190 THE HUMAN SIDE OF TREES 



vigour. To-day the end is beginning to be visible. 

 It is estimated that we are using each year wood 

 much in excess of that naturally produced. Un- 

 der present methods of exploitation the most opti- 

 mistic figuring only places serious wood shortages 

 some ten to fifteen years away. The price of wood 

 and paper is steadily mounting. 



Devastating spring floods have become an ex- 

 pected thing in the United States, especially in the 

 Mississippi States. As long ago as 1900 or 1901 

 Theodore Roosevelt warned his fellow-countrymen 

 that the forestry situation was one of the gravest 

 internal problems confronting the country. His 

 words are still true. 



The rate at which our timber resources are being 

 consumed is almost unbelievable. It is estimated 

 that the railroads alone use over 150,000,000 ties 

 a year. Wood for all purposes taken from the for- 

 ests annually amounts to 22,000,000,000 cubic feet, 

 valued at $1,375,000,000 (1916) . The 48,000 saw- 

 mills of the land waste in sawdust and scraps about 

 36,000,000 cords each twelve months. Since 1870, 

 the annual loss from forest fires (largely the re- 

 sult of careless lumbering methods) has been ap- 

 proximately 50,000,000 acres, valued at $50,- 

 000,000. 



The general practice still largely in vogue is to 



