Forest Conditions and Exploitation. 257 



more uncertain basis, 31 cubic feet.* The same 

 reasons that operate in the United States contribute 

 to wasteful practices, namely uneven distribution of 

 forest and population. 



As in the United States the East and West are or 

 were well wooded, with a forestless agricultural region 

 between, so in Russia the North and the South 

 (Caucasus Mountains) are well wooded, with a forest- 

 less region, the steppe, between. This leads, as with 

 us, to an uneconomical exploitation of the woods, the 

 inferior materials being wasted because not paying for 

 their transportation in one section, and dearth of 

 timber and fuelwood in the other section. 



*An idea of the supposed productive conditions may be gathered from the 

 estimates which have been made, in 1898, for the State forests and the operations 

 in these. 



In the two northern provinces, in which the state owns nearly the entire forest 

 area it is estimated that 8 cubic feet per acre would be available felling budget, 

 but only 10 per cent, of this is actually cut and sold. Outside of this territory the 

 available felling budget is calculated at 24 cubic feet per acre, but only 60 per 

 cent, or 14 cubic feet is being cut. Altogether in 1898 there were cut in the State 

 forests (somewhat over 300 million acres), 1,860 million cubic feet, say 6 cubic feet 

 per acre or 40 per cent, of the estimated proper felling budget. The administra- 

 tion claims that three-fifth of the projected felling budget is saleable. In 1906, the 

 budget was placed at 345 million cubic feet, but only 130 million were cut. 



An estimate of the cut in the communal forests with 12 cubic feet, in the 

 peasants holdings with 20 cubic feet, and in the private forests with 40 cubic feet 

 per acre, brings the total for the country to round 10 billion cubic feet, worth 

 round 100 million dollars for stumpage. It is assumed that 30 cubic feet should 

 be the annual increment per acre, when it would appear that only 70 per cent, of 

 the increment is cut. 



The cut in the State forests was sold for 21 million dollars (1898), or at an 

 average of less than lc. per cubic foot. The highest price paid in the Vistula 

 district was 2.5 cents, which scales down to lc. in Siberia and t one-third cent. 

 in the Caucasus. This refers to stumpage, nearly all sales being made on the 

 stump to wood merchants by bids, the trees heing marked in some parts, in others 

 the area only being designated. The transportation is almost entirely by river. 

 From 1883 to 1901 the net revenue from the State forests increased from 16 to 

 47 million dollars, while the expenditures dropped from 29 per cent, of the gross 

 revenue to 18.4 per cent. The gross result is 46 cents per acre. In 1906, the 

 returns were $27 million, and expenses $5 million. 



