NATIONAL ASPECTS OF FORESTRY 21 



same quantity of timber as she imports, but requires to 

 import fuel to the extent of over 200,000 tons (10,000,000 

 feet), making a total consumption of about 5 cubic feet 

 per head. The population of Denmark is about 4,000,000 ; 

 and the home supply from about 400,000 acres of woods 

 under a proper rotation of cropping is estimated at 175,000 

 loads or 9,500,000 feet, to which about 500,000 loads or 

 3,000,000 feet of imported wood may be added. This gives 

 a consumption per head of just over 3 cubic feet per head, 

 exclusive of firewood, poles, etc. Ireland, with a popula- 

 tion of 4,500,000, and a smaller proportion of land under 

 timber than any country in Europe, imports about 

 300,000 tons on an average of years, and exports about 

 100,000 tons of pit wood. The nett import, therefore, does 

 not greatly exceed 2 cubic feet per head. 



Allowing for inaccuracies in these cases in either direc- 

 tion, it may safely be said that the domestic consumption 

 of a purely agricultural country does not exceed 5 to 10 

 cubic feet per head annually, apart from firewood, poles, 

 and small wood which can be obtained from scrub forest, 

 or the thinnings and refuse of high forest. This consump- 

 tion can be met by the systematic maintenance and 

 economic management of about one-fifth of an acre of 

 properly worked forest on good land per head of popula- 

 tion, but on an average of soils and situations would prob- 

 ably require one-fourth. The actual area of nominal or 

 estimated forest in Europe at the present time is about 

 700,000,000 acres, equal to If acres of forest per head ; but 

 as this forest area does not consist entirely of productive or 

 timber-producing land, it would be safer to say that the 

 acreage of forest is about equal to the population, and is 

 in excess of the actual domestic requirements in most 

 countries, excepting those lying along the western sea-board. 

 Of these, Great Britain shows the greatest deficiency, for 

 with a population of about 40,000,000, she possesses a 



