WAR'S DESTRUCTION OF BRITISH FORESTS 



1035 



(2) During the five years preceding the war the aver- 

 age annual imports of timber similar in character to that 

 produced in the British Isles were equivalent to five hun- 

 dred and fifty million cubic feet of standing timber. The 

 home production was therefore less than eight per cent 

 of the consumption. The imports of timbers of all kinds 

 during the years 1915 and 1916 were respectively three- 

 quarters and two-thirds of the normal pre-war imports, 

 and their cost for the two years was seventy-four million 



(4) Dependence on imported timber has proved a 

 serious handicap in the conduct of the war. The United 

 Kingdom cannot run the risk of future wars without 

 safe-guarding its supplies of timber as every other Power 

 that counts has already done. 



(5) In order to render the United Kingdom inde- 

 pendent of imported timber for three years in an emerg- 

 ency, it is necessary, while making due allowance for an 

 improved yield from existing woods, to afforest 1,770,000 



This mill and encampment at Craigoinean, 



A MILL OPERATED BY NEWFOUNDLANDERS 



Dunkeld, Scotland was a good sized operation, the extent 

 photograph taken from the hill overlooking the mill. 



of which is plainly shown by the 



pounds, or thirty-seven millions in excess of their pre- 

 war value. These imports absorbed seven million net 

 tons of shipping, equivalent to approximately fourteen 

 million tons dead weight. 



(3) The area of land utilized for rough grazing, but 

 capable of growing first-class coniferous timber of the 

 same character as that imported, is not less than three 

 and probably more than five million acres. Two million 

 acres could be devoted to timber production without de- 

 creasing the home production of meat by more than 0.7 

 per cent, and if so used would ultimately afford employ- 

 ment to at least ten times the number of men now en- 

 gaged on that area. 



acres. Taking 80 years as the average rotation, we advise 

 that two-thirds of the whole should be planted in the first 

 40 years. We consider that the quota to be planted in 

 the first 10 years should, in view of the initial difficulties, 

 be limited to 200,000 acres, of which we advise 150,000 

 acres should be planted by the State and 50,000 acres by 

 public bodies and private individuals assisted by grants, 

 or by co-operation between them and the State. The 

 area to be planted by the State in subsequent years may 

 be reduced in the same degree as private individuals 

 come forward to undertake the work. 



(6) It is not proposed to plant arable land, but a 

 limited area of arable land should be acquired with the 



