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analogous to Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. They are drawing upon other 

 states for a large part of their requirements, the amount cut each 

 year is two to three times what is produced by growth in the home 

 forests, and there is an increasing area of wasted lands unfit for cultiva- 

 tion and that might be producing forests. Prices are very high, partly 

 because of the same factors that influence the price of other commodities, 

 partly because the lumber is brought from greater distances or from less 

 accessible areas that require expensive logging operations. 



Difficulties are already being encountered in securing raw material of 

 the character and in the quantity desired. Many of our newsprint 

 paper mills of the east find increasing embarrassment for pulp wood 

 within reasonable shipping distance. Some concerns will probably have 

 to close, or move to the west. 



The Hardwood Situation. Perhaps the most serious situation exists in 

 the matter of hardwood supplies. In the case of softwoods there is a much 

 greater reserve supply left than with hardwoods. Moreover, one species 

 of softwood may be more readily substituted for another previously used, 

 than in the case of hardwoods. 



The quantities of original hardwood growth in the Appalachians, the 

 Ozarks, and southern valleys are less than popularly supposed. Most 

 of the bodies of timber suited to major lumber operations are already 

 placed, and the majority of operators say that they have not more than ten 

 to fifteen years' supply ahead. Estimates of the available supplies of old 

 timber show that most of our better grades of first growth poplar, basswood 

 ash, and walnut will last but fifteen to twenty years, and of oak but 

 little longer. 



This in itself would not be alarming if there were a crop of younger 

 growth coming on. We find that our old reserve of virgin hardwoods is 

 being rapidly depleted. This is inevitable. But unfortunately it is not 

 being replaced in any adequate degree. Not only is there almost no 

 effort to secure a replacement, but fires still burn over the lands, destroy- 

 ing what nature may establish and preventing natural seeding. 



The hardwood industries must look in the future to two sources of 

 supply: The mountain regions, such as the Appalachians and Ozarks, 

 where there are large areas of land suited only to tree growth, and to 

 the smaller tracts of land unsuited to cultivation within the farming 

 country. We are failing to secure adequate forest replacement and 

 growth in both these natural sources of future supply. 



Our hardwood forests are progressively deteriorating. Some sort of 

 vegetation follows cutting as a rule in the hardwood region, but it is 

 very commonly of poor species, scanty, and of poor form, having but 

 little potential value. 



Other countries are looking to the United States for hardwoods. 

 Russia, Finland, and Scandinavia may largely supply the deficit of western 

 Europe for softwoods, but there will be a constant demand by Europe 

 for our hardwoods if we have the supply. We are not today producing 

 by growth enough to meet our own future needs for hardwoods, let alone 

 the needs of other countries. 



The General Situation. In the main the problem of a supply of soft- 



