THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 23 



TABLE 6. Forest area of Sweden by per cent of land and per capita by provinces. 



The proportion of forest to total land area, as can be seen, is enor- 

 mous, being 48.6 per cent. The forest area per capita of population 

 is given as 9.7 acres. This explains why Sweden is capable of carry- 

 ing on such a large international trade in forest products with the 

 whole world, sending timber even to Australia, Africa, and South 

 America. The forest area diminishes from north to south. Its dis- 

 tribution per capita varies in different provinces, in some being as 

 high as 66 acres and in others less than one-half an acre. 



In 1890 the state forests comprised 18,058,000 acres; in 1898 the 

 area had increased to 18,641,000 acres. Of this amount the State 

 actually owned 10,063,000 acres, while the remaining 8,578,000 

 acres were either the joint property of the State and of institutions 

 or were merely under state control. The forest area which is owned 

 jointly by the State and private individuals amounted to 2,295,000 

 acres. There are mor3 detailed data for the state forests and those 

 under state control than for any other class. 



COMPOSITION. 



Conifers occupy 80 per cent of the forest area; north of the line 

 from Christiania to Upsala (60 north lat.) is the coniferous region. 

 Birch, aspen, and mountain ash form the uppermost vegetative limit 

 in the northern alpine region. Spruce (Picea excelsa) forms the 

 limit of coniferous growth and borders upon the birch region. Pine 

 (Pinus silvestris) grows along the rivers. In the central part both 

 pine and spruce occur in pure stands, while along the coast and 

 toward the south they form mixed stands. Oak and beech, in mix- 

 ture with conifers, are found in the south. 



