TIMBEE DEPLETION, PRICES, EXPORTS, AND OWNERSHIP. 



31 



can be secured and the great limitation of the producing regions 

 already discussed. The price of spirits of turpentine, which 

 for very many years fluctuated slightly above and below 50 

 cents a gallon, had risen nearly five times to a price of $2.30 

 early in 1920, and similar Increases occurred in prices for 

 various grades of rosin. 



With a prospective reduction in domestic production, the 

 United States is facing in the near future rapidly decrcasin.fi 

 ability to export naval-stores products, and even within a few 

 years to meet home demands from the southern pine territory. 

 There are possibilities of development of the industry with 

 other species in the West, but under much more adverse con- 

 ditions as to accessibility, labor, etc. The only other possi- 

 bilities are imports or the use of substitutes. 



ORIGINAL AND PRESENT FORESTS OF THE 

 UNITED STATES. 



ORIGINAL FOREST AREA. 



The original forest area of the country is estimated to have 

 been in the neighborhood of 822,000,000 acres. (See Table 3 

 and h'g. 3. 13 ) In the eastern United States a magnificent forest 



"Various terms found in these and other accomnanving tables and 

 figures are used with the following meanings : 



" Saw-timber areas " and " saw-timber stands " are stands of saw- 

 timber size in accordance with the prevailing logging and milling prac- 

 tice of the region concerned. 



of old-growth timber, wonderfully rich in variety of species 

 and quality of material, stretched in an almost unbroken ex- 

 panse from the Atlantic Ocean to the prairies. Pines and other 

 sol (woods predominated in the north and along the Atlantic 

 arid Gulf coasts, while in the Appalachians and on the fertile 

 soils of the Central States and the lower Mississippi Valley 



" Cordwood areas " and " cordwood stands " are stands not now of 

 sufficient size to produce saw timber under the prevailing local logging 

 and milling practice. 



" Nonrestocking areas " comprise lands that once supported a stand 

 of timber, which is now gone, and which is not being renewed. 



" Virgin areas " and " virgin stands " comprise stands in which 

 there is no net growth, such growth as takes place being offset by loss 

 from decay and other causes. This excludes certain old-growth stands, 

 as, for example, in California, which have not been lumbered and are 

 ordinarily regarded as " virgin " forests, but in which a net growth is 

 now taking place as a result of the present protection of such stands 

 following their opening up by fire. 



" Growing areas " and " growing stands " include all stands, Irre- 

 spective of their size, in which current growth is in excess of current 

 loss ; that is, in which there is a net growth. 



" Saw timber " comprises that portion of the stand on saw timber 

 areas of sufficient size for manufacture into lumber. Board feet esti- 

 mates of saw timber are given in terms of lumber tally rather than 

 log scale. 



" Cordwood ' comprises that portion of the stand on saw-timber 

 areas not of sufficient size for manufacture into lumber and the entire 

 stand on cordwood areas. It may thus include occasional trees of 

 saw-timber size which occur in cordwood stands but not in sufficient 

 quantity to be lumbered. 



" Total stand " includes both saw timber and cordwood. 



M/dtf/e 

 Atlantic 



Lake 

 Centra/ 



S. Atlantic} 



and \ 

 EastGu/f 1 



Lower ( 

 Mississippi 



Rocky ( 

 Mountains^. 



Pacific 

 Coast* 



Or /gin a/ Forest Area 

 Present Virgin Forest Area 

 I I Rema/nder of present Forest Area 



Complete data forth/s region not aval I- 

 crb/e; present tota/ forest Area probab/y 

 some S mil '/ion acres more than /ntf/cafed. 



80 IOO 



Mil lion Acres 



FIG. 3. Original and present forest areas of (he United States by regions. 



/6O 



