820 



JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



The data in Table 1 indicate that we now have (on 200-year rotation) : 



1. Thirty-three times as much bare land as we should have. 



2. Double the area of 1-40 year old stuff that we should have. 



3. Of stands 40-60 years old, we have about the correct amount in area, 



but these stands are notoriously poor of condition. 



4. Serious deficit in material over 60 years old. 



5. About 160 million acres or over 34 per cent of total area in bare land 



plus stuff under 40 years old, and this area growing at the rate of 

 about 5 million acres more each year. 



Table 1 on page 819 by Professor Roth is of interest here. It con- 

 siders the United States as a whole as a forest property under manage- 

 ment, and indicates convincingly the condition of our forests in regards 

 to age-classes. It is noticed that age classes from 0-40, and of mature 

 timber, are well represented ; but that the ages in between, which should 

 be ripe for the ax when the older mature timber is cut, are conspicuously 

 small in area covered. The table indicates the serious, well nigh, fatal 

 condition of our forests from the standpoint of adequate supplies for 

 the near future. 



Assuming that the future rotation will be approximately 120 years 

 (as an average for all forest regions), then our existing forests ar- 

 range themselves about as follows : 



Table 2.— Age Class Conditions of Forests of United States on a Rotation of 

 120 Years. 



This again brings out the following points : 



1. The large proportion of waste land. 



2. The large surplus of areas of young stuff. 



3. The deficit in material 40-100 years old which is only in part made up of 



stuff over 120 years in age. 



Evidently, now, if present methods of cutting continue at the present 

 rate, in 50 years or so there will be left in the United States only a 



