3o8 Forestry Quarterly. 



tent of utilization of timber little attempt to reproduce excepting 

 as kind nature unaided, or rather impeded, can accomplish. 



If, as is claimed by some, we are cutting three to four times as 

 much as the annual growth on our whole forest area, it would 

 appear that something more positive than protection against fire 

 and more conservative use is necessary to supply the future needs 

 of wood and timber. There must be a deliberate effort to catch 

 up with the cut by reforestation of lands now not productive as 

 well as by improvement in the increment of productive areas — the 

 practice of silviculture ! 



We must realize that our population is still growing at a 

 greater rate than that of other countries, and with it our re- 

 quirements, and while there is undoubtedly a reduction in the 

 use of wood going to be forced upon us — from the 250 cubic 

 feet which we are consuming now per capita to the 37 cubic 

 feet which Germany can get along with, or even the 14 cubic 

 feet which satisfies the Englishman — it is not readily going to 

 adjust itself to the increment which under present methods we 

 can figure out as probable. 



I may here recall from the Report of the National Conservation 

 Commission an attempt to arrive at- a production figure. The 

 data in various parts of the report do not agree, the total forest 

 area, for instance, being stated varying from 545 to 700 million 

 acres. Accepting, however, the statement of 580 million acres as 

 probably nearest the mark and making proper allowance for the 

 changes which have taken place since 1907 when the estimates 

 were made, the present condition of this area would be, as far as 

 not turned into farms : 



Mature timber, 265 million acres ; cut over lands, restocking, 

 225 million acres ; cut over lands, not restocking, 80 million acres. 



To this latter area must be added 80-90 million acres of 

 openings, or of scrubby woodland within the mature timber area. 

 Since the mature timber area does not make any new growth 

 we have then more than half the total area non-productive, only 

 225 million acres of culled area restocking as nature left to 

 itself may do- Nevertheless, on this total area an average 

 annual product of 28 cubic feet i>er acre is estimated by one writer 

 in the cited report, representing possibly 20 billion lumber feet, 

 or half our present cut- Another estimate makes the growth 72 



