70 



THE FOEEST EESOUECES OF THE WORLD. 



PRESENT STAND. 



The latest and best estimate of the stumpage of the United States 

 places it at 2,500,000,000,000 feet b. m. This, however, does not 

 represent the forest capital in the sense in which does the estimate 

 of 944,700,000,000 board feet of the German -Empire. In Germany 

 the estimated stand is a constant quantity, a capital, which is capable 

 of producing annually some 50 cubic feet per acre. In this country 

 the stumpage represents a capital which is annually drawn upon, 

 since the cut does not represent the annual growth, but exceeds it. 

 With an annual cut of about 23,000,000,000 cubic feet of standing 

 timber and a forest area of about 545,000,000 acres, the cut per acre 

 is 42 cubic feet, while the annual growth on the area has been esti- 

 mated at 12 cubic feet per acre. 



The United States is not the only country which at present cuts 

 more than is annually produced. The different countries may be 

 divided according to whether they cut more than the forest pro- 

 duces, less, or just the same amount. In the following table are 

 brought together the data available from the different countries of 

 the world concerning the annual cut and the annual growth per acre. 



TABLE 24. Annual cut and annual growth per acre, in cubic feet, for various countries. 



a Plus great fire loss, estimated at 170 cubic feet per acre. 



b No definite figures on these countries, but facts indicate that they are being overcut. 



c State forests; 38.7 per cent. 



d Private forests, 61.3 per cent. 



While in a general way these figures indicate the annual cut and 

 growth in the different countries, yet they do not tell the whole story. 

 They represent the total amount of wood cut and produced, irre- 

 spective of kind. 



In most of the countries where, at present, the forests are .being 

 overcut and they are the countries which still contain virgin 

 timber the proportion of structural timber to firewood in the cut is 

 much greater than will be the case in the second growth. The figures 

 would 1 indicate that out of 23,000,000,000 cubic feet of wood cut 

 annually to supply the forest products, 9,000,000,000 feet (allowing 

 90 cubic feet per cord), or 39 per cent, is firewood. This estimate of 

 firewood appears to be too high, but if it is correct, then the proportion 



