726 JOURNAI, O^ IfORESTRY 



States, and the rest from Russia, Roumania, and other countries. A 

 little more than half was shipped by land, almost exclusively from the 

 Venetian frontier. A little less than half came by sea route, mainly 

 Genoa and Tirreno. About seven-ninths of the wood pulp came from 

 Austria-Hungary, Germany, Norway, and other countries. During 

 the last years before the war Germany was surpassing Austria-Hun- 

 gary in the importation of wood pulp. About three-fourths of the 

 boards came from the United States and one-fourth from Austria, 

 By species the chief sources of supply were as follows : 



Fir Alp regions of Austria 



Larch Austria and Switzerland 



Pitch pine United States (South) 



Beech Bosnia, Croatia, Slavonia 



Walnut United States 



Oak Slavonia, Crotia, Bosnia 



Ash Hungary, Slavonia, Carniola, and Albania 



Maple Carniola and Crotia 



Thus before the war the countries which formerly made up the 

 Austro-Hungarian empire and now form parts of Jugo-Slavia, Rou- 

 mania, and other newly created states, and to some extent the United 

 States, were the chief providers of lumber to Italy. During the war, 

 from 1915-1917 inclusive, round or hewn timber came largely from 

 Switzerland (about four-fifths), the rest from France. Saw timber 

 came from Switzerland (more than half), and from the United States 

 (two-sevenths) ; wood pulp from Sweden (about one-half of all the 

 imports), and from Norway (one-third). 



Italy, realizing its dependence upon timber from abroad, was fully 

 alive to the situation even before the war and tried to meet the prob- 

 lem by acquiring large forest properties or stumpage in Tryol, Carin- 

 thia, Styria, Carniola, Transylvania, and Bosnia. The Italian lumber- 

 men not merely invested in the forest land and stumpage, but actually 

 went into the development of Austrian timber resources, built roads 

 and camps for the workers and organized the complete process from 

 cutting the wood to sorting the product ready for the market. In this 

 way the Italian industries sought before the war to assure themselves 

 of a considerable part of the needed importations. Under normal con- 

 ditions the needs of the Italian industries would be met by free indus- 

 trial initiative. Individual initiative in the period of readjustment is 

 unable to cope with the problem and Government assistance is con- 



