98 Forestry Quarterly. 



long experience as a lumberman, should endeavor to present a 

 summary of the standing spruce timber of the state. The results 

 of his inquiry render hira very sanguine. His estimate of stand- 

 ing timber is 21 billion feet B. M. of spruce alone, 9 inches and 

 over breast diameter, and as he supposes the annual growth on 

 this amount to be 3 per cent., he thinks the accretion is not 

 exceeded by the cut. Such figures promise well for business 

 prosperity in Maine, although Mr. Ring seems to believe that 

 certain regions are in the way of being depleted. It appears that 

 Maine has vast timber resources in the great wild region north of 

 Moosehead Lake, a region which up to the present has been only 

 lightly cut into, and that, for mills located on the St. John River 

 in New Brunswick. 



Wholesale timber estimates which do not seem to prove that 

 dire and early calamity is upon us are so rare a thing that those 

 interested will be likely to inquire carefully as to the basis on 

 which they are founded. Mr. Ring has not had much money at 

 his disposal and does not pretend to say that his figures are based 

 to any large degree on original examinations, nor perhaps would 

 they be any better for that. Until reliable and thorough-going 

 surveys can be made the estimates of owners and others interested 

 in tracts in question must be accepted as the best information of 

 their stand that can be had. This information Mr. Ring pro- 

 fes.ses to have gatliered with care, and without positive proof to 

 the contrarj' his figures cannot be discredited. 



But it behooves us to bear in mind the limitation of accuracy in 

 timber estimates and to recognize clearly on how uncertain a 

 basis our anticipations whether roseate or the reverse are founded. 

 It is well known that no man estimating in timber, with which 

 he is thoroughly familiar, and in moderate sized and compact 

 bodies can depend on coming nearer than 25'/^ of the truth, and 

 on timber as it stands in our woods and on large tracts he needs 

 a much larger percentage of leeway. Furthermore it needs to 

 be considered tliat the woods of Maine have not been explored 

 by one man, but by a vast number with very various ideas and 

 all kinds of experience, while a great number of townships cannot 

 be said to have been explored at all. All tliis renders these 

 whole.sale timber estimates very uncertain indeed. If they con- 

 vey abroad a contrary impression and delay the time when really 



