SAMUEL T. DANA ON THE FOREST PROBLEM 103 



present annual growth of nearly 6,000,000,000 cubic feet is only 24 

 per cent, of the annual drain. By the practice of crude forestry it is 

 estimated that this growth could ultimately be increased to 56 per 

 cent, of the present drain. The deficit of 44 per cent, can be made 

 up only through the practice of more intensive methods of forest 

 production and the more effective utilization of the material cut. 

 Investigations at the forest products laboratory at Madison, Wiscon- 

 sin, are paving the way for progress in the latter direction. Their 

 value as a factor in forest conservation is generally recognized, but 

 by themselves they can not be expected to balance the deficit between 

 use and growth. Greatly increased forest production is equally essen- 

 tial as a means to this end. 



Let us assume for the sake of simplicity, and as a reasonably con- 

 servative forecast of the future, that changes in forest consumption 

 due to increasing population, to reduced losses from fire, insects and 

 disease and to more effective utilization, will approximately offset each 

 other, so that the amount removed from the forest each year will 

 continue at about 25,000,000,000 cubic feet. To produce this amount 

 on our present area of forest land will require an increase in growth 

 from 12.8 to 52.8 cubic feet per acre. Compare this goal with what 

 has been achieved in Europe where forestry is an old story. France 

 and Germany, in spite of the fact that the forests have been handled 

 intensively for centuries, produce, respectively, but 38.4 and 50 cubic 

 feet per acre. Austria and Switzerland each produce 35 and Sweden 

 but 27.4 cubic feet per acre. Belgium and Alsace-Lorraine are the 

 only foreign countries which have a larger average growth per acre 

 than must be obtained by the United States if it is to become self- 

 supporting in its timber requirements. 



To increase our present growth by 312 per cent., to a point beyond 

 that so far achieved anywhere in the world outside of two small 

 countries in Europe, is a big job. Crude forestry, universally 

 practised, might ultimately take us a little over half way. To go the 

 rest of the way will require far more intensive measures. Moreover, 

 the task will become increasingly difficult the farther we go. Just as 

 in the production of corn, or wheat, or any other crop, it is much 

 easier to double or even treble a present low yield than to quad- 

 ruple it. 



In order to balance forest growth and forest consumption we 

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