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larger sizes are becoming increasingly scarce. The total consumption of 

 wood of all kinds including fire-wood is five times the rate of production, 

 and when fire-wood is excluded, only one twelfth of the wood products 

 consumed annually are grown within the state. 



Two conclusions may be drawn form this summary. First, it is 

 evident that as a state Illinois can continue to obtain twelve times as 

 much wood as is produced from her own woodlands only so long as other 

 states consume less than ihey produce, for when the surplus in the ex- 

 porting states is used up, the remaining wood will tend to stay at home 

 and be manufactured near the source of production. The state will 

 continue to secure a portion of this wood, by paying sufficiently high 

 prices to draw it away from competitors in spite of the advantage of 

 freight dififerentials, but as it costs less to ship manufactured products 

 than logs or lumber, these wood importations will be largely of high- 

 grade lumber as long as such may be obtained. It is equally evident 

 that this great excess of consumption of lumber over actual rate of home 

 production is a purely temporary condition made possible by a store of 

 original growth which by this process is being depleted and destroyed. 

 When there is no wood remaining, wood must cease to be used. The 

 consumption of wood in the country at large will probably within 50 

 years drop perforce to a point which no longer exceeds growth, and will 

 then be 100 per cent of production. Unless imported from foreign coun- 

 tries, America will be producing as much wood as it consumes. How 

 much that will be will depend upon the success of the efforts put forth 

 to grow wood on forest lands. Already many Illinois industries are 

 feeling the pinch of scarcity and must either migrate, substitute other 

 materials for wood, or discontinue. The state and its population can 

 not aiford to neglect its 5 million acres of potential woodland. Not only 

 can this area be made to produce from 250,000,000 to 400,000.000 cubic 

 feet of wood, or from one half to two thirds the total present consump- 

 tion, but by better management the percentage of the more valuable 

 products can be greatly increased, reducing the percentage of cordwood 

 proportionately, and relegating it largely to the salvage of waste in tops 

 and slabs. With this conservation of her potential forest resources, the 

 state will receive tremendous benefits in all lines of industry through the 

 increased or maintained prosperity flowing from the forest industries 

 and production. 



