NEW BRUNSWICK FORESTRY CONVENTION 25 



thereon should be the property of the owner of the land but to be cut only 

 under the direction and supervision of the Government and in such away as 

 not to impair the land as a forest reservation. 



Let us now briefly notice the second phase of this subject, namely, the 

 need of forest perpetuation on account of the wood product. 



It is only within recent years that uneasiness has begun to be felt for 

 the future supply of timber, and in America the public at large do not yet 

 realize the situation. 



It was thought by some a faw years ago that the increased use of iron, 

 brick, stone and cement in structural works and the more general use of coal 

 for fuel would lessen the consumption of wood. This has, however, not been 

 the case. On the contrary, statistics show that not only the aggregate con- 

 sumption in civilized countries has greatly increased, but what is more to 

 the point, the per capita consumption is greater today than it has ever been 

 before. 



This increase of wood consumption parallel with that of the other 

 materials I have mentioned, as Dr. Fernow says, simply accentuates the 

 influence of the great modern development and increase of civilization, which 

 means increase in the wants of the population. 



The manufacture of pulp and cellulose alone is now consuming immense 

 quantities of our spruce and other woods. Taking the whole consumption 

 of wood the world over for the various uses to which it is applied, and then 

 taking into account the visible means of supply, and the outlook is by no 

 means reassuring. One thing is certain and that is that a time of great 

 scarcity is within the near future if the timber producing countries do not at 

 once commence to husband the forest wealth which they possess but of which 

 so many of them seem to be oblivious. 



What must be the result of an ever increasing demand where the supply 

 the world over is diminishing ? 



Our total exports of wood and manufactures thereof of home produce 

 amounted in 1903 to $40,742,641, being an increase of over five and a half 

 millions over that of the previous year, and of this the Tjnited States took 

 $18,823,878, which was also an increase over what she took from us the year 

 before of over $2,000,000. 



