UNCLE SAM'S BIG FARM 333 



FOREST PBODUCTS. 



Uncle Sam's big forest extends over many millions 

 of acres, but few of us know anything definite regard- 

 ing the magnitude of business connected with forest ac- 

 tivities. A careful estimate made by the Bureau of 

 Forestry shows that about 45,000,000,000 feet of lum- 

 ber of all kinds are produced annually in the United 

 States. Of this quantity about 25,000,000,000 feet, 

 board measure, are subjected to further manufacture, 

 and the rest of it is used for rough construction lumber 

 and general purposes. The above estimate does not in- 

 clude any material which reaches its final use in the 

 form of fuel, railroad ties, posts, poles, pulpwood, 

 cooperage, wood distillates, and the barks and extracts 

 consumed in the tanning industry. 



About one hundred different kinds of wood are used 

 in this country for different purposes. The softwoods 

 and the needle-leaf, or coniferous trees, are most im- 

 portant. There is, however, a large number of species 

 and varieties among the hardwoods, or broadleaf trees. 

 Yellow pine leads the list of different kinds of trees in 

 furnishing more than eight billion feet of lumber, fol- 

 lowed by white pine with three billion feet, and Doug- 

 las fir with a little more than two billion feet. The 

 term " yellow pine " includes several species, the three 

 most important of which are longleaf, shortleaf and 

 loblolly. All the different kinds of oak furnish about 

 two billion feet, and oak is the most important of the 

 hardwoods, maple coming next in order. 



A tree which is little known, as a rule, for lumber 

 purposes, namely, dogwood, furnishes more than seven 

 million board feet. 



There are not less than fifty-five manufacturing in- 



