THE CONDITION OF FORESTRY IN BRITAIN. 179 



Attention must be drawn to the fact that what is designated as 

 waste land in Great Britain is considered differently in Ireland. 

 For Great Britain, according to the statistics, waste land is 

 "mountain and heath land," whereas for Ireland, the figures are 

 divided into two distinct categories, namely, waste land proper 

 and pasture land. A portion of the latter corresponds to the 

 mountain and heath land of Britain, and might be afforested, 

 but another portion will be better left to serve its present purpose. 

 Still, nearly one-half of Scotland and Ireland can be designated 

 waste land, and probably 18 million acres suitable for timber 

 growing could be found in the United Kingdom. The country, 

 with about 20 million acres under forest, including the present 

 wooded area, could produce the 600 million cubic feet which, 

 roughly speaking, must now be imported annually from abroad. 

 The annual importation of timber for constructive purposes is 

 at present about 350 million cubic feet in converted form, and 

 this has a value of over £23,000,000. If one reckons that only 

 60 per cent, of the wood which might be raised in Britain could 

 be used as such timber, even then about 360 million cubic feet 

 would be available. An additional incentive to proceed energetic- 

 ally with planting lies in the fact of the slow but certain decline of 

 the world's timber supply. 



Apart from this, there are found both in England and Scotland 

 many bare steep slopes which are being completely denuded of soil 

 owing to their unprotected state. That the damage has not been 

 greater is explained partly by the nature of the precipitations. 

 These seldom take place with much suddenness, and melted snow 

 from higher ground is rarely injurious. On the other hand, the 

 usually moist air, even when circumstances are otherwise un- 

 favourable, gives rise to a covering of moss and weeds which again 

 and again bind together the loosened earth. The beginnings of 

 dangerous formations are everywhere to be found, and it appears 

 to me that later a very great deal of harm may proceed from this 

 cause. Through the want of forests and systematic wood manage- 

 ment, the peat bogs are becoming larger, and are rendering a better 

 utilisation of the ground difiicult. 



If any improvement is to be made in forestry, the interest of the 

 land-owning class must first be awakened. They must be con- 

 vinced that good sylviculture pays, and that to plant will increase 

 the value of their estates. British proprietors need not think that 

 well-regulated forestiy is inconsistent with the keeping of game. 



