The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-08-16
NEW ENGLAND HAS
LITTLE TIMBER LEFT
Out of an Original Stand of 3e,o0o,ooo
Acres There Are Now Only
About 100000
Acres.

lion board feet, New England to-da,
has only about two million acres of vir
gin forests, located chiefly in Maine
with scattered areas in New Hamp
shire and Vermont. Within 20 year
most of the areas containing highgrad'
lumber will be cut over and the only
remaining timber will be on farm
woodlots or on few large tracts ant
will be made up of second growth OF
Of trees left as worthless at the time
of the first cutting Within 80 years
the pulp industry of New England will
be largely thing of the past unless
Canadian wood is imported on an in.
creasingly larger scale or effective for.
estry measures are introduced immedi.
ately. These are the striking facts re-
garding the New England states con.
tanned in report on timber depletion
made to the United States Senate by
the forestry service of the United
States department of agriculture.
Suffers Early Shortage.
New England has passed through
every stage of forest exploitation from
the days when only the best white pine
and oak were cut to dependence upon
outside lumber and pulp wood, the re-
port points out. Early cutting was
fol- local consumption, shipbuilding and
export The heavy cutting of those
times, particularly for fuel, produced
shortage of wood as early as 1910 in
many sections of New England Much
OF the second growth timber cut, the
report says. dates from this period.
From colonial days up to about 1910,
white pine made up almost the entire
softwood cut in New England. Soon
after that date, however, spruce oper-
atoms began. By 1870 the white pine
was practically cut except for scat
tered trees in northern Maine, and by
1880 the second growth pine forests
were yielding an annual cut of 200 to
800 million board feet.
The paper making industry was es-
tsblished in New England soon after
it became known that wood pulp was
cheap paper making material and,
during the past 30 years, the chief
development of the forest industries
has been along that line. AT first only
spruce was used Now, however, large |
quantities OF balsam and hemlock are
taken.
In 1907 the total lumber cut reached |
a maximum of 3.l70 million feet. and |
formed about seven per cent of the
total for the country. In 1918 it had
dropped TO l400 million feet or about
four and one-half per cent Of the total
lumber cut of the country. Particular
ly noticeable is the decline of soft
woods. In 1907 the cut Of softwoods in
New England formed seven and six.
tenths per cent of all the softwoods cut
in the country, while in 1918 it was
,nly four and three -tenths per cent.
The cut will continue to decline, the re.
bort states, and within the next 10
1ears win probably drop to about one
million board feet.
Only Eight Per Cent Virgin Forest.
Although the New England states
ave a present forest area of about IS
million acres, only about eight per cent
5 virgin forest. Forty.five per cent is
n saw timber or pulpwood, while "a
'er cent contains nothing but fuel
rood and % peg cent, or $4,000
ores, is non productive. with nearly
hree-fourths Of the saw.timber and /
ulpwood area in Maine, the poor con
ition of the remaining New England
orests is apparent" the report says. I
The total stand of wood in New Eng.
Ind is estimated to be 81 billion cubic j
set, or about 20 billion board feet OF
his, 40 per cent is saw-timber or pulp. q
God and 60 per cent is fit only for
lel. of the total stand, about three 5
1urths is softwood and one.fourth
ardwood. About one half of the stand
insists of such pulpwood species as
bruce, fir, hsmlock and poplar. i
The total annual cut of the New
ngland states amounts to about $50 T
illion cubic feet, according to the re.
'rt. There is, in addition, loss of :
bout 20 million cubic feet, due to dis.
Ise, insects and FIRE The total an.
ial drain on the forests, therefore, is
bout go million cubic feet The total
'owth of the forests is estimated at
5 million cubic feet, Of which about
o million cubic feet takes place in
nber not suitable for lumber. The
inual drain upon the saw timber is
arly three and one half times the
nusl growth" the report says. The
ain upon the fuel wood stands is,
viewer, less by loo million cubic feet
an the growth. As regards lumber,
lips and other hiehgrade material,
e situation is anything but eneourag.
:, the report says.
Becomes Importing Region.
About half of the present stand of
" and pulp timber in New England
in commercial tracts The remain.
is in farm woodlots. II is partic-
Irly from the commercial tracts that
cut Of most Of the highgrade mate.
Is comes at present Few Of even
: larger timber owners have more
IN a 20-year supply. Most Of the
p mills will be cut out in 20 years.
{ over four or FIVE companies own
Impage enough to last for a longer