60 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



remain now barely 750 million acres in forest. Even of this, two- 

 thirds are foimd in European Russia and Finland and abovit 250 

 million acres in the rest of Europe. In some countries — Great Britain, 

 for instance — nearly 95 per cent of all the original forest is gone. In 

 France, Spain, Belgium, Rumania, and Greece, from 80 to 90 per cent 

 of the original forest has been destroyed ; in Bulgaria, Serbia, and 

 European Russia exclusive of Finland, from 60 to 70 per cent; and 

 in North America the original forest has shrunk from some 823 million 

 acres to 463 million acres in the course of three centuries." 



In spite of the disappearance of the forest, and the wider use of 

 steel, brick, and concrete, more wood is used today than ever before. 

 Iti 1880 the United States consumed annually 300,000 cords of pulp- 

 wood, today 6,000,000 cords are used. In 1911 the per capita con- 

 sumption of wood in England was three times that of 60 years ago. 



The evil economic and social effects of forest devastation is promi- 

 nent. It is estimated that in the United States there are 80,000,000 

 acres of idle land once forested that is mostly unfit for growing agri- 

 cultural crops. 



The paper ends with calling attention to the new movement toward 

 rational management of forests. The closing paragraphs are worth 

 quoting. 



"Nearly every civilized country at the present time has adopted or is 

 considering measures for the perpetuation of the existing forests, or 

 even for extending their present area. Thus England which, because 

 of her insular position and proximity to countries still possessing vast 

 forest areas and because of her cheap water transportation, could best 

 of all get along with a small forest area has now, as a result of bitter 

 experience during the war, worked out a plan for planting some 

 1,700,000 acres and providing a forest area sufficient to sustain her 

 domestic needs in case of emergency for three years. France, which 

 for over a century has been carefully husbanding her forests, is fur- 

 ther elaborating plans for their careful management and is enlarging 

 her forest nurseries for extensive planting. Germany, Switzerland, 

 Italy, Norway, Sweden, and New Zealand are also considering means 

 of increasing forest products. Even in our own country the main- 

 tenance and protection of existing forests has become a pressing ques- 

 tion of the day. 



"Nearly all of the forests now found in western Europe are man- 

 made. With increase in population more intensive use of all resources 

 became necessary, especially of those resources which through more 

 intensive application of labor, knowledge, and skill could be made to 

 produce more fully. Forests being a poor-land crop prove more 

 profitable than agricultural crops on non-agricultural lands. The day 



