A NATIONAL PLAN FOE AMERICAN FORESTRY 



237 



The consumption of fuel wood, quantitatively the most important 

 commodity next to lumber, has undoubtedly declined considerably 

 during the past 20 years. However, it seems likely to continue as 

 the chief fuel in rural sections. Present consumption may now 

 approximate a minimum. It is estimated in the discussion of produc- 

 tion (see table 13) that, of the total production of 61 million cords, 42 

 million cords, or over 4 billion cubic feet, should be considered as 

 representing the actual drain for fuel wood. There is no clear justifica- 

 tion for changing that figure for purposes of the present consideration. 



Paper and other wood-pulp products appear to offer the prospect of 

 a greater proportionate increase in timber requirements than does any 

 other important class of timber products. At present our own forests 

 supply only 44 percent of the pulpwood represented in our manufac- 

 ture and consumption of paper and other wood-pulp products. The 

 remainder is imported in the form of pulpwood, pulp, or paper. It is 

 variously estimated that, translated into terms of pulpwood, the 

 total requirements for wood-pulp products may by 1950 reach a figure 

 between 22 and 30 million cords. For present purposes we may use a 

 figure of 25 million cords. ^ There is strong justification for becoming 

 nationally self-sufficient in pulpwood supplies. The reasons are 

 elaborated in the discussion on pulpwood, pulp, and paper in the 

 section "Our National Timber Requirements' '. We may estimate 

 that 25 million cords of pulpwood would mean about 2,758 million 

 cubic feet, of which about 135 million cubic feet can possibly be con- 

 sidered as coming from Alaska. This would leave some 2,623 million 

 cubic feet to be supplied by the forests of the United States proper. 



Trends in minor and miscellaneous timber products tend to offset 

 each other to such an extent that no other changes in the timber-use 

 portion of the drain table for the period 1925-29 appear justifiable for 

 purposes of the present discussion. 



Although it is not considered likely that abnormal losses through 

 fire and other causes will ever be eliminated, it seems logical to assume 

 that a national program of forestry would justify reducing the loss 

 from fire to one half and from other causes to three fourths of the 1925- 

 29 estimates. 



This basis of possible requirements and losses translated into terms 

 of forest drain for use in considering the future situation as to normal 

 timber requirements is briefly summarized as follows : 



REGIONAL INTERDEPENDENCE FOR TIMBER SUPPLIES 



The extent to which some important consuming regions depend for 

 their timber supplies upon other regions is not always fully appre- 

 ciated. Figure 20 illustrates this relationship between production 



