460 billion board feet, is hardwoods. 



There is now consumed or destroyed annually in 

 the rnited States 56 billion board feet of material of 

 saw timber size. The total yearly consumption of all 

 classes of timber is about 26 billion cubic feet. Our 

 depleted forests are growing less than one-fourth of 

 this amount. The United States is not only cutting 

 heavily into its remaining virgin forests every year, 

 but is also using up the smaller material upon which 

 our future supply of saw timber depends much more 

 rapidly than it is being replaced. 



The two striking effects of timber depletion already 

 apparent are: 



(1) The injury to large groups of wood users and 

 to many communities resulting from the exhaustion 

 of the nearby forest regions from which they were 

 formerly supplied ; and 



(2) The shortage of timber products of high 

 Quality. 



Less than 5 per cent of the virgin forests of New 

 Knuland remain, and the total stand of saw timber 

 in these States is not more than one-eighth of the 

 original stand. New York, once the leading State in 

 lumber production, now manufactures only 30 board 

 feet per capita yearly, although the requirements of its 

 own population are close to 300 board feet per 

 eapita. The present cut of lumber in Pennsylvania is 

 less than the amount consumed in the Pittsburg dis- 

 trict alone. The original pine forests of the Lake 

 States, estimated at 350 billion feet, are now reduced 

 to less thaa 8 billion feet, and their yearly cut of 

 timber is less than one-eighth of what it used to be. 



9 



