1428 



Canadian Forestry Journal, December, 1917 



In The Forests of Siberia 



By L. 0. WiLGRESS 

 Canadian Trade Commissioner, Oomsk, Siberia 



Vast Areas Awaiting Foreign Capital and Enter- 

 prise — Government Adheres to Scientific Forestry 



The forest wealth of Siberia is a 

 reserve upon which foreign markets 

 will rndcubtedly commence to draw 

 in increasing quantities in order to 

 replace the diminishing supplies of 

 timber from other sources. Measures 

 are now being considered whereby the 

 forest resources of this region may be 

 utilized to greater advantage, parti- 

 cularly as regards the development 

 of an export trade abroad in Siberian 

 forest products. The timber trade 

 is regarded as one of the readiest 

 means available for paying off the 

 interest on the public debt of the 

 country and readjusting the balance 

 of trade. This question is of great 

 interest to Canadians, not only in so 

 far as Siberian timber is likely to 

 compete on the United Kingdom and 

 other markets with the products of 

 Canadian industry, but also by reason 

 of the opportunity which will be 

 presented to Canadian manufacturers 

 for the supply of machinery of various 

 kinds. 



Much of Siberia Unknown 

 The forest area of Asiatic Russia 

 has been roughlv estimated at 

 853,000,000 acres.' The State owns 

 the bulk of the forests of this region, 

 the area amounting to (M2,000,000 

 .acres, of which 39 per cent is classed 

 as rich forest lands. In addition the 

 forest possessions of the Imperial 

 Cabinet have comprised an area of 

 54,000,000 acres, chiefly in the Altai 

 district. These forest lands will now 

 probably be converted into national 

 property, and more attention de- 

 voted to the exploitation of their 

 timber wealth. Large tracts of forest 

 land also belong to the Cossacks, 

 particularly along the Amur river in 

 Eastern SilDeria. 



The largest forest areas of Asiatic 



Russia are in the western and eastern 

 regions of Siberia. It is estimated 

 that in that part of Siberia which lies 

 west of lake Baikal there are 465,000,- 

 000 acres of virgin forest, and Eastern 

 Siberia, while not so richly endowed, 

 has sufficient timber to supply the 

 requirements of foreign markets for 

 many years to come. A large part 

 of the forest area of Siberia is still 

 unexplored, the resources in number of 

 trees, species and value being un- 

 known. Thus it is estimated that 

 only about a quarter of the whole 

 krea had been either wholly or par- 

 tially investigated by the year 1915. 

 The investigations which have been 

 made, however, have unquestionably 

 established the great value and wealth 

 of these forests, while as regards the 

 exploitation of their timber resources, 

 only a fringe has yet been touched. 



Future Prospects 

 The measures are now being con- 

 sidered whereby the forest resources 

 of Siberia may be exploited to better 

 advantage. For this purpose con- 

 ferences have been held between those 

 interested in the timber trade and the 

 State departments concerned. It 

 has been realized that in order to 

 increase the timber outputs, a correct 

 system of management of the forests 

 is necessary, together with the organi- 

 zation of the sale of timber. A re- 

 liable investigator has stated that 

 with proper exploitation the timber 

 wealth of this region should suffice 

 for the requirements of Western 

 Europe for many generations to come. 

 In order to make possible, however, 

 the shipments abroad of Siberian 

 forest products, a proper organization 

 is required, backed by sufficient 

 capital to enable the adoption of up- 

 to-date extraction methods. An en- 



