26 THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRITISH FORESTRY 



countries dependent upon wood for fuel, but in such 

 cases, scrub and refuse timber assist in making good the 

 deficiency. 



2. The estimated forest area of Europe is more than 

 sufficient to meet the normal demand for timber. Certain 

 countries possess too small an area to meet their industrial 

 requirements, but of these Great Britain and Belgium 

 appear to show the only serious deficiencies, amounting 

 to 10 cubic feet of coniferous timber per head in the 

 former, and 8 cubic feet per head in the latter. 



3. The area of forest land in Northern Europe can, if 

 adequately protected and properly managed, supply the 

 requirements in coniferous timber of manufacturing, 

 mining, and thickly populated countries, provided their 

 consumption does not exceed a total import of more 

 than 50,000,000 loads per annum during the next half- 

 century. 



The above conclusions are, it need scarcely be stated, 

 based on the probability of the development of forestry 

 throughout Europe generally, on the same lines as have 

 been followed in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, 

 Denmark, etc. 



A point of further importance in this connection is 

 that a country uses timber in proportion to its facilities 

 for getting it. Russia, Norway, Sweden, Canada, and the 

 United States are familiar examples of countries which 

 use enormous quantities of timber, and have a very high 

 consumption per head, simply or chiefly because the 

 timber is found in abundance, and is the cheapest article 

 that comes to hand. Fuel, buildings, waste, and fire now 

 consume vast quantities of timber which could be saved 

 by a more economical system. Where fuel cannot be 

 obtained or imported at a cheap rate, wood must always 

 be consumed on a large scale ; but, apart from fuel, other 

 purposes for which wood is often used can be supplied by 

 various materials. 



