A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



291 



the exception of the depression year 1921, there was a rapid increase 

 in wood exports from the close of the war until the end of 1929. By 

 1924 the exports had exceeded pre-war volume, and during the next 

 few years, particularly 1927, 1928, and 1929, they attained new high 

 levels. 



It is difficult to compare the wood exports of the pre-war period 

 with those from the same countries in the post-war period because 

 some of the largest exporting nations were split up into smaller politi- 

 cal units. Czechoslovakia, Hungary, part of Rumania, part of Poland, 

 part of Italy, and part of Yugoslavia were split off from Austria- 

 Hungary; the Baltic provinces, part of Rumania, and part of Poland 

 from Russia; and part of Poland from Germany. As a result of the 

 establishment of new frontiers, some timber shipments that would 

 have constituted internal trade before the war now appear as exports. 

 The exports of sawn softwood lumber from the principal exporting 

 countries before and after the war are shown in table 7. 6 



TABLE 7. Exports of sawn softwood lumber from principal exporting countries 



[In million board feet] 



NOTE. Before 1918, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia were included in Russia; Poland was included in 

 Russia, Germany, and Austria-Hungary; parts of present Rumania were in Russia and Austria-Hungary; 

 Czechoslovakia and most of Yugoslavia were in Austria-Hungary. From 400 to 600 million board feet of 

 the post-war totals represent a statistical rather than an actual increase in exports, resulting from the estab- 

 lishment of new frontiers. 



PERIOD OF ECONOMIC DEPRESSION 



Since 1930 the world timber trade has become utterly disorganized. 

 Consumption of timber, both in exporting and in importing countries, 

 has declined greatly. For instance, the imports of sawn timber into 

 England fell from 322 million cubic feet in 1929 to 269 million cubic 

 feet in 1931. In Germany import of coniferous timber dropped from 

 560 million cubic feet in 1928 to 201 million cubic feet in 1931. In 

 Italy imports of sawn, round, and square timber, which amounted to 

 119 million cubic feet in 1927, shrank to 81 million cubic feet in 1931. 



This, of course, meant a contraction in exports. Finland, for 

 instance, which in 1927 exported 210 million cubic feet of lumber, 

 exported only 129 million cubic feet in 1931, an amount less than 



6 Based on T. Streyffert, Sawn woodgoods. Index 7:62-85 (published by Svenska Handelsbanken, 

 Stockholm, March 1932). 



