THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 57 



Greece was able to extend her commerce throughout the Mediterra- 

 nean and to maintain her independence. 



Now the forests are gone or are being devastated rapidly. Reck- 

 less cutting, fires, and grazing will soon complete the destruction in a 

 country where forests are greatly needed. Nine-tenths of Greece is 

 mountainous. The rivers have a rapid fall and resemble torrents, 

 drying out in summer and causing floods and destruction in autumn 

 and winter. 



Information regarding forests and forestry is extremely meager. 

 From the fact that agricultural science is not highly developed, one 

 may safely infer that forestry is in no better condition. The chief 

 cause of unwise use of natural resources must be sought in the lack 

 of knowledge on the part of the people. 



Although industrially undeveloped, Greece has not enough wood 

 to provide for home consumption. Annual imports amount to 

 275,387 cubic feet. 



TURKEY. 



It is impossible to obtain figures for the forests of Turkev, but the 

 forest situation in Turkey is no better than in Greece. Inhere may 

 still be some remote corners of merchantable forest, but the country 

 as a whole must be very poor in this respect. Here^ as in Greece, the 

 ravages of man and beast are equally severe, and in the few forests 

 remaining the destruction exceeds production. 



******* 



The countries so far considered are those whose natural resources 

 have been more or less fully explored and whose forests yield large 

 quantities of materials in common use, which can be delivered at a 

 low price to market. 



The forests of the rest of the world may be and are botanically 

 rich in species, but do not have great commercial value because they 

 lack the kinds of wood needed in commerce and industry by the 

 250,000,000 people composing the most advanced and powerful nations 

 of Europe. The richest forests in Europe, commercially, are those 

 of Sweden, and yet botanically they are very poor, containing but 

 two principal species, Scotch pine and spruce. The forests of the 

 regions which were not considered in the previous pages will be 

 discussed under continents ; and since our knowledge concerning those 

 forests is, in the majority of cases, very meager, they can be treated 

 only in a general way. 



ASIA. 



The forests of British East India, Japan, Siberia, and Caucasus 

 were mentioned before. The forests of the Philippines will be taken 

 up in connection with those of the United States. 



CHINA. 



The forests of China are practically unknown. Undoubtedly there 

 must be some forests, since wood is used for building homes, etc. In 

 Manchuria, in the three eastern provinces of the Chinese Empire, 

 there are apparently large forests, but nothing is known of their 

 extent. The species of economic importance in Manchuria are birch, 

 alder, oak, maple, elm, cork tree, poplar, ash, fir, spruce, pine, and 

 willow. The forests must be sufficient for local needs. As to the 



