The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-23
RussIA's LuMsER INDUSTRY.

According to statistics furnished by
the department of commerce and labor
the Russian empire occupies first place
among the nations of the world IN the
extent of its timber resources, the ex-
tent and quality of two-thirds of which
is practically unknown. The figures
nossess great interest for the people OF
tie United States on account OF the
rapid disappearance of our own forests
The total area of the Russian empire
IS S.e47. 657 square miles, or about one
seventh of the entire land area OF Inc
globe, and 80 per cent OF the surface
of the empire is under forests. Those IN
European Russia cover an area OF 474'-
900. 900 acres; Finland, so, 100000; Po-
Hand, 600, 900; Caucasus, 1S,eOO,ooO; to-
tai. 54s, 800 900. In the Ural provinces
forests cover 70 per cent of the area;
in the northern provinces, IS per cent
and in the four lake provinces, 81 per
cent.
The government owns 65 per cent OF
these forests, possessing in European
Russia 2s5, 5sS, 941 acres; Caucasus, H.
26,SS7; Asiatie Russia, Se0.5ts, ABS; Amur
region, 2sS.742,OOO; total, s47.6S6,76S.
Twentv-three per cent of the forests
belongs to the landed proprietors and 3
per cent to the peasantry.
1t is estimated that n western ST.
IBERIA alone there are 465, 100000 acres in
virgin forest, and eastern Siberia
though not quite so rich in timber, has
sufficient forests for the worlds supply
of lumber for years to come.
In European Russia the largest tim
Der districts are in the north. The four
governments Of OIonetz, Archangel.
Vologda and Viatka, comprising a total
area of $4,000 square miles, territory
from which seventeen states the size OF
Ohio might be formed. are almost en-
tirely covered with timber, but the
greater part has never been explored
by civilized man, though expeditions are
now being formed for the purpose of
investigating the immense resources Of
the country.
Some idea of the extent of the lumber
industry in Russia may be obtained
when the figures furnished are consid-
cred The state forests of Russia N
1907 yielded 1,2s6,5sOOOO cubic feet of
lumber. the department of forestry
realizing in round numbers for the sale
of timber. rent of lands, etc. So. 5O0,O 600.
The expenditures, including 100000 for
cutting trees and saving logs, amount
ed to So, 900, thus leaving a profit to
the state of s25,OOO,OO0 Thirty million
dollars worth of this timber was sold
on the stump to dealers, and the larger
part was exported in the form of logs,
pit props, and in other semi-manufac-
tured state. It is stated officially that
the reafforestation OF state lands pro-
vides for more than the amount cut
from the forests each year.
The above figures do not include the
timber lands owned by private parties
in European Russia. They are divided
as follows: Imperial appanages. 1924
900 acres; private landowners, 151, 072,-
600; peasants, 2S,21OO0O; joint stock
companies. factories. works. churches,
etc, 6.S5s.5OO acres; total. 2O1, s92, 900.
The Russian timber industry COM
prises 1.42S factories, sawmills. planning
establishments, wooden box factories,
piano factories. etc. the number of
hands employed being $4,000, and the
value OF the annual output s77,25O. 900.
Timber ranks second in Russia's ex-
ports, being preceded only by grain.
The one chance for the United States
30 profit from. the Russian lumber in
dustry is to furnish the Muscovites with
the necessary tools to harvest their TIM
Der crop.