NATIONAL NEEDS AND SUSTAINED ANNUAL YIELD OF 

 THE NATION 



By Russell Watson 

 Assistant Professor of Forestry, Unirersity of Michigan 



The following approximations of possible timber growth in the 

 United States may be of interest. 



The assumption is generally held that the country is using timber 

 some three or four times as fast as it is growing. It is interesting now, 

 to see what the total national possibilities are of timber production.^ 

 Is it possible, on the available forest land of the country, to produce 

 as much timber as is needed by the nation, or will the 463.5 millions of 

 acres of such timber land grow each year much more timber than we 

 will ever use annually? In short, if we use no more wood in the 

 future than we do now, can we be self-supporting under good forest 

 management, or must we expect to be importers ? 



Consider the loss of grow'th as a result of insects, fire, etc.. as a 

 minimum, and consider the forest well stocked with trees — not the 

 theoretical normal stocking, but rather just nicely stocked — that is, 

 about TO per cent normal stocking. Also consider that the forests are 

 well stocked with the more desirable species of trees, not scrub stuff, 

 culls or weed trees. The grow^th resulting from this, then, may be 

 said to be as good a grow^th as may reasonably be expected. But note 

 that it is promised that the forest protection is good. As good as is 

 given in the better European forests. 



It is believed the figures of growth in Table 1 Vv-ill be found to be 

 about true . 



These figures are interesting in comparison with the better European 

 results in forestry. On the Wurttemburg State Forests of Germany 

 (about 500,000 acres), the average actual production for the period 

 1900 to 1908 was TT cubic feet per acre per annum. 



The English are figuring about 1:5 cubic feet per acre per annum as 

 their possible production in Great Britain. - 



^ Production here means production of the forest in the form of growth ; that 

 is, forest production equals forest growth of merchantable wood. Production 

 does not mean the cut. 



"Report Forest Subcommittee, Reconstruction Committee, England, 1918. 



390 



