FOREST POLICY. 85 



the middle of the present century to such a degree as to pre- 

 clude the possibility of continued timber exports. 

 The Russian forest administration claims: 



"that it does not withdraw from the woods, annually, one 

 half of the raw material annually produced by growth ; that 

 three-fifths of the timber offered for sale is not marketable; 

 that many of the huge state forests have not any outlet what- 

 soever; that the exportation of timber from Asiatic Russia 

 is absolutely nil so far; and that the forests of Asiatic Siberia 

 will, in days to come, form an inexhaustible timber reserve to 

 supply the most remote parts of the globe." 

 As regards Sweden, it appears at a glance that Sweden is 

 particularly favorably situated for the easy exportation of wood- 

 goods. In addition, the quality of the Swedish spruce and of 

 the Swedish pine is the best. The general prediction is that 

 Sweden will continue to export at its present rate for an in- 

 definite number of years. An increase in exportation is scarcely 

 possible, for the simple reason that Sweden's forest area amounts 

 to approximately 25 million acres only. ^ ^t? O^O f> s> O 

 Norway has a much smaller forest area than Sweden ; and 

 its forests have been exploited with less regard to future pro- 

 duction than have those of Sweden. Its timber exports seem to 

 have a decreasing tendency. 



Canada and Mexico are, of course, of the greatest interest to 

 us with reference to the possibility of timber supplies at a time 

 at which the United States will cease to produce an amount of 

 timber sufficient for home consumption. 



Without a doubt, exports from Canada will continue to in- 

 crease, and probably very rapidly. It must be repeated, never- 

 theless, that the standing saw-limber in Canada is estimated at 

 one-third only of the figure supposed to represent the amount 

 contained in the United States; that Canada's main streams, like 

 those of Siberia, empty themselves towards the north, generally 

 speaking; that the timber line of Canada runs, from a point in 

 central Alaska, southeastwardly to the southernmost part of 

 Hudson Bay, continuing eastwardly to the southernmost part 

 of Labrador; that very large areas within the timber zone of 

 Canada consist of barren wastes heavily fired in the last fifty or 

 sixty years; that the timber in the eastern provinces diminishes! 



