72 



C. A. SCHENCK. 



The central forest now contains 130 million acres, or 46 per 

 cent of its original area. 



The Rocky Mountain forest now contains 100 million acres, 

 or 91 per cent of its original area. 



The Pacific forest contains 80 million acres, or 89 per cent 

 of its original area. 



After the Forest Service, we have, now-a-days, 200 million- 

 acres of mature forest; 250 million acres partly cut over or 

 burnt over; and 100 million acres cut over and burnt over 

 heavily. 



The 200 million acres of mature forest in the United States 

 are mainly in the northern Rockies and on the Pacific coast, 

 the very regions in which the immature forests grow most 

 rapidly. The 250 million acres partly cut or burnt over, but 

 restocking naturally with young growth, are mostly in the 

 southern mountains, and in the southern pine belt. The 

 100 million acres cut over and burnt over, upon which young 

 growth is wholly lacking or too scanty to make merchantable 

 timber, are chiefly in the Lake States and in the southern, 

 pine belt. 



With reference to the future, Raphael Zon predicts (circular 

 Forest Service 159) the following: 



"The land chiefly valuable for growing forests will shrink 

 (by the year 1950) to about 360,000,000 acres, less than one-fifth 

 of the extent of the United States proper. Together with the 

 woodlots which will continue to form part of the farm land, 

 the total forest area will amount to approximately 450,000,000 

 acres, or a fourth of the total land area. 



This reduction in the extent of the forest land is an inevi- 

 table consequence of the economic development of this country. 

 The land devoted to agricultural crops must increase with the 

 increase in population. It is self-evident that with a population 

 of probably not less than 150,000,000 people in 1950 the land 

 necessary to supply the food for home consumption alone must 

 be larger than at present, even with the improved methods 

 of cultivation. 



Where will this increase come from? 



Although some land can be won from the plains through 

 reclamation and dry farming, this area will hardlv be enough 



