322 Forestry Quarterly 



the most widespread species, especially on northern slopes to the 

 very north, together with Populus suaveolens and Siberian pine. 

 The southern slopes are usually occupied by Scotch pine, Pinus 

 cembra forming there the timberline tree. A new flora is found 

 in Kamchatka, Abies glacialis and Betula ermani being associated 

 with Larix dahurica. To the southeast of the Jablon ridge, the 

 milder climate gives rise to broadleaf forest with Mongolian oak, 

 Betula dahurica and Ulmus campestris. In the Ussur and Amur 

 countries, Japanese and Chinese flora appear, with a great variety 

 of broadleaf and coniferous species. Toward the south of the 

 great Siberian forest there is a gradual change to the forest- 

 steppe zone, where birch and aspen give tone to the forest. 



On the mountains of Turkestan, especially their northern 

 slopes, Picea schrenkiana appears, together with Abies sibirica, 

 Betula alba and Populus laurifolia, towards timberline replaced 

 by Juniperus excelsa. 



In the central Turkestan mountains, such species as Juglans 

 regia, Pistacia vera, Morus alba, Platanus orientalis, Acer laetum, 

 Celtis australis, and in the river bottoms Populus euphratica, 

 Eleagnus hortensis and Fraxinus potomorphia give an entirely 

 new aspect to the forest. A table of growth data apparently 

 exceeds the rates of our northern forest, 1 inch in 7 or 8 years 

 seeming to be general. 



Stumpage prices for Scotch pine and Siberian larch range from 

 Yi to 5^ cents, for Siberian fir ^ to 2 cents, and for other 

 species remain below 23^ cents, say $3 per M feet b.m. It is 

 suggested that the Pacific Coast United States could import 

 at such low prices. 



Selection cutting is the practice, not however, the largest, but 

 the most convenient sizes are mostly taken. In Siberia, not over 

 20 inch trees are taken. 



In 1912, of the permissible cut only 11 per cent were taken. 

 Fires are the greatest bane. Taking the whole government 

 forest area of around 500 million acres, for which 3.5 billion 

 cubic feet are permitted to be cut (7 cubic feet per acre), only 

 about one half is sold and given for free use. The present 

 income, which has increased in the last 20 years fourfold, 

 amounts to only $45 million with an expenditure of $14 million. 

 There are 4500 persons permanently employed, of whom 1500 



