24 



THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 



ANNUAL GROWTH AND CUT. 



The following table gives an idea of the cut per acre in the state 

 forests and those under state control for the period from 1889 to 

 1898: 



Annual cut, in cubic feet, in forests under state control. 



As may be seen from these figures, the amount cut per acre grows 

 every year, and it now reaches an average of 6.11 cubic feet per acre. 

 It must be remembered that the state forests are found chiefly in the 

 north, and that of the 8,578,000 acres of state forests in 1890 there 

 were 3,537,000 acres which were swamp land. 



The sale of timber in the state forests is either by annual auction 

 sales, or otherwise, to supply the needs of the local population in fuel, 

 and a small amount of timber for construction, or the timber is sold 

 by contract; the latter method is practiced chiefly in the two most 

 northern provinces. 



The average amount of timber, not counting waste, cut each year 

 in all of the forests may be taken as 954,000,000 cubic feet, or 19.1 

 cubic feet per acre. The annual cut of wood for 1897 was figured 

 roughly as follows: Export of timber (in logs), 246,863,000 cubic feet; 

 export of finished products (except pulp wood), 3,532,000 cubic feet; 

 wood for pulp and paper, 200,845,000 cubic feet; timber for railroads, 

 50,114,000 cubic feet; and wood for all other purposes, 559,874,000 

 cubic feet, making a total of 1,061,228,000 cubic feet. 



This figure is larger than the one given above (954,000,000 cubic 

 feet) as the annual cut; the difference is due to the fact that in the 

 latter case the amounts were given in the rough, including waste, 

 which in some cases is very great. In the northern parts, where there 

 are no means of transportation, the part of a tree which can not be 

 utilized is often as high as 40 per cent, almost as much as in the United 

 States. In central and southern Sweden, however, the waste does 

 not exceed 5 per cent. 



The average annual growth in all the forests is greater than the 

 annual cut per acre. The annual growth has been estimated at 25 

 cubic feet per acre; therefore the annual cut could be increased to 

 1,235,500,000 cubic feet without depleting the forests. 



CONSUMPTION. 



If we add to the amount of timber exported in the form of logs 

 and lumber the amount of pulp wood also, the total exports would 

 amount to 350,000,000 cubic feet. If we deduct this amount from 

 the total annual cut of 954,000,000 cubic feet, the remainder repre- 

 sents a home consumption of 604,000,000 cubic feet, or 120 cubic feet 

 per capita. If we include also the waste involved in the production 

 of the total annual cut, the per capita consumption would probably 



