The Mankato free press., 1923-06-15
REGARDING TIMBER


can depend upon the forests of other
countries to supply its timber needs
after its own forests have been min
ed out must be abandoned, declares
the forest service, in an article in
the 1922 Yearbook of the United
States department OF agriculture, en-
titled Timber: Mine or Crop?" in
which the necessity for regarding
the country's forests as crop lands
rather than as timber mines is EN-
phasized.
This country's present imports
and exports Of tim and other
forest products nearly balance" says
the article. ut may be expected tnat
as local shortages develop within
the next few years, as has already
Northeast, they will be covered in
some part by importations, partic
ularly from Canada. Our imports will
probably soon exceed our exports.
Any hope, however, that we may de-
pend upon importations from abroad
when our timber resources are ex-
hausted must be abandoned"
The Forest Service points out that
two thirds of all lumber consumed
in the United States is softwood-
pine, fir, spruce, and hemlock. 1t
is further stated that there are only
three great bodies of coniferous tim :
Der in the world outside of the
United States. One is in Canada, a
second extends from Scandinavia
eastward through Finland and Euro :
pean and Asiatic Russia to the Pa
cific Ocean, and the third, or re-
latively minor Importance, is in cen :
trail and southeastern Europe, chief :
ly in prev Austria Hungary.
The article, which is the most
comprehensive publication on the
timber situation in the United States
ever put out by the Department of
Agriculture, states:
Although Canada still possesses
vast softwood forest area, much is
in the Artic, region and will be of
doubtful availability for export trade.
The more accessible forests are
rapidly being developed to their ca =
pacity for the needs of the British
Empire. The greater part of the
Alaskan forest are better adapted to
pulp wood than to timber.
In Europe the few countries still
have large coniferons forests can
not supply the needs OF the rest Of
the European natiore. The area
formerly embraced In Austria Hung
ary was over cutting its forests nrior
322 million cubic feet year. TO
maintain their exports at the former
amounts these countries will have
to limit their own consumption to
very low levels or seriously deplete
their forests. They will probably do
both for the next decade or two in
order to rehabilitate their economic
status. with the result that event ,
naily domestic needs will absorb all
that their forests can produce.
Scandinavia has but a small sur
plus of structural timber. Her ex-
ports consist mainly Of pulp wood
and pulp. Finland and Russia are
therefore the only countries IL
Europe which can be counted on rs
important sources OF structural tim
nearby neighbors. -t
Siberia, with her billion acres of
forest fully developed, could export
large quantities of timber. The for
ests Of Siberia, however, are still un-
developed and great part Of them
lie, like those Of Canada. within the
Artic and interior regions and may
never be availabl3 for large eX-
port trade. Tho forests lying close
10 tho Pacific Ocean arS partly sur
rounded by nations which will be the
first bidders as export trade in
crcaseS. .s
China. with her hundreds o. mil {.
lions OF people, is likely to develop
industrally and much os her timber
needs must be supplied from the
Siberian forests Japan. although
ctill an exporter Of certain species oi
lumber, already imports large qdau
titles from Siberia. Ever il all the
Siberian timber were at the undis-