12 THE IMPORTANCE OF FORESTRY. 



that Norway is already working her forests with a heavy 

 deficit, by cutting more than grows annually, and this has 

 been known for some time past. Sweden was hitherto con- 

 sidered solvent in this respect, but official information lately 

 supplied by our representative at Stockholm, and published in 

 a Parliamentary paper, shows that, according to the statements 

 of the Swedish officials, the forests of that country are now 

 being worked with an annual deficit of 106 million cubic feet. 

 Here, then, is another of our most important sources of supply 

 also beginning to fail us. Of the Austria-Hungarian exports 

 only small quantities come to this country, because half of them 

 go to Germany and the rest to various other countries. The 

 exports from Eoumania are small and do not affect the question 

 under consideration. There remains, then, Russia with Finland. 

 That country has enormous areas of forest, but it has far 

 greater areas without it. Moreover, a large proportion of the 

 so-called forest area does not produce timber fit for export. 

 Eussia's population and industries are rapidly increasing. 

 Different views are taken of her capability to maintain her 

 export of timber. My personal opinion, having weighed the 

 evidence on both sides, is that Kussia is a doubtful factor. 

 At any rate, the authorities have already taken measures to 

 restrict the working of the forests, for fear that, some time 

 hence, the available out-turn of the forests might fall short 

 of the requirements of home consumption. 



It has, more than once, been said that the forests of Siberia 

 are of sufficient extent to make good any deficiency which may 

 occur. How erroneous such views are will be seen from the 

 following extract from a recent report of the Eussian Finance 

 Minister. He says : " In dealing with the settlement of 

 immigrants in Siberia, it will be necessary to give special 

 attention to the forests, the actual condition of which 

 threatens Siberia with great perils in the future. Almost 

 everywhere the forests have either been totally destroyed, or 

 devastated by the local people, so that they have almost lost 

 their value. Absence of supervision, and the rise in the price of 



