THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 



Annual cut per acre by ownership. 



47 



ANNUAL GROWTH. 



While France has still much work to do before she can bring the 

 exploitation of her forests to the point the German forests have 

 reached, it can hardly be doubted that the present cut does not 

 exceed the annual growth. The present yield of 910,740,000 cubic 

 feet per year may, therefore, be considered equivalent to the total 

 annual growth. The chief task which France has in the future is 

 to produce a larger amount of saw-log timber in proportion to cord 

 wood, which has a small value. The 910,740,000 cubic feet of home 

 product are not sufficient to supply all her needs, and it is necessary 

 to import wood for home consumption. Not counting firewood and 

 charcoal, France has at present on an average every year a surplus 

 of imports over exports of 44,000,000 cubic leet in round numbers. 

 On an average, between 1894 and 1898, the following amounts of the 

 different kinds of wood were exported and imported : 



Exports and imports of wood, in cubic feet. 



As regards firewood and charcoal, there were exported 5,129,000 

 cubic feet and imported 3,443,000 cubic feet; in other words, the 

 exports exceeded the imports by 1,700,000 cubic feet, which reduces 

 the surplus of imports over exports of all kinds of wood to 43,900,000 

 cubic feet. 



The total home consumption, therefore, amounts to 910,740,000 

 plus 43,900,000 cubic feet, or a total of 954,640,000 cubic feet. The 



Eer capita consumption is 24.6 cubic feet, of which 17.7 cubic feet are 

 rewood and 6.9 cubic feet are timber. 



