LUMBERING IN RUSSIA 



675 



leaf and shortleaf pines, however, hav- 

 ing slower growth, planting from a 

 commercial standpoint is hardly yet 

 feasible. The Forest Service is now 

 experimenting with the possibility of 

 introducing maritime pine, the naval 

 stores pine of the Mediterranean coun- 



tries, which makes rapid growth and 

 produces an excellent quality of rosin 

 and turpentine, on cut-over pine lands 

 in the Southeast. This work, however, 

 is still in an experimental stage and its 

 possibilities are not yet fully known." 



LUMBERING IN RUSSIA 



By Consul W. F. Doty, Riga 



LUMBERING is one of the prin- 

 cipal industries of the Riga con- 

 sular district and provides em- 

 ployment in the forests through the 

 winter months for a large proportion of 

 the agricultural population of these 

 provinces. 



The region from which the lumber 

 is obtained comprises a forest area of 

 53,473,732 acres, situated in 14 Prov- 

 inces and yielding timber for the most 

 part of medium-sized red and white 

 pine. Other varieties available but of 

 less importance to the trade are birch, 

 alder, and aspen. Of these forests 9,- 

 374,310 acres are State owned, 36,891,- 

 245 acres are manorial woods, 2,730,113 

 acres are Crown lands, and the remain- 

 ing 4,478,064 acres are peasant and 

 other tracts. 



The value of forest lands in this dis- 

 trict depends upon several conditions, 

 the two main being locality and the 

 amount of timber obtainable for ex- 

 port purposes. An average price per 

 acre can not be given, as in addition to 

 the timber suitable for the export trade, 

 which mainly influences the price, there 

 is often a considerable quantity of in- 

 ferior stuff available for local consump- 

 tion in the shape of firewood, shingles, 

 etc. For a forest lying near the River 

 Dvina the value per dessiatine may 

 range from 100 rubles for ordinary 

 growth to 300 rubles for special growth 

 ($19.07 to $57.22 per acre). 



Timber is usually sold in this district 

 either in tracts for a stated sum, or at 

 prices varying with the dimensions of 

 the logs. The logs coming to Riga 



range from 7 to 9 inches at top; the 

 bulk are 8 and 7 inches, the quantity 

 over 9 inches thick being very small. 



Felling the trees and hauling the logs 

 to the railroad or nearest stream is for 

 the most part possible only during the 

 season of snow roads in winter, and is 

 either undertaken by the purchaser, 

 usually a lumber dealer, or the seller 

 agrees to deliver the logs to the con- 

 tracted spot, whereby it often happens 

 that a mild winter or the absence of 

 snow roads makes it impossible to haul 

 out the logs from the forest and penal- 

 ties for breach of contract are incurred. 



The prices paid for felling and haul- 

 ing vary according to the price of labor 

 current in the district and the distance 

 to be hauled. An estimate of the cost 

 cf bringing to Riga an average log of 

 28 feet length, diameter at butt end 11 

 inches, at top 8 inches, from a forest 

 in the Province of Vitepsk lying 10 

 miles from the river Dvina, gives, per 

 fathom of 7 feet: Felling and hauling, 

 15 kopecks; making roads in forest, 3 

 kopecks ; tying into rafts, 3 kopecks ; 

 rafting to Riga, 15 kopecks; making a 

 total of 36 kopecks, or 18^/2 cents. 



The cost of sawing at the railroad is 

 stated to be $5.15 per standard of 165 

 cubic feet; cartage at station, $1.03 per 

 standard; average railroad freight to 

 Riga, $5.15 per standard. The total ex- 

 penses — sawing, lighterage, etc. — in- 

 surred at Riga to convert logs which 

 have been rafted down the river into 

 lumber for export would amount to 

 $9.27 per standard. Sawmill charges 

 at Riga are $6.70 per standard. 



