FOREST RESERVES OF THE UNITED STATES 371 



Since the publication of Sargent's monumental volume in the Tenth Census 

 and the o;ra(laal hut inevitable recognition of the fact that his results were bj'' 

 tiieir very nature sul)ject to extensive revision, estimates of forest area and of 

 standing timl)er in various portions of the United States liave been frequently 

 repeated. So far as the present writer is informed, a very large majority of these 

 estimates have l)een altogether guesswork. Mr (^annett's paper, on the contrary, 

 is l)ased on a complete compilation of the available facts. We have here a 

 statement of the wooded area and merchantable stand of timber in the United 

 States based on definite sources of information. A remarkably skilful use lias 

 been made of old data and an immense amount of new information, supplied 

 to Mr Gannett either by his own fieldmen or by railroad companies and other 

 holders of timber lands, is now ])ublished for the first time. The use of the old 

 and new together lias rendered possible what is by far the best statement yet 

 made of the forest condition of the United States. 



Under the head of " Wooded Areas, by States," following a brief introduc- 

 tion, there is given an admirable summary of the total land area and the total 

 wooded area of each state, with a statement of authority in every case. These 

 figures show that the United States lias now o7 per cent of its total area in 

 wood, or, in i-ound numbers, a million square miles. Contrasted with previous 

 estimates, which have usually been about 25 per cent, this estimate is extremely 

 satisfactory. 



It is unfortunate that the description of the merchantable standing timber 

 in the United States cannot be made as complete as tliat of the ai'ea of wood- 

 land. ]Mr Gannett lias compiled, however, all the information which has been 

 gathered, and the result is a table of the first interest. There follows a discus- 

 sion of the consumption of timber, which reaches an annual value of about 

 SSOO, 000,000, an amount slightly in excess of the mineral production of the 

 cduiitry. The enormous progress of the lumber industrj' in the northwest is 

 illustrated in a tabular view, which indicates that in 1870 the value of the 

 luml)er ].r()(lnct of Washington was worth about 81,000,000; in 18S0, about 

 S2,000,()00, and in 1890, about $lo,000,000. 



Mr (iannett's paper concludes wTth synojises of the reports included in the 

 volume, of which those on the forest conditions in the states of Washington 

 and Oregon are especially noteworthy. To reach an estimate of the stand of 

 timber in the former state, Mr Gannett made or collected and compik'd actual 

 timber crnisings of mort^ than a million and a half acres, and is i'(jnse(iuently 

 in possession of a iiody of facts altogether without parallel, lie gives tables of 

 the stand of merchantable timt)er. the logged area, the naturally bare area, and 

 the l)urne(l area, together with deMiiite (igures for the stand of timber for each 

 of the timber counties. A summaiy of these tables shows that more than 114 

 billion feet are now standing. .Vnothcr most signilicant result is that within 

 recent years 20 jiercenl oC the merchantable timber of the state has been hiiined, 

 or enough to supply the whole United States for two yi^irs. In Oregon the 

 timiier area i.s larger and tlu; sfaii<l per acre heavier on the average than in 

 Washington, the actual merchantable staml being estimated at 2:;.') billion feet. 

 Kires have been l)nl little le.ss destructive ben^ than in Washington. 



The valu(M)f .Mr (lannelt's rejiort consists as much in its method as in its 



