manner at necessary intervals. Fire hazards have been re- 

 duced to a minimum and the fire losses, compared with those 

 in Canada, are practically negligible. 



Pine and spruce form the basis of most of the forests, with 

 an admixture of birch and other hardwood species. No 

 authentic survey of the timber resources of Finland is avail- 

 able, although there are several estimates which are held to 

 be reliable. One, made by Col. Gosta Serlachius, president 

 of the Finska Cellulosaforcumigen, places the timber resources 

 of the country at approximately 31,000,000,000 cubic feet 

 (335,000,000 cords). Calculations made on the assumption 

 of an annual growth of 1.5%, which has been shown to be below 

 the actual, indicates a yearly timber yield for the entire coun- 

 try of 15,650,000 cords. 



Finland's present timber requirements for all purposes, 

 domestic and industrial, are drawn chiefly from a territory 

 which includes rather less than three-fourths of the total 

 forest area of the country. This territory, however, represents 

 a considerably larger part of the actual timber resources. It 

 is estimated that from 20% to 25% of the total standing 

 timber of the country may be classed as merchantable material 

 of sawlog dimensions. 



In normal years Finland exports about 300,000,000 cubic 

 feet of timber and sawn lumber. (There are approximately 

 375 sawmills in Finlancl, many of which, however, are of very 

 limited capacity.) The wood pulp industry produces 220,000 

 tons of mechanical and 350,000 tons of chemical pulp a year, 

 using up about 900,000 cords of wood in the process. The 

 consumption of timber for domestic requirements, including 

 industrial and railway fuel (all locomotives here burn wood) 

 has been estimated at 5,000,000 cords a year, much of which 

 is hardwood, principally birch. 



These figures indicate on the surface that Finland is 

 using every year an amount of wood equal to or exceeding 

 the estimated annual growth, although in reality, especially 

 when active reforestation is taken into account, the annual 

 increment is considerably greater. It has been estimated that 

 the forest resources of Finland are sufficient to insure a supply 

 of pulpwood for requirements based upon the present rate of 

 consumption for 145 years, without taking into account the 

 new forests that are growing up in the meantime. 



