estimate
at for every thousand feet OF tim
7 marketed there is total ave.
&c expenditure OF more than SIG,
which but a small part goes to
original owner. There seems to
no good reason why the State
ould not turn most OF this annual
ste OF 65O.O0O.OO0 feet OF timber
o SlO,OOO.0O0 cash profit, to be ex.
nded In the State each year as in.
est and at the same time retain
principal, the standing timber, un.
paired" New York Sun.