Rotation-Cutting in British Columbia. 571 



sary to rely upon the experience of European countries which 

 practice intensive forestry, and upon certain data for the Pacific 

 Forest published by the Forest Service of the United States. 



It has been fully proved, firstly, that only a high standard of 

 technical management and commercial methods combined can 

 secure a sustained yield without depletion of capital, and, sec- 

 ondly, that, with these advantages, forests conservatively man- 

 aged will produce timber of greater density, less unsoundness, 

 and more desirable species, and of a four times greater yield. 

 Thus, in seven million acres of Prussian forest the constant an- 

 nual yield is 65 cubic feet an acre, with a net revenue therefrom 

 of $2.50 per acre. Saxony surpasses this with 430,000 acres 

 whose yield is 95 cubic feet, and revenue $5.30. In the state 

 forests of France the yield is 40 cubic feet; revenue $1.75. 



Let us now turn to conditions and species which approach 

 closely those in existence in our own Coast Timber Belt. The 

 (following data were gathered and tabulated by Thornton Munger, 

 U. S. Forest Assistant, in the western foothills of the Cascades 

 in Oregon and Washington, and were published in May, 191 1. 

 They were based upon even-aged stands of Douglas Fir in va- 

 rious stages of growth, upon 361 sample plots, aggregating 252 

 acres, on first class soils. They show in his own words, "that a 

 piece of land cut over this year and properly managed, will yield 

 60 years from now 41,000 feet of saw-logs to the acre ; 100 years 

 hence it will have 79,800 feet; that is, 800 feet of lumber will 

 grow on that acre every year. Expressed in cubic feet the yield 

 is also surprisingly large. Between 40 and 60 years of age a 

 stand of Douglas fir produces upon each acre annually 200 cubic 

 feet of wood." 



Now, assuming that no artificial re-afforestation can be under- 

 taken, and that it is only worth our while to assist natural re- 

 afforestation on three-quarters of the fifteen million, or 11,250,000 

 acres of our B. C. Forests ; and that owing to inferior soil, poor 

 location, and the growth of less desirable species giving a smaller 

 yield, or finally through accident by fire, the annual yield per 

 acre will be diminished by one-half of that above quoted, we ob- 

 tain a constant annual production of four and a half million 

 board-feet. Although that amount is over five times greater than 

 the demand calls for at the present time, at the rate of 5% 

 yearly increase, it would hardly suffice for the annual supply 40 

 years hence. 



