The San Francisco call., 1910-09-09
WORLDS SUPPLY OF
TIMBER TOO SMALL
Statesmen and Economists Pom
der Over Solution of Prob
lem of Future

Not only in the United States, but
throughout the world, statesmen and
economists are now considering future
supplies of such necessities to high ma
terial civilization as coal, wood and
iron. World markets, world sources of
supply and world problems are before
all the great nations. In this connec-
tion some figures recently prepared for
the Glasgow, Scotland Herald on the
worlds timber supply. present and
prospective, are of interest on this side
Of the Atlantic, says the Chicago Rec
ord Herald. They show a condition that
causes uneasiness in Great Britain, for
that country has enormous needs of
timber and is most concerned with the
total supply.
It is computed that the forest land
of the world at present is over 2,200,-
100000 acres, though the computation
is necessarily only an approximation
This acreage represents about half the
size of Europe. The forest area of
Europe is $4,000, 900 acres Russia in
Europe with Finland) has 100000, 600
acres, and with 326. 100000 acres in Asia,
Russia is the largest forest bearing
country in the world. Sweden has 49,
600. 600 acres, Austria Hungary about
the same. Germany $4,000. 900, Norway
$1,000, 900, France 20,000.000 and Spain
$4,000, 900 acres. That leaves 61,000,00
acres for the rest of Europe, and of
that Great Britain can account for only
2.5Oo.OOO acres in woodland Only 4
per cent of that country's area is under
wood, while even Denmark has Az per
cent Then come Norway %, Germany
e6, Russia 33 and Sweden ~ per cent.
AMERICAN ACRES
In America the United States has
(without Alaska) a forest area of 500,-
0oO, 900 acres and Canada has a reputed
tree area of 500, 100000, although all
the timber grown is not commercial.
India has 135, ,oo0,0 900, Australia 49,
SOC, 900, Tasmania 1900, 900, New Zea-
land 20,5o0.500 and japan 2S,500,000
acres.
For Africa, the records are, Of course,
incomplete, but the continent has very
much valuable timber, including ma
hogany. Matabeleland has 1,250,00o
acres of forest Mashonaland has not
much less, the Congo basin has an un-
measured rich area. but Cape Colony,
like many other countries, has had its
timber wealth wasted by the prodigal
destruction of former generations.
Algeria is said to have 5000, 900 acres
Of forest land. OF South America the
possibilities are large. but the known
facts are meager. There are large
areas of good growing timber in Gui-
ana, Venezuela and Colombia, and in
Brazil the forest of Matto Crosse is
said to be the largest in the world.
Then there is the immense area in
China-the land of contradictions, one
of whose peculiarities is that though
wood is so scarce in Pechili as to be
the prey of the raider, the central
provinces are well, even densely, tim
bered.
BARREN TIMBERLAND
Enormous tracts of land in North
America, in Scandinavia and in New
Zealand, that were formerly covered
with timber, are now bare and barren.
Millions of acres of woodland have been
cut down and never replanted New
Zealand kauri, which has only become
practically known in Europe within the
present generation. will soon, it is said,
be extinct. 1t is customary TO regard
railway extension as synonymous with
the spread OF civilization and commerce.
But IT also spells death to timber, for
miles of forest have to be used to pre-
pare beds for the iron lines. 1t is cal
culated that 5000 square miles of for
est have to be drawn on every year
to provide ties for the American rail-
ways. This gives a hint OF what the
COilAiiS Ol Asia means.
In the United States, the largest pro-
ducer of coal and of mineral oil in the
world, the consumption of wood for
fuel is equal to nearly 65 per cent of
the timber cut And the timber cut
per annum is about 10000, 600, 900 cubic
feet. Lumber is. of course, sawn tim
Der in the form Of planks and boards,
and of lumber the United States cuts
about 5000, 100000 cubic feet per an
mum. For pulp for paper making the
United States cuts 408,ooo,0o0 cubic
feet, and of late years the country has
become more and more dependent upon
Canada both for wood plup and for
wood for pulp making.
TWENTY YEAR LIMIT
An estimate was placed recently be-
fore the Hardwood Timber association
that there is now not enough timber
standing in the United States to con-
tinue commercially for more than 20
years. Still later the United States
department of agriculture has called
attention to the waning OF the supply
Of hardwood. OF soft woods both the
United States and Canada have still
snormous resources, but even these are