UC-NRLF December 10, 1(,)10. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE— BULLETIN 83. HENRY S. GRAVES, Forester. THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. BY RAPHAEL ZON; CHIEF OF SILVICS. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1910. Issued December 10, 1910. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE — BULLETIN 83. HENRY S. GRAVES, Forester. THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. BY RAPHAEL ZON, CHIEF OF SILVICS. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 1910. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE, Washington, D. C., October 12, 1910. SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a manuscript entitled "The Forest Resources of the World," by Raphael Zon, Chief of the Office of Silvics, and to recommend its publication as Bulletin 83 of the Forest Service. Respectfully, HENRY S. GRAVES, HON. JAMES WILSON, Forester. Secretary of Agriculture . 2 -'iain Li si CONTENTS. Page. The situation 5 In European countries 6 In non-European countries 7 Forest resources by countries 9 Austria 9 Hungary 13 Bosnia and Herzegovina., '. 15 Annual cut and consumption for the Empire of Austria-Hungary 15 Canada 16 Russia 18 Finland 21 Sweden 22 Norway 26 British India 27 Roumania 29 Japan 30 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 32 Germany 35 France "45 Belgium 48 Spam and Portugal 49 Italy 50 The Netherlands 51 Switzerland : 52 Denmark 54 Bulgaria 55 Servia 56 Greece 56 Turkey 57 Asia 57 China 57 Persia 58 British possessions in Asia 58 French possessions in Asia 59 ' Dutch possessions in Asia 59 Australia and Oceania 7 ' 59 Hawaii .' 61 Africa 61 French possessions in Africa 61 British possessions in Africa 62 The Sahara and Equatorial Zone , 62 Central and South America 63 Mexico 63 Central America 64 South America 64 West Indies..... 66 Forest resources of the United States and how they compare with those of other countries 67 Forest area 67 Composition , 69 Present stand 70 Annual consumption 71 344239 3 4 CONTENTS. Page. How far can the United States count on supplies from abroad ? 73 Division into exporting and importing countries 75 Importing countries 75 Europe 75 Exporting countries 79 Europe 79 Africa 83 Asia (exclusive of Siberia) 84 Australasia 86 Tropical and South America 87 North America 87 Conclusion 88 References 89 THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. THE SITUATION. Under present economic conditions, there is scarcely a civilized country Which economically is entirely independent of all other coun- tries. The life of all nations is now closely interwoven; and even countries like the United States or Russia, which contain within their borders practically all natural resources necessary to make them independent in every respect, are constantly interchanging their products with the rest of the world. It is therefore impossible to form a clear idea of the possibilities of a country and its future development without taking into account the natural resources and the general economic conditions of other countries with which it comes in contact. Highly developed means of transportation make it often more profitable to obtain certain products from a country which for some reason is best able to pro- duce them than to manufacture them at home, even though it is possible to do so. A country deprived of certain natural resources may still be pros- perous and progressive, because it is able to obtain all that it needs from other countries which have a surplus of the products, which it lacks. The British Isles are the most striking example of this. With comparatively limited natural resources and high consump- tion of timber, grain, and other raw material, England has highly developed industries which enable her to exchange her finished products for the raw materials she needs. This in a general way holds good for forest resources, but with this difference: Forests not only produce timber, but play an important part in the life of every nation by exercising an influence on the water supplies; on agricul- ture, and the general health of the people. For this reason only a few countries with an insular climate, as England and Holland, may with impunity reduce their forest areas beyond a certain safety limit. Ordinarily a country with a forest area of 20 per cent or less shows to a marked degree bad climatic conditions, with prolonged droughts, frosts, and alternating floods and low water. Portugal with a forest area of only 5 per cent of the total land area, Spain with 13 per cent, Greece with 13 per cent, Turkey with 20 per .cent, Italy with 14 per cent, are good examples of this. In considering the forest resources of the United States it seems necessary, therefore, to take into account also the forest resources of all other countries in order to determine the extent to which the United States can depend, in case of exhaustion of its own timber, upon the resources of other countries, or to determine the part which it plays and will play in supplying the needs of other countries in forest products. There is still another reason why it is important in considering the forest resources of the United States to study also the forests and economic conditions of other countries. There is a certain inter- relationship between the extent and condition of the natural resources 6 FOREST .RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. and their use. \ tegtory* clearly shows that in countries with abundant natural resource's* and sparse population there is no thought of the future, and all energy is directed to the exploitation and reckless use of what nature has abundantly provided. The waste under such conditions is naturally very great and a more economic utilization does not pay. As the population increases and industry grows, the demand for raw material of all kinds increases, and there is a gradual awakening of public opinion to the need of a more careful husbanding of natural resources. Practically all nations have traveled the same road. Some reach this point sooner than others, but every one is inevitably bound to face the same situation. The United States, being ^ounger than European countries and endowed with abundant natural resources, was naturally backward and was until lately lag- ging somewhat behind. It may therefore be of advantage to this country to seek lessons for its future guidance in the experience of the older countries which have been benefited by proper care for their forests, waters, and soils. IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. The forests of Europe occupy an area of 750,000,000 acres, which is about 31 per cent, or not quite one-third, of the total land area of Europe. The most wooded country is Finland, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Sweden. The least wooded are Portugal and Great Britain. In accordance with the proportion of forest to total land area, the countries *of Europe may be arranged in the following groups: Finland Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sweden. . Per cent. 54 50 49 Luxemburg 41 Bulgaria, Servia, and Russia (exclusive of Finland) 30-39 Austria, German Empire, Hungary, Norway, Switzerland, and Turkey 20-29 France, Spain, Belgium, Roumania, and Greece ' 10-19 Netherlands and Denmark 5-9 Great Britain and Portugal 4-5 The proportion of forests decreases from the north and east of Europe toward the south and west. Russia, Finland, Sweden, and Norway together possess 583,000,000 acres of forest, or 78 per cent of the total forest area of Europe. Table 1 gives the area now under forest, the percentage of forest area, and the forest area per capita for most of the European countries: TABLE 1. — -Extent of forest* in European countries. Country. Total forest area. Forest area per capita. Land area under forest. European Russia . . . Acres. 464,610 600 Acres. 4 3 Per cent. 36 3 Ftnlaiurr. " ' 52,500,000 18.75 54.4 517,110,600 Austria 23 996 266 92 26 5 Hungary 18 692 000 1 17 25 7 Croatia and Slavonia 3 769 000 1 64 35 95 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 380 000 3 99 50 5 52.837.266 THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 7 TABLE 1. — Extent of forests in European countries— Continued. Country. Total forest area. Forest area per capita. Land area under forest. Sweden Acres. 49, 390, 325 Acres. 9.7 Per cent. 48.6 Germany 34, 989, 675 .62 25.89 France 24,021 587 61 18 5 Norway . . 16, 848, 000 7.00 21 00 Spain... (?)16,065,000 .88 13.00 Italy . . 10,115,404 .31 14.28 Bulgaria 7,602,815 2 4 30 00 Roumania 6,367,000 1.08 18.00 British Isles 3,030,000 10 4 00 Switzerland . . . 2,140,012 .67 20.6 Greece 2, 023, 380 83 (o) Belgium . . . 1,303,736 .2 17.7 Portugal 1,236,600 23 5 0 Denmark 603, 575 .25 6.3 Holland 563,072 .1 7.0 Servia 3,864,774 1.55 32.0 750,112,821 a Less than 13 per cent. / IN NON-EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. The forests of other countries of the Old and New Worlds, except in a few localities, are little explored, either as to quantity or quality of the timber. In Asia, the possessions of Russia, British India, and Japan lead in amount of forests. The following table shows the extent of the forest area in the continents outside of Europe in the Old and New Worlds: TABLE 2. — Extent of forests in countries outside of Europe. Country. Forest area. Forest area per capita. Land area under forest. Asia: Asiatic Russia Acres. 348 030 000 Acres. Percent. India (Schlich) 149,000.000 0 6 24 0 Ceylon 6 762 880 Japan 57, 718, 410 Philippines 49,000 000 Malay States 101,560 Straits Settlements 88,320 Cyprus 448,000 Australasia: British Australasia 126 720 000 19 8 Java . ... 4.920,000 Hawaiian Islands 1 224 992 Africa: Cape Colony, Natal, Swaziland, and Transvaal 640,502 Mauritius 87,680 Madagascar 25,000,000 19 0 Barbary States 9,526,865 Central Africa 224,000,000 South America (tropic). . . 528,000,000 West Indies 42,668,800 66.6 North America: Canada 799,360,000 38.0 Mexico 25 000 000 1 8 5 1 Alaska 107,000,000 United States 545 000 000 29 0 Total 3 050 298 009 „ 8 THE POKEST KESOURCES OF THE WORLD. As may be seen from this table, the non-European countries pos- sess a forest area of over 3,000,000,000 acres. This with the 750,000,000 acres of European forests, form an enormous total of almost 4,000,000,000 acres, or 24 per cent of the total land area of the world. If to this we add the forests of China, Korea, South America, and Africa, for which there are no available data, the extent of the forests of the world will be still greater. Unfortunately, all figures for forest areas are more or less approximations. While the figures for the forests of Austria-Hungary, Germany, France, Sweden, ^STor- way, Finland, Belgium, and Switzerland are fairly accurate, the fig- ures for Russian, Canadian, or even for the United States forests are only approximate, and will eventually need correction as knowledge of the forest resources increases. The enormous forest areas in Rus- sia, the United States, and Canada include a large proportion of land at present unproductive, such as swamps, burns, or lands which sooner or later will be taken up by agriculture, and which do not therefore give a true idea of the forest land proper. Also the figures which show the percentage of forest land give only an approximate notion of the distribution of forests in the country, because the pro- portion of forests to total land area greatly varies in different parts of the same country. "Forest land" is usually understood to mean land covered with woody growth of economic importance. After the Glacial Period, in prehistoric times, and also according to tradition and written record, in the earliest historic times, forests occupied much larger areas than now. However, there are scientists who hold that some forests — hi Europe, for instance — were preceded by prairie. The character of the forest depends upon climate. Forests of cold and moderate regions contain fewer species and are more homo- geneous in composition than those in tropical regions. True tropical forests are found in some parts of India and in the basins of the large rivers of South America and Africa. In Java, Borneo, Kongo, and along the Amazon and Oronoco the forests are extremely rich in variety of species. In the world market the wood of common trees has the greatest economic importance. Pine, spruce, larch, and fir are used for con- struction purposes ; oak, birch, hickory, and others are used by wood- working industries. The amount of rare, precious wood which is used in international trade is comparatively small. The various countries of the world may be separated into two groups in accordance to the relation of their wood exports to their wood imports. The countries whose wood exports exceed their imports are: Austria-Hungary, Canada, Sweden, Russia, Finland, the United States of America, Norway, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Roumania, and Japan; the countries whose wood imports exceed their exports are: The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Holland, Denmark, Switzerland, Australian colonies, China, Greece, West Indies, Bulgaria, Servia, and British possessions in Africa. In determining the forest resources of European countries it was impossible to obtain any figures which would show the total stand in cubic feet or board measure. In most European forests the cutting of timber is confined either to the annual growth or to a fraction of THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 9 the annual growth and does not take into consideration the forest capital which produces this growth. The Europeans use the annual growth as the criterion of the present stand. The forest capital itself, or what we call the present stand, is a constant quantity which is not to be disturbed. With improvement of the forest capital (more fully stocked or faster-growing species), the annual growth increases and more timber is available for annual cutting. In this country and Canada, where there are still large areas of mature timber and but little forest management in the strict sense of this word, the present stand in cubic feet or board measure is of special interest, as it shows how much virgin timber is available for cutting and how long it will take to exhaust the supply. In order to make the results obtained for different countries com- parable it was attempted in every case to show the forest area, the annual growth, and annual cut, and from these three factors to make deductions as to the forest resources of the different countries. The topics discussed for each country are as follows: Forest area; distribution of the forest throughout the country; composition and character of the forests; annual consumption, cutting, and growth per acre; and wood prices. ^ FOREST BE SOURCES BY COUNTRIES. AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. Austrian-Hungary is the greatest wood-exporting country in the world. It is not so rich in forests, however, as Sweden, although some provinces in Austria are very well wooded indeed. The com- bined forest area of Austria, Hungary, and Croatia and Slavonia, exclusive of the provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is 46,440,000 acres, or 30.24 per cent of the total land area. The forests of Austria proper, however, are very different from those of the Hungarian Kingdom, and it will be better to consider the two separately. AUSTRIA. FOREST AREA. Forestry has developed differently in various parts of Austria. In the northwest provinces, such as Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia, where the population is denser than in any other part of the empire, the forests were early taken care of. Being close to Germany, these northwest provinces have followed Germany in the management of then- forests, and some of them were almost model forests even as early as 1848. In the mountainous parts of the country, however, the conditions do not favor rational forest management, and forestry there is far from being what it should be. 10 THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. DISTRIBUTION. The distribution of forests is very uneven, as may be seen from the following table: TABLE 3. — Forest area of Austria by provinces. Province. Area. Province Area. Danube Provinces: Acres. 1 684 241 1 Northwest Provinces: Bohemia Acres. 3 725 190 0 Lower Austria 1,007,729.1 Moravia 1,507,531.5 Silesia 430 293 6 5 663 015 1 Alpine Provinces: Salzburg 573,088.5 Northeast Provinces: Tyrol 2 739 722 4 Galicia 4,829 265 9 Styria 2,654,118.9 Bukovina 1,106,854.2 Carinthia 1 129 104.9 Camiola 1,093,119.3 5, 936, 120. 1 8 189 154 0 Total 23, 996, 266. 2 Sea Provinces: Goritz and Istria . 570,345.3 Dalmatia 945, 661. 5 1,516.006.8 COMPOSITION OF FORESTS. The forests are composed principally of conifers, such as spruce, pine, and fir. The coniferous forests occupy 16,868,700 acres, while the hardwood forests of seedling origin occupy only 3,522,400 acres. The hardwood forests contain oak, maple, beech, birch, locust, and alder. CHARACTER OF FORESTS. The State owns only 10.7 per cent of the forests, or 2,573,000 acres; of this amount, the actual property of the State is only 1,620,000 acres; the rest is bought by the Government with religious funds in its hands and is under its control. Communes own 14.4 per cent of all forests; hereditary and church forests form 13.6 per cent of the forest area, while in the hands of private owners there is 61.3 per cent of the total forest area. Of the latter, 32.4 per cent is in the hands of large owners, and 28.9 per cent in the hands of small owners. The State takes better care of its forests than does any other owner; the forests that belong to churches and large owners receive next best care. The management of communal forests and of those belonging to small owners is poor. Austria is a good example of the influence of railroads on the exploitation of forests. Tnus, before railroads were built in the forested sections of the country, wood was the only fuel, and saw timber was frequently cut for firewood. With the building of rail- roads, coal was substituted for wood as fuel, and this brought a change in the utilization of the forests. The consumption of fire- wood by the city of Vienna may be of interest in this connection. Thus, while on an average for the decade 1848-1857, Vienna, then with a much smaller population than now, consumed each year 200,170 cords, of which 77,841 cords were beech wood; for the decade 1888-1897, the annual consumption of wood in Vienna fell to THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 11 51,708 cords, of which only 17,563 cords were beech wood. The price of beech firewood during these two periods was $8.76 and $8.01 per cord, respectively, and of soft woods during the same periods was $5.33 and $7.23 per cord, respectively. This decrease in the con- sumption of firewood and beech wood was due to increase in the consumption of coal and to the fact that beech in the fifties was rarely used for anything but firewood ; therefore, the best beech trees were consumed for this purpose. Now beech finds many uses, and is in great demand in the manufacture of furniture and other products; only the poorest grades are now cut for firewood. Of the 23,996,266 acres of forest, 20,390,867 acres are managed as high forest, and 3,605,399 acres as coppice and composite forest. PRESENT STAND AND ANNUAL GROWTH. The average yearly growth of all the Austrian forests is given as 1,041,234,000 cubic feet, or 42.4 cubic feet per acre. Timber forms 45 per cent of this annual growth. The forests under different man- agement produce different amounts. High forests produce 42.4 cubic feet per acre, of which 45 per cent is timber; composite forests (cop- pice with standards), 35.3 cubic feet per acre, of which 20 per cent is timber; and coppice, 32.5 cubic feet per acre, of which only 11 per cent is timber. The least growth is in Dalmatia, where of the total forest area only 7.4 per cent is high forest; and the same is true of Gorowitz and Istria, the other sea provinces. In the Tyrol Mountains the forest is scattered and the annual growth is not large, mainly because large areas are devoted to grazing. The total annual growth in the state forests has been estimated lately at 96,767,000 cubic feet. This, divided by the present area of state forests (which is 2,573,100 acres), gives 37.5 cubic feet per acre. There are, of course, districts where the annual growth in the state forests is as high as 70 cubic feet per acre. ANNUAL CUT. According to the latest figures, the annual cut in the Austrian forests varies from 1,413,000,000 to 1,580,000,000 cubic feet of wood, which amounts to from 60 to 67 cubic feet per acre. Since the average growth per acre is estimated at 42.4 cubic feet, this indicates that the forests are being overcut. HOME CONSUMPTION. In order to determine the home consumption of Austria, the exports must be deducted from the total cut. Since, however, the export figures are not given for Austria proper, but for Austria-Hungary as a whole, only the home consumption of the entire Empire can be calculated, and this will be given under the discussion of the forest resources of Hungary. The consumption of wood grows every year — not for firewood, as previously, but in such forms as ties for railroads and timber for the construction of railroad stations and cars. The consumption for railroads alone is estimated to be over 35,000,000 cubic feet each year. The paper and pulp factories now demand constantly increasing amounts of timber. 12 THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. WOOD PRICES. In upper and lower Austria, Styria, and Silesia the following prices prevail; the prices are per cubic foot at the place of cutting in the woods, but include the cost of transportation to the point of shipment along the road: 1848 1870 1897 Average price of soft woods (in logs) per cubic foot. Average price of cord wood per cord. Cents. 2.35 4.70 6.39 1848. 1870. 1897. Hard woods $1.90 $3.27 $4.63 Soft woods 1.42 2.42 3.41 In Bohemia and Moravia the following average prices prevail for timber per cubic foot and for firewood per cord : 1848. 1870. 1897. Timber: Hard woods (in logs) . . . $0.058 $0.087 $0. 115 Soft woods (in logs) .034 .054 .08 Firewood: Hard woods 2.63 4.20 4.91 Soft woods 2 03 3 06 3.98 In Galicia the wood prices per cubic foot are as follows: 1870. 1897. Timber: Hard woods (in logs)..'. $0.038 .*(). (kS4 Softs wood (in logs). . . . .028 .059 Firewood: Hardwoods 1.56 2.92 Soft woods . . 1 28 4 00 The figures show that the prices of forest products throughput Austria have increased to a great extent in the last fifty years. How- ever, the price of timber has risen much faster than the price of fire- wood; thus, while timber prices in many localities have trebled, the price of cord wood has only doubled. In Galicia the prices of saw logs and cord wood have doubled in the twenty-seven years between 1870 and 1897. THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 13 HUNGARY. FOREST AREA AND COMPOSITION. According to the latest figures available, the forest area of Hungary is 18,692,000 acres. In this are not included the forests of Croatia and Slavonia, which are a part of Hungary. The forests of Croatia and Slavonia include 3,769,000 acres. Since 1885 the forest area of Hungary, with Croatia and Slavonia, has decreased by 54,000 acres. In the northern part (in the Carpathian Mountains) the forests are chiefly hard woods, consisting of beech (1,463,400 acres), oak (1,374,300 acres), pine and spruce (1,776,600 acres), birch (72,900 acres), poplar and willow (27,000 acres), alder, maple, and locust (203,000 acres). The hard-wood forests of the Carpathian Mountains are managed as high forest and yield timber of excellent quality. Hard woods also predominate in the forests of eastern Hungary. The principal species there are beech (5,891,400 acres), oak (2,772,900 acres), spruce and pine (2,421,300 acres), birch (283,500 acres), willow and poplar (64,500 acres), alder, maple, elm, locust, basswood, and larch (70,200 acres). The lowland forests are mainly of poplar, willow, oak, locust, and beech, in all about 580,500 acres. In the forests of the western part, between the rivers Danube and Drave, hard woods also prevail. Beech occupies 596,700 acres, oak 866,700 acres, spruce and pine 2,800 acres, willow and poplar 89,800 acres, birch 86,400 acres, all other species 72,900 acres. The areas under different species show clearly that Hungary is principally a hard-wood region, while Austria is principally a conif- erous region in which conifers form 82 per cent of the total forest. Of Hungarian forests 1,182,600 acres are proclaimed as protection forests; 272,100 acres are on shifting sand; 16,889,800 acres are on forest land proper; while 4,116,500 acres are on soil which can not be called absolute forest land. The forests of Croatia and Slavonia, -which form the southern part of Hungary, extend between the rivers Drave and Save, and consist chiefly of hard woods. Coniferous forests occupy only 456,300 acres out of 3,769,000 acres of the total forest area. Following are the areas occupied by the different species for Hun- iry and Croatia and Slavonia separately and for the Hungarian om: Distribution of forests by States and for Kingdom. Species. Hungary. Croatia and Slavonia. Hungarian Kingdom. Oak forests Acres. 5 200 200 Acres. 828 000 Acres. 6 028 200 Beech and other hard woods (except oak) 9 247 500 2 484 000 11 731 'SOO Coniferous forests 4 244 300 457 000 4 701 300 Total 22 461 000 Thus the Kingdom of Hungary has 26.8 per cent of the total forest area under oak, 52.2 per cent under beech and other hard- wood species, 20.8 per cent under conifers, and 0.2 per cent underbrush. 14 THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. The following areas are managed in the Kingdom as high forest: 3,510,000 acres of oak, 8,367,000 acres of other hard woods, 4,649,400 acres of spruce and pine; the rest, 5,934,600 acres, is in composite and coppice forest, or which 25 per cent is simple coppice. The forests are distributed according to ownership as follows: Distribution of ownership by States and for Kingdom. . Hungary. Croatia and Slavonia. Hungarian Kingdom. State forest Acres. 2,859,000 A cres. 724,000 A cres. 3,583 000 Communal forest 3, 745, 000 394 000 4 139 000 Church forest . 1,207,000 92,000 1,299,000 Private and corporation forest «. 10,881,000 2,559,000 13 440 000 ANNUAL GROWTH AND PRESENT STAND. Approximate estimates of the annual growth were made in 1882 and 1894; they do not differ essentially. On an average, 1 acre of forest in Hungary yielded 44.4 cubic feet, and in Croatia and Slavonia 43.4 cubic feet. The annual yield per acre in coniferous forest was estimated at 58.5 cubic feet, that of oak forest 41.5 cubic feet, and all other forest 40 cubic feet. In the state forests the different species were found to yield the following grades of wood : Cord wood and wood for char- coal. Per cent. Per cent. Oak... 25 to 40 75 to 60 Beech 3 to 15 97 to 85 Conifers 70 to 85 30 to 15 These figures show that conifers yield the largest percentage of saw timber, and for this reason Hungary with its hard-wood forests can not export large quantities of structural timber, which must be secured chiefly from Austria. The total annual growth is given as 1,000,000,000 cubic feet. ANNUAL CUT. There are no figures available for the total cut in all the forests of Hungary proper. In the state forests the annual cut per acre is 30 to 33 cubic feet per acre, which is less than the annual growth. ANNUAL CONSUMPTION. There are no figures for the annual consumption in Hungary alone, so it will be considered together with Austria for the entire Empire. WOOD PRICES. Timber brings fairly good prices. Thus oak, the most valuable of all timber trees, is sold in southern Hungary on the stump at 6J to THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 15 11 cents per cubic foot; in Slavonia, at from 11 to 17 % cents per cubic foot. The market prices of saw timber vary from 44 to 55 cents per cubic foot, and sometimes go even as high as 77 cents. Coniferous wood does not command as high prices and is sold at 3.4 to 6.7 cents per cubic foot on the stump, while the finished product in the lumber yard brings as high as from 16 J to 44 cents per cubic foot. The prices per cubic foot vary according to the species and the kind of wood, as may be seen from the table below: Prices of lumber and cord wood on stump and in yard. On stump. In lumber yard. LUMBER. Oak Cents. 3.8 to 11.2 Cents. 9. 0 to 13. 7 Beech 8.7 11.0 Elm and maple 3.7 to 11.2 7. 3 to 13. 5 Spruce and pine 1.7 to 6.2 3. 8 to 8. 4 Larch 2. 2 to 8. 3 5.0 to 10.0 CORD WOOD. Oak $0. 60 to $3. 20 $2. 07 to $4 02 Beech $1. 31 to $2. 60 $2. 07 to $4. 01 In Croatia and Slavonia the stumpage is given as somewhat higher, especially for oak saw logs and oak staves. BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. In considering the forest resources of Austria-Hungary one must mention also the two Provinces under the control of Austria — Bosnia and Herzegovina. The forests of Bosnia and Herzegovina occupy 6,380,000 acres, of which 5,016,500 acres are state forests and the remaining 1,363,500 acres form private property. In the state forests 3,572,000 acres are high forest and 1,444,500 acres are coppice. The private forests have 351,000 acres of high forest and 1,012,500 acres of coppice. The annual cut amounts to 7,487,000 cubic feet of coniferous spe- cies, 1,413,000 cubic feet of oak, and 9,006,000 cubic feet of beech, besides a large amount of oak bark for tanning. The exploitation of the forests of Bosnia and Herzegovina is just beginning. Twenty years ago they were hardly used at all. ANNUAL CUT AND CONSUMPTION FOR THE EMPIRE OF AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. According to the latest data, the annual cut in all of the forests of Austria-Hungary, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, was 2,827,000,000 cubic feet of wood, or 53 cubic feet per acre. Of this cut one half was sawed into firewood, the other half made into saw logs, at an average price on the stump of 3.5 cents per cubic foot. The exports for the period between 1895 and 1899 were, on an aver- age, equal to 320,000,000 cubic feet on the stump. Deducting this 320,000,000 cubic feet from the total cut (2,827,000,000 cubic feet), there remains about 2,500,000,000 cubic feet of wood for home con- sumption. This, with a population of 43,825,000, would give a con- 16 THE FOEEST KESOUECES OF THE WOELD. sumption of 57 cubic feet to each inhabitant. This consumption was distributed roughly somewhat as follows: 530,000,000 cubic feet were sawed into lumber, 40,000,000 cubic feet were used by the rail- roads, 30,000,000 cubic feet were consumed by pulp and paper mills, and the rest was used by the people as round timber for construction and fuel. These estimates, though crude, give some idea of the consumption. CANADA. FOREST AREA. The forest area of Canada is estimated as 1,249,000 square miles, or 38 per cent of the total land area. Not all of this, however, is timber land; only about one-third, or 400,000 square miles, may be taken as covered with merchantable timber, the rest being brush land. According to Mr. Stewart, Superintendent of Forestry, Department of the Interior, Dominion of Canada, a very large portion of the Dominion forest lands is of little value for commercial purposes. His estimates, which are the latest and are authoritative, give only one- fifth of the 1,406,200 square miles as more or less wooded area, or only 280,000 square miles can be considered as timber land of com- mercial value. At an average stand of 2,000 feet b. m. per acre this would give about 360,000,000,000 board feet of mature timber. According to Mr. George Johnson, Statistician, Department of Agriculture, Dominion of Canada, the area of forests in the different provinces is as follows: TABLE 4. — Forest area of Canada by provinces. Provinces. Area of forest in square miles. Land area under forest. Prince Edward Island 800 Per cent. 40 Nova Scotia 6,500 31 New Brunswick 14 800 53 Ontario .... 102,100 46 Quebec . . . 116 500 51 Manitoba 25 600 40 British Columbia 285 600 75 Territories 697 100 29 Total 1 249 000 038 a Average. COMPOSITION. The Canadian forests are stocked with a large number of species, among which the three most important are white pine, found in the southeast part of the Dominion; spruce, occurring over Jarge areas; and Douglas fir, found principally in British Columbia. Besides these there are a large number of others which play a greater or less part in the lumber trade ; as, among the hard woods, ash, birch, elm, maple, beech, oak, hickory, etc. The bulk, however, is coniferous timber, as may be inferred from the fact that of the exports 94 per cent are conifers and only 6 per cent hard woods. THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 17 The principal forest areas are in the eastern and western provinces, the central part of Canada being occupied by large treeless prairies. The forests of Canada belong chiefly to the provincial governments and to the railroads. In Manitoba and in the Northwestern Terri- tories the forests are the property of the Dominion government and of Indian tribes. ANNUAL CUT AND CONSUMPTION The total annual cut as given by the census of 1891, amounts to 2,045,073,072 cubic feet, distributed among the different products as follows: Quantity. Cubic feet. Square timber tons . . 865,896 43,294,800 Logs, masts, and spars pieces 48. 852, 225 407,101,875 Staves M 92,260 791 128 Railroad ties and fence poles pieces 39, 048, 162 117, 144, 486 Telegraph poles do 303, 861 3,282 175 Fire, lath, and pulp wood and bark. . . ...cords. . 11,439,541 1,464,061,248 Shingles M 939, 736 9, 397, 360 Total 2,045,073,072 The exports were estimated at 613,000,000 cubic feet, which left 1,432,073,072 cubic feet for home consumption. This made a per capita consumption of 296.2 cubic feet. For the last eighteen years the cut has increased enormously. Professor Fernow estimates the present cut at about 2,400,000,000 cubic feet of finished material, which represents not less than 3,000,000,000 cubic feet as it grows in the forest, or about 17 cubic feet per acre. If to this be added the enormous loss of timber through fire, a loss estimated by some to be equal to nearly ten times the amount cut, the drain is at present probably greater than their productive powers; their exploitation is at the expense of the forest capital itself. There are no figures show- ing the growth per acre, but it is probably at best not more than 20 cubic feet. Schlich a gives the total cut of wood for the year 1900, as given in the census report of 1901, as 1,211,209,625 cubic feet, of which 503,527,545 cubic feet were in the form of timber and 707,682,080 cubic feet firewood. This figure, however, can not be the complete returns for the total cut because it is much smaller than the amount given by the census of 1891; the cut since then has increased. TIMBER PRICES. Table 5, on the following page, conveys an idea of the prices for the different kinds of wood derived from various species, based on the data obtained in the year 1900. a Forest Policy in the British Empire, VoL I of his Manual of Forestry. 55826°— Bull. 83—10 2 18 Till: I-'OKEST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. TABLE 5. — Quantity a) id raluc of timber and firewood in 1900. Class and kind of wood. Quantity in solid cubic feet. Value. Value, per cubic foot. Square, waney, or flat timber: Ash 416,308 .°i:'..M31. 70 SO. 104 Birch . . 1,203,564 ,044.16 .122 Elm 1,354,705 143,020. OS .105 MM. 346, 433 35,990.58 . 103 Oak 110,219 19,04'' 01 .172 Pine 2.381,310 445,389.84 .187 All other kinds 5,914,314 005,074.86 .102 Total or average 11,726,913 1,438,893.32 .122 Logs for lumber, ot;-.: Elm 8,224,100 640,421.36 .077 Hickory 165.000 19, 153. 26 .110 Hemlock 20,077,800 1,094,680.98 .054 Oak 1,042,100 149, 60.". MS .143 Pine 153,368,100 14,940 00 ; 66 008 Sprrce 104,067,600 7,140 137 04 008 All other kinds 78 751 600 4 968 582 12 003 Total or average :i(i.~>,096,300 28, 959, 184. 80 .079 Miscellaneous timber: Wood for pulp . . 53,442.720 2,107,791.72 .039 Fence posts 33,357,710 504.420 '.Hi .016 Masts and spars 313 880 28 192 86 089 Piling : Railroad ti<;s 2,402,632 32,607 IftJ 228,585.24 1,307 4'1 It* .095 .041 Poles for electric wires 2,040,888 202, 499. 06 .099 Hop and hoop pol?s . . . 596, 074 Staves, bolts, and headings 1 343 268 23 177 34 038 Total or average 126,104,332 4, 522, 088. 56 .036 Total of all timber Total of all firewood 503,527,545 707,682 080 34,920,166.68 14,141,171.16 .069 .01 (Jnind total of all wood.. 1,211,209,625 49,061.337.84 .04 Tarihark. . 427 203 72 18 676 98 49,507,218.54 RUSSIA. FOREST AREA AND DISTRIBUTION. The forest resources of Russia are enormous. The total forest area has recently boon given as 812,640,600 acres, though, as indicated bHow, this estimate is unquestionably excessive. The proportion of forest to total land area is 15.45 per cent. The forests are very unevenly distributed, hov.'ever, as is shown by the following table: •' SWITZERLAND. The following table shows that Switzerland, with its carefully managed and productive forests, is still increasing imports yearly with the development of industries, and must be reckoned with as a competitor in future bidding ft Imports arii ' Switzerland.0 Year. Imports. Exports. Excess of imports. Tons. Value. Tons. Value. Tons. Value. 1878... ...«. . 180,000 214,000 255,000 273,000 266,000 278,000 285,000 $1,160,000 1887. 1895 $2,580,000 3,160,000 2, 680, 000 2,840,000 3,140,000 54,000 64,000 79,000 77,000 64,000 380,000 520,000 660,000 640,000 500,000 201,000 209,000 187,000 201,000 221,000 $2,200,000 2,640,000 2,020,000 2,200,000 2,640,000 1900. 1901 1902. 1903 a Endres, loc. cit. The percentage of firewood constitutes over half of the total import, most of which comes from southern Germany and France. The import of sawed material exceeds that of logs, and most of it comes from Austria-Hungary. BELGIUM. The net imports of Belgium are surprisingly large when the small area of the country is considered, and they are increasing at a rapid rate. In the future they will certainly continue to increase and help swell the demand of western Europe for wood from foreign countries. - 78 THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. Imports and exports of Belgium. ° Year. Imports. Exports. Excess of imports. 1870 $4 480 000 $590 000 $3 960 000 1880. . 11, GOO' ooo 2 200 000 9 400 000 1890 14 080 000 2 660 000 11 420 000 1896.. 18,300 000 1900 26 940 000 2 980 000 23 960 000 1901 26, 520, 000 2 800 000 23 720 000 1902 26 860 000 660 000 26 200 000 1903 6 27, 960, 000 580 000 2~' 380 000 a Endres, loc. cit. 6 Represents 68,835,000 cubic feet. Sweden is the chief source of imports; then come Russia, Germany, and France. GREAT BRITAIN. Great Britain, on account of its scarcity of forests, its highly devel- oped industries, and its great coal production, imports more wood than any other country in the world. The English wood consump- tion has an influence on the lumber trade of the whole world and also on the price of lumber; therefore the inevitable increase in it is of great interest to the United States, especially in view of the amount of imports from Canada. Imports of Great Britain.0 Year. Quantity. Value. 1880 Cubicfeet. 321,159,400 1890 360,236 500 877 600 000 1900 496, 247, 400 125,484 050 1901 497 021 000 109 129 850 1902 498,718,400 122,156,950 1903 522 581 200 131 522 300 1904 . . . . 458,900,000 Endres, loc. cit. The greatest imports are in sawed and hewn wood. Scandinavia furnishes one-third of the imports, Russia one-fourth, and America one-fifth. The export is practically nothing. DENMARK AND NETHERLANDS. These countries have such small areas in forest as compared with their population that imports of timber are certain to increase, as they have steadily done in the last few years. ITALY. The imports of Italy have slowly increased for some years, and the increase in population and development of industries will certainly more than offset any increased production of the forests, which are now mostly coppice and managed under a short rotation. THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 79 SPAIN, PORTUGAL, AND GREECE. In spite of the fact that the industries of these countries are as yet scarcely developed, the forests can not supply the small consumption of .wood. As mines and other industries are developed the imports must increase rapidly and help make the European deficit of timber much greater than at present, for the forest area per capita is extremely small. TURKEY, BULGARIA, AND SERVIA. These countries import timber in increasing amounts, although they are well wooded and industries are undeveloped. There is no question that their forest areas are sufficiently extensive to supply the home consumption were they under rational management and transportation facilities developed. But by the time these improve- ments are brought about consumption will be much greater tnan at present, and the wasteful methods now in force wifl have greatly reduced the productive power of the forests. Considering the above facts, it seems safe to predict a continuation of the timber imports for some years at least. EXPORTING COUNTRIES. EUROPE. AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. We now come to the exporting countries of Europe. Since the annual cut is greater than the annual growth, it is evident that the exports of Austria-Hungary must be reduced, for the forests are nearly all under careful management and their productivity can be increased only to a limited extent. As seen below, the exports have steadily increased and may continue to do so for some years, but not for long. Wood export of Austria- Hungary. a Year. Exports. Tons. Value. Imports. Tons. Value. Excess of exports. Tons. Value. 1885. 1890. 1895. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1,746,000 2,258,000 2,457,000 2,398,000 4.237,000 3,903,000 3,605,000 4,238,000 $17,920,000 25,280,000 25,080,000 26.280,000 51,280,000 44,520,000 39,720.000 46,960,000 173,000 223,000 210,000 156,000 252,000 268,000 237,000 267,000 ?92( 1.000 1,400,000 ,960,000 ,480,000 ,800,000 ,760,000 ,720,000 ,840,000 1,573,000 2,035,000 2,247,000 2,242,000 3,985,000 3,635,000 3,368,000 3,971,000 $17,000,000 23,880,000 23,120,000 24,800,000 49,480,000 42,760,000 38,000,000 45,120,000 Year. Exported to— Ger- many. Italy. Russia. Balkan countries. Switzer- land. 1885. 1890. 1895. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. Per cent. 33 43 50 62 60 51 54 Percent. 14 11 18 14 16 18 17 Percent. 6 7 10 6 9 11 10 Per cent. 17 11 10 6 7 8 Per cent. 2.7 2.7 3.1 2.4 2.4 3.0 2.9 Endres, loc, cit. 80 THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. RUSSIA. The forests of Russia are capable of permanently producing much more timber than is now cut from them. In fact, the generally increasing deficit of wood in Europe must be met in large part from Russia. The following table shows how the exports of Russia have increased : Russian exports to different countries.11 Year. Tons. Value. Year. Exported to— England. Germany. Holland. France. 1885 $13,230,000 15,100,000 23,360,000 29,165,000 28,625,000 27,700,000 32,650,000 1894 Per cent. 50 46 40 41 43 Per cent. 24 28 35 32 30 Per cent. 9 8 10 12 12 Per cent. 8 8 7 7 7 1890 1895 1896 1897 1900 1900 1901 1901. . 1902 3,4(iO,000 4,090,000 1903 a Endres, loc. cit. Russia's imports are limited to the southern parts, and are mainly from Austria and Roumania. In 1901 the total imports were 756,600 tons, with a value of $4,560,000. FINLAND. Finland can no doubt increase her exports considerably, for the private forests cut but 0.2 of a cubic foot per acre more than the annual growth, while the 38.7 per cent of the forests which the State controls do not cut nearly so much as the growth. The following table shows the rapid development of the sawmill industry in recent years : Development of the sawmill industry, by years.® 1870. 1886. 1890. 1892. 1895. 1896. 1899. 'NuTnhp.r of sawmjlls 132 245 341 376 427 464 460 Endres, loc. cit. In 1899, 248 sawmills were run by steam and 212 by water. Six- teen thousand workmen were employed. Exports of Finland.** Year. Quantity. Value. Year. Quantity. Value. 1860 Cubicfeet. $1,920,000 1885 Cubicfeet. 79, 425, (XX) $7,880,000 1865 3 740 000 1895 122,491,000 12,200,000 1870 2,640,000 1901 164,851,000 20,300,000 1875 7,540,000 1902 168,381,000 21,620,000 1880 11,140,000 1903 211,800,000 26,200,000 a Endres, loc. cit. THE FOEEST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 81 SWEDEN. Sweden's annual cut is less than the annual growth, and the forests may be expected to supply the home demands and allow the country to continue to increase exports to some extent. The following table shows the rate of increase in them of late years : Exports of Sweden. a Year average of— Quantity. Value. Year average of— Quantity. Value. 1871-1875... Cubic feet. 116,490,000 $21,175,000 1897... Cubicfeet. 246 750 000 «O7 fiflfl flAT| 1876-1880 130, 960, 000 22,075 000 1898 236 Ifif) fVX) 1881-1885 161,670 000 24 125 000 1899 1886-1890 183, 560, 000 24, 625, 000 1900 245 690 000 1891-1895 210, 040, 000 28 275 000 1901 2i q qon non 1896 235,800,000 32, 975, 000 1903 243 570 000 a Endres, loc. cit. Great Britain takes about half of the Swedish exports, then come France, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Cape Colony, Australia, and South America. Planed boards go chiefly to Netherlands, Cape Colony, England, and Australia. The large number of floatable streams in Sweden have been impor- tant factors in enabling it to take one of the foremost places in the world's timber market. The wood industry has been intensively developed. In 1898 there were 1,030 saw and planing mills, which employed 40,700 workmen; in addition there were 501 other wood- working establishments, with 22,300 workmen; as motive power, 507 turbines, 706 steam engines, and 178 electric motors were used. NORWAY. The forests of Norway are now being overcut, so that the exports, which have not increased much since 1870, will evidently decrease in the future. Exports of Norway, by amounts and values.® Year. Quantity. Value. 1870. . . Cubicfeet. 67,211.000 1876-1880 63,964 000 1886-1890. . . 65, 517, 000 $7,875,000 1895 59, 128, 000 6 900 000 1900 70,671 000 10 675 000 1901 63,717,000 8,900,000 1902 . . 69, 259, 000 9 575 000 1903 75,260 000 11 125 000 1904 63, 434, 000 9,075,000 a Endres, loc. cit. Exports of wood-pulp material are also very important, and in 1904 reached a value of $7,500,000. 55826°— Bull. 83—10 6 82 THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. The exports were distributed as follows: Distribution of timber exports of Norway. a Year. South Africa. Great Britain. Belgium. Nether- lands. France. Germany. Denmark. Australia. 1881 Per cent. Per cent. 64 0 Per cent. 2 8 Per cent. 10 0 Per cent. 10 0 Per cent. 4 5 Per cent. 4 3 Per cent. 1887 2.0 63.4 7.2 6.6 8.6 4.3 2 1 3 3 1898 2 5 57 0 9 0 9 0 5 0 5 0 7 0 1900 2.1 63.0 8.4 6. 1 4.9 4.5 1 9 5 9 1901 3.0 63.0 7.4 4.9 5.5 3 9 1 7 6 G a Endres, loc. cit. Small amounts of timber go to Sweden, Iceland, Spain, and Brazil. ROUMANIA. Satisfactory data as to the cut and growth of forests in Romania can not be had, but the forest area per capita is too small to expect much increase in export in the future, although of late years it has grown rapidly, as transportation developed. SUMMARY FOR EUROPE. The following table shows the great increase in the export timber trade of the world's leading export countries. Value of export timber trade of leading export countries. a Country. Average of years — 1881-1890. 1891-1895. 1896-1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. Sweden $27, 100, 000 9,350,000 8, 700, 000 16,925,000 23,875,000 21,375,000 23,000,000 $31,450,000 7,850,000 10,175,000 22, 700, 000 25, 800, 000 21,250,000 23,450,000 $40, 675, 000 11,325,000 17,500,000 29,250,000 42, 500, 000 40,300,000 27,825,000 $37,250,000 10,000,000 20,300,000 30,900,000 47,300,000 41,375,000 29,850,000 $38, 750, 000 10,750,000 21,625,000 29,925,000 42,200,000 52,075,000 33,500,000 $41,500,000 14, 000, (XX) 26, 250, 000 35, 250, (XX) 49,900,000 51, 550, (XX) 31,400,000 Norway . Finland Russia Austria-Hungary ... United States Canada . Total 130, 325, 000 142,675,000 209,375,000 216,975,000 228,825,000 249,850,000 a Endres, loc. cit. In 1903 the total import of Europe was 1,164,900,000 cubic feet,0 and the total export 1,023,700,000 cuoic feet, showing an excess import of 141,200,000 cubic feet. This balance is made up chiefly from Canada and the United States. A brief summary of Europe leads to the following conclusions: 1. The leading import countries, Great Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland, etc., are rapidly increasing the amount of their imports, and this increase is certain to continue. 2. Russia, Finland, and Sweden only of the export countries can increase to any great extent their export without reducing their tim- ber capital. Endres, loc. cit. THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 83 3. Norway and Austria-Hungary are already overcutting, and will in all probability have to reduce their exports in the future. In view of these facts, with the rising prices of timber, it is certain that any increased exports from Russia, Finland, and Sweden will be eagerly competed for by Great Britain, France, Germany, etc., and there will be no surplus of any consequence for the United States, handicapped as it is by greater distance, and hence greater cost for transportation. Hence in case of a failure of our timber resources, we must look to other than the European countries for a source of supply. AFRICA. EGYPT. Egypt has no forests in the true sense of the word, but is interest- ing as a buyer. The industrial development and railroad building which the last few years have seen in Egypt, and which give every sign of continuing, will certainly result in increased demand for timber. The following table shows the important increase of it in late years. Imports of Egypt. a Year average. Structural timber. Firewood. Quantity. Value. 1885-1889 $1,547.000 2,161,500 2,481,500 2,122,000 2, 505, 500 3.170,500 3,213,500 Cubic feet. 1890-1894 3,187,000 2,355,000 $220,000 136,000 1895 18% 1897 1898 1899 . a From A. A. Raclzig, [Forests and Forestry in Various Countries, a Statistical Investigation]. St. Peters- burg, 1902. SOUTH AFRICA. The forests of South Africa are entirely inadequate to supply home needs, and the imports are certain to continue to increase with the population and industrial development. Imports of Cape Colony and Natal.a Year. Cape Colony. Natal. 1890-18Q5 $575,500 $417,000 1895-1899 859,000 876,000 From A. A. Radzig, loc. cit. These imports amount to 5,000,000 cubic feet, the annual average for the years 1895-1899. The following countries sent in 1895 to South Africa the amounts shown on page 84. 84 THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. Exports to South Africa. Country. Quantity. Country. Quantity. Sweden . . Cubic feet. 2, 4G5. 777 India and Burma Cubic feet. 5<> 679 Norway 1,041,327 New Zealand 32 548 United States 1,020,144 South Africa 1,592 Great Britain ... 183, 121 CENTRAL AFRICA. The forests of Central Africa are little known, but their area is not so great as commonly supposed, and the chief species of commercial value are expensive hard woods, which have no bearing on the ques- tion of the supply of common timber for the United States. NORTH AFRICA. The countries of North Africa, other than Egypt, have barely suffi- cient forest for the low home consumption, except Algeria, which has already had to import timber. With increased railroad building and general development this import will increase. Imports of Algeria. Year average. Value. 1890-1894. 1895-1899. $813, 500 814,000 A review of Africa shows, then, a timber import destined to in- crease in the future in all but the central part, which is utterly unde- veloped and can export only costly woods. ASIA (EXCLUSIVE OF SIBERIA). CHINA. The reasons why China will continue to import in rapidly increasing amounts have been fully brought out; that it will take the surplus of eastern Siberia and continue to draw on the United States and Canada is certain. Imports of structural timber of China. Year average. Value. Year average. Value. 1867-1870 $261,500 1885-1889 $744,000 1871 1875 440,500 1890-1894 1,074,500 1876-1879 616 500 1895-1899 1,201,000 1880-1884 592, 000 PERSIA. The forests of Persia are limited in extent and do not produce woods of common use to an extent to supply any timber for export. THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. CEYLON, STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, INDO-CHINA, ETC. 85 These minor countries of Asia are too little known and their for- ests are too little explored to give any basis for definite predictions. However, it may be said in a general way that they will not develop sufficiently for many years to import much structural timber and their exports are solely of valuable woods which are not important in this discussion. BRITISH INDIA. The exports of India consist of teak and other valuable woods, and it is found necessary to import structural timber. Thus India, while an export country from the point of view of value, is an import coun- try if only common woods be considered, and will no douot so con- tinue, for any greater supply made available by better transportation facilities will be offset by greater consumption, following develop- ment of industries. The following table gives the exports of India for 1903-4, and shows the kind of forest products exported. Exports of India, 1903-4 a Material. Quantity. Value. Caoutchouc Tons. 90 $115, 732 Lac 11,781 9,079 320 Sandal ebonv and other ornamental woods 403 163 Cutch and gambler . . . .... .... 5,652 657,904 Myrobolans 61 480 1 403 429 Teak timber 73,913 3, 048, 536 Cardamoms 128 112,538 Total . . 4,820,622 a Schlich, Forest Policy. JAPAN. Conflicting figures are given by different statisticians on the timber trade of Japan, according to how much they include under timber. If only structural timber is considered, Japan is an importing coun- try by a small margin, while if all woods be considered it is an export- ing country. Japan can supply home needs when all the forests are accessible, but will probably not be able to export any saw-log timber. Certainly this country can not look for any supplies from Japan, for any surplus will in all probability go to Manchuria, since the shorter distance and Japan's interest in developing that country would enable it to outbid the United States. The following table gives the exports and imports of wood and wood products, except match wood, in recent years. Value of exports and imports of Japan.0 1892. 1896. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. Export $135, 000 $460,000 $980, 000 $655,000 $660,000 $980,000 $1,335,000 Import 40,000 145,000 450,000 355,000 380,000 335,000 255,000 Net exports 95,000 315,000 530,000 300,000 280,000 645,000 1,080,000 a Endres, loc. cit. 86 THE FOKEST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. AUSTRALASIA. There is a difference of opinion as to whether poor condition result- ing from abuse or inaccessibility is the cause of the insufficiency of Australasia's forests to supply home needs at present. In any case, the imports are sure to continue to increase for some years, and it is very unlikely that any surplus timber for export will ever be pro- duced. The following table gives the net exports or imports of each of the colonies for the period 1894-1899: Value of net exports and imports by colonies. a Net exports. Net imports. Western Australia $789,500 Victoria $1,364 000 New Zealand 758,500 New South Wales 1 344 000 Tasmania 154 500 South Australia 1 003 500 Queensland 29 000 Total 3 711 500 Total 1,731,500 Total net exports 1,731,500 Net imports of all Australasia 1 980 000 a From A. A. Radzig, loc. cit. HAWAII. Hawaii, with only about 1,175,000 acres of forest, and developing industries, can export only a trifling amount of timber. THE PHILIPPINES. The Philippine Islands contain about 49,000,000 acres of wooded land, and the estimate per acre given is 2,500 board feet, which gives a total of 122,500,000,000 board feet of merchantable timber. The Philippines import timber for two reasons — the inaccessibility of their own forests at present, and the need of light, easily worked wood. In time, as transportation is developed and the forests are made accessible, the native forests should supply nearly all the home consumption, and leave enough over for export to equal or surpass the quantity imported of certain classes of timber which are not found in the islands. But owing to the small amount of total stand, and the fact that there are only about 2 acres per capita in commer- cial forest, the increase in consumption with development of indus- tries and increase in population will prevent the timber export from ever being an important factor in supplying the United States. SUMMARY FOR ASIA. A brief summary of Asia results in the following conclusions: (1) China and Australasia are import countries; the imports of the former will increase rapidly, while Australasia will probably not increase the amount of her import much; (2) Japan and India export valuable woods and import structural timber; (3) these coun- tries will be buyers of saw-log timber, and can not be counted on as possible sources of supply for the United States, but must be regarded rather as possible competitors; (4) the Philippines, though now an THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 87 importing country, should be able to export sufficient timber, when the wood industry is developed, to offset the imports. TROPICAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. MEXICO, WEST INDIES, AND CENTRAL AMERICA. These States now import timber not so much because they have none, but for the reason that it is at present inaccessible. Whether forest exploitation will develop as rapidly as other industries and the amount of imports remain stationary or be reduced or whether they will increase can not be safely predicted. It would seem that there will always be an export of manogany, cedar, and other valu- able woods, and it is most probable that there will continue to be an import of common woods. SOUTH AMERICA. For many years South America will continue to export hard woods, dye woods, etc., and import lumber and construction material. Eventually, as the countries develop, the great forests now inacces- sible will be opened up, and should supply home consumption, which will have increased greatly by that time. The imports will no doubt not increase to any serious extent, but are more likely to diminish. At the same time, the exports can not be counted on as a source of supply for this country for the reason above stated — that by the time the forests are accessible the country will have developed so much that home consumption will have greatly increased, and also because the forests are so situated that logging and transportation will be so costly as to prohibit the use of the wood for construction in this country. NORTH AMERICA. ALASKA. Alaska has approximately 107,000,000 acres of forest land, of which 37,000,000 acres, situated along the south coast and the river valleys, bear relatively heavy forests of valuable species, while the remaining 70,000,000 occupy the interior to the limit of tree growth. The interior forest consists for the most part of scattered stands, and only from 50 to 75 per cent of it can be said to be actually forested. Estimating these stands to run 500 board feet to the acre, the interior forest contains not over 21,000,000,000 feet, board measure. This timber runs small and knotty, and is insufficient to supply the needs of the mining population, largely because much of it is inaccessible with the present means of transportation. With the increasing devel- opment of mines it is safe to assume that this interior forest will continue to be needed for local consumption and may fall short of supplying it. The forests of the south coast and of the river valleys, on the other hand, are often dense and the trees large. Toward the north the trees fall off in size and the forest gradually assumes the character of the northern forest. Estimating the average stand per acre, at 2,000 feet, the total stand for this forest amounts to 75,000,000,000 feet, board measure, not quite twice the annual lumber cut of the United States. In this part of Alaska fisheries and oil 88 THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. developing are the principal industries, so that the home consump- tion or timber is not so great, and in all probability this region may in the future, when transportation is developed, be able to export timber to the United States. However, owing to the relatively small amount of forest, it can contribute but a very small part of the tim- ber used by this country. CANADA. The Canadian forests are being cut and burned faster than they are growing, as already shown, and yet the exports are growing steadily, as shown below: Yearly average and values of exports of Canada. a 1881-1890 $23,000,000 1891-1895 23,450,000 1896-1900 27,825,000 1901 29,850,000 1902 33,500,000 1903 31,400,000 In 1904 the value of wood imported was $9,000,000. It is evident, then, that Canada, the only country which the United States can now count on for any considerable amount of timber, will not long remain a source of supply to the United States. .> CONCLUSION. The review of the timber trade of the various countries of the world shows a steady increase in wood consumption and imports of nearly all the leading import countries, anoTout three important countries, Russia, Finland, and Sweden, which can increase theirexport without lessening their forest capital. This increase will be needed in western Europe to make up the growing deficit there, and will not be a source of supply for the United StatesV Thus the tendency is toward a greater overcutting of timber on the'part of the export countries, to make up the increasing deficit of the import countries, which policy, if continued, would lead to a universal shortage, with no surplus to draw upon. This picture, gloomy as it may seem, is offset by the birth or a new economic force — the general appreciation of the value of forests and the movement toward the introduction of rational forest management by all civilized peoples. There is no doubt what- ever that there is enough accessible actual and potential forest land in civilized countries to produce, under proper management, an abundance of timber to supply indefinitely the world's growing demand. Doctor Schlich states, in his Forest Policy, that by planting up waste lands hi Great Britain much of the annual import could be replaced by home-grown timber. If any material results can be expected in Great Britain, this country, with its great existing forests and large amount of permanent forest land, can certainly supply its timber needs. Not only of necessity, in view of the lack of any adequate foreign source of supply, but also from national pride and the desire to preserve a tremendous native industry, the United « Endres, loc. cit. THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 89 States should introduce rational forest management. At present, forest management would consist in large part of conservative treat- ment of existing forests with a relatively small amount of planting. If postponed until a timber shortage forces the United States to action, it would face the problem of the slow conversion of scrubby woodland into productive forest and the costly planting of denuded wastes on a very large scale. While the present area of wooded land in the United States is usually estimated as 545,000,000 acres, some of this is of no commercial value, and much is inevitably destined, with the increase in the population of the country, to be cleared for agriculture. The area or land so situated as to be permanent forest land is about 450,000,000 acres, of which 100,000,000 will con- sist of farm woodlots. The inevitable increase in wood consumption, following increase in population and growth of industries, will thus have to be supplied from a diminished forest area. Therefore, the only solution of the problem of a wood supply is to begin now to prepare for making^ a diminished forest area supply an increased population. This " means that the land should be surveyed and classified by the Government, and forest management applied to the permanent forest land now — before it is too late. ^ REFERENCES. Sweden — Statistiska centralbyran. La Sue"de, son peuple et son Industrie. Stock- holm, 1900. Adolf Zoeppritz. Waldungen und Holzgewinnung in Nordschweden. Davos, 1884. L. Passarge. Schweden. Fahrten in Nordschweden und Lappland. Berlin, 1897. Great Britain — Board of trade. Statistical abstracts for foreign countries, Nos. 24-27. London, 1897-1901. 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Economie forestiere, vol. 1-3. Paris, 1904-1907. Leopold Hufnagel. Handbuch der kaufmannischen Holzverwertung und des Holzhandels. Berlin, 1905. Eugen Laris. Die Handels-Usancen im Welt-Holz-Handel und Verkehr. Berlin, 1889. A. Mathey. Traite d'exploitation commerciale des bois, vol. 1-2. Paris, 1906-1908. Publications of the United States Forest Service. o THIS RETURN FORESTRY LIBRARY TO— *> 260 Mulford Hall LOAN PERIOD 1 |2 ~ QUARTER 3 4 5 6 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS DUE AS STAMPED BELOW UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY ORM NO. DP 15, 6m, 3/80 BERKELEY, CA 94720 U. C. BERKELEY RETURN TO the circulation desk of any University of California Library NORTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY Bldg. 400, Richmond Field Station University of California Richmond, CA 94804-4698 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS .2-month loans may be renewed by calling (510)642-6753 . Vyear loans may be recharged by bnng.ng books to NRLF . 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