NATIONAL ASPECTS OF FORESTRY 27 



While great stress has been laid upon the increased total 

 and i>er capita consumption of timber, the fact that all 

 well-managed forests can yield four to five times as many 

 cubic feet of big timber as those left to nature is over- 

 looked. The United States Forest Department calculates 

 that the present yield from American forests is not more 

 than 12 cubic feet per acre per annum, whereas the 

 average for the whole of Germany is nearly 50 cubic 

 feet of timber and firewood. 



As regards the area of European forests, Endres^ believes 

 that this has not altered more than 2 per cent, within 

 the last century. While a few countries have shown 

 a decrease, others, and notably Germany, have shown 

 an increase. Much more important than actual area, 

 however, is the higher yield of timber produced by forests 

 under systematic management and worked under the high 

 forest system as compared with those left entirely to 

 nature or simply coppiced from broad-leaved species. 

 How great this has been in Germany within the last 

 hundred years ma}^ be gathered from the following figures 

 given by Endres,- and showing the nett cash yield per 

 hectare since 1820 in the following states : — 



1S20. 1890. 



Prussia, . . (4?) Marks. 13 Marks. 



Bavaria, . . 47 ,, 19 „ 



Saxony, . . 9 ., 51*7 ,, 



Wurtemberg, 57 „ 33-3 „ 



Baden, . . (12?) „ 32 „ 



These increases are chiefly due to the higher yields of 

 timber, as in Saxony the percentage of timber to total 

 produce has increased from 17 per cent, in 1820 to 80 

 per cent, in 1890, above which it is scarcely possible for 

 it to go. 



In a general way the cubic yield of most of the State 

 forests in Germany has been doubled within the last fifty 



1 Forat-Polilik. - Ibid. 



