44 THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRITISH FORESTRY 



have to be neutralised somehow or other before the grow- 

 ing of props and pit wood in the United Kingdom can be 

 made a commercial success. 



' These remarks, let us say at once, are not made for 

 the purpose of throwing cold water on reafforestation 

 schemes, but merely with the object of pointing out the 

 difficulties in the way, so that failures may, if possible, 

 be avoided. To judge by the attitude of the authorities 

 in both Scandinavia and Finland, it is not likely the 

 present unrestricted export of small raw wood for props 

 will be allowed to continue for long without the imposi- 

 tion of a heavy duty. The wood-pulp factories of Sweden 

 will probably require all the small spruce (or whitewood, 

 as it is called in the trade) at home, and then means will 

 be found to hinder its shipment. When that time arrives 

 the price of props and similar wood will rise considerably, 

 bringing the question of growing part of our require- 

 ments at home within the boundar}^ of a paying pro- 

 position. As far as the supply of building wood from 

 Sweden is concerned, it is to be apprehended, as previously 

 remarked, that it will have to be reduced for some years ; 

 but this is far from a famine, and there is reason to 

 believe that the Swedish forests in twenty to thirty years' 

 time will have regained some of the productive power, 

 which part of them have undoubtedly lost for a time. It 

 must be borne in mind that the State and other public 

 forests represent one-third of the whole area of woodland, 

 and these are certainly not being overcut, but rather the 

 contrary. Further, a considerable proportion of the 

 remaining two-thirds is now held by the large wealthy 

 saw-mill companies, who must in self-preservation manage 

 their woods so as to ensure a permanent supply of the 

 raw material, otherwise the large sums spent on saw and 

 planing mills and on the clearing of the rivers, etc., for 

 floatin<^ will have to be written off'. What the exact area 



