12. Conditions Affecting New York Lumber Supply 
In the consideration of the reports, and in the conclusions 
drawn from them, it has been the endeavor of the authors to 
give due weight to these abnormal conditions. 
The rapidly advancing depletion of the forests of New York 
is obvious in most of the industries. A serious situation is in 
view even after making allowances for the abnormal conditions 
in the business world. 
Tue Derpitetrep Forest WEALTH oF NEw YorK 
For variety of valuable tree species and the quality of its 
forest products, combined with long-sustained yield in large 
quantities, few other States have rivaled New York. Eighty 
years ago New York led all States in the production of lumber, 
and the supply was then supposed to be inexhaustible. In 
1850, New York ranked first in lumber cut and furnished 20 
per cent of the national supply. Today New York has dropped 
to the twenty-fifth place among the lumber-producing States, 
and the annual cut is only one per cent of the entire production 
in the United States. The remaining stand is estimated 
roughly at 26 billion board feet, of a quality decidedly inferior 
to that of earlier days. 
The State Forester reports that in 1908 the total forest 
products of the State were 1,226,754,000 feet B. M. In 1918 
this yield had shrunk to 762,290,000 feet B. M., a reduction of 
37 per cent. Between 1907 and 1919 the lumber cut decreased 
from 848,894,000 feet to 363,000,000 feet. Thus, in 12 years, 
the New York lumber cut decreased by 59 per cent of its 
former volume. (See Frontispiece. ) 
Comparing the figures resulting from this study with those 
obtained from the same project in 1912, it is noted that in the 
short space of seven years the amount of lumber supplied by 
the State to its wood-working industries has diminished from 
548,000,000 feet to 189,000,000 feet, a reduction of 65 per 
cent. 
The fact that in 1919 the amount of lumber imported from 
other States and foreign countries was 115 million feet less 
than in 1912 is. in yart at least. evidence of the increasing 
