KKVIEWS 861 



which less than $35,000 for planting schemes, the balance mostly for 

 educational purposes. 



Only incomplete statistics are available upon which to base the com- 

 mittee's calculations. They bring out the facts that the United King- 

 dom has the smallest forest area per capita in Europe, namely, 4 per 

 cent, with a little over three million acres, of which one million are 

 unproductive; that 45,000,000 cubic feet is the annual cut, which could 

 be increased to 60 million; that before the war importations had in- 

 creased steadily for hewed and sawed material and staves for the last 

 half century at the rate of 5 per cent (5 million cubic feet per year), 

 or from 3.5 cubic feet per capita in 1851 to 10.5 cubic feet in 191 1. 

 trebling in 60 years ; that, including all forest products and derivatives, 

 the average of imports for the 5 years from 1909 to 191 3 was valued 

 at $227,000,000, rising in 191 5, with reduced quantities, to $260,000,000. 

 It is significant to note that nearly half the import of coniferous wood 

 and pitwood came from Russia, some 250,000,000 cubic feet, which not 

 unlikely accounts in part for the Archangel campaign. The continu- 

 ance of wood imports from Scandinavia, next in amount, is also ques- 

 tionable, having dropped off in later years, and anxiety of further re- 

 duction from all countries leads the committee to treat the problem of 

 growing home supplies as a safety problem. "The United Kingdom is 

 dependent for more than 60 per cent of its timber on the virgin forests 

 of foreign countries which are being steadily depleted." 



A continuous rise in prices of wood adds to the national anxiety 

 about wood supplies. This advance began sharply since 1895, but, of 

 course, progressed excessively during the \var years. A table gives 

 comparison of the average prices for 1909-13 and the years 191 5 and 

 T916. Calling the price in the first period 100, an increase to 161 and 

 186 in the first and to 254 and 287 in the second year is quoted for the 

 more important items. It is calculated that in these two years $185.- 

 000.00 excess over the previous period was paid for wood supplies. 



Upon the basis of these data the necessity of a national forest policy 

 with a view to increasing home supplies is argued. 



Just as the reviewer has contended as regards our own forestry prob- 

 lem, the committee concludes that "the problem of bringing woods in 

 private ownership to a uniform state of high productivity has not yet 

 been satisfactorily solved, though many countries have attacked it 

 energetically. We think, therefore, that any effective scheme for the 

 intensive management of British woods would necessarily have to be 

 based on State purchase, and State purchase of existing woods must 



