Productive forests cover about 51 percent 
of the total land area of Sweden, the most im- 
portant forest regions being in the northern 
provinces. Coniferous species made up 85 
to 90 percent of the stands, pine (tall) and 
spruce (gran) being the two that are of com- 
mercial value. Of the broadleaf species birch 
is locally important while in the southern 
part of Sweden are found beech, oak and ash. 
Trees of minor value are aspen, alder, linden, 
elm and maple, but it is the two conifers, pine 
and spruce, that make up the forests. Of 
exotic species the larch and silver fir are found 
in planted stands in the central and southern 
parts of the country. Many American trees 
have been tried but few of them seem to do 
well. Sweden pins her faith to the native 
species. So much for the basis on which the 
Swedish foresters have to work. 
OUTSTANDING FEATURES 
OF SWEDISH FORESTRY 
The points which impress themselves on the 
visitor to the forests of Sweden are (1) the 
systematic organization of the forest work, 
(2) the interest taken in the scientific investi- 
gation of all forest problems, and (3) the ap- 
devoted all his available time while in Sweden 
to seeing the work of the Swedish members 
of that profession in the growing of forests 
and in bringing them to the time of harvest- 
ing the forest crop. He did not attempt, even 
casually, to study the lumber industry in any 
of its branches. Nor for his purpose was this 
necessary because of the detailed information 
on this subject that may be found in the U.S. 
Department of Commerce bulletin by Axel H. 
Oxholm that appeared early last spring, under 
the title “Swedish Forests, Lumber Industry, 
and Lumber Export Trade.” (Special Agents’ 
Series, No. 195, Washington, D. C., 1921). 
Readers of the LuMBreR WorLD REVIEW 
will recall that a comprehensive abstract of 
this bulletin appeared in the issue of June 10. 
Mr. Oxholm’s work is indispendable to any 
American visitor to the forests of Sweden. 
Those who desire to post themselves on the 
lumber industry of Sweden should not fail to 
consult it. It is full of meat. 
But in regard to the amounts exported a 
couple of quotations from Mr. Oxholm’s bul- 
letin are here in order. In a chart on page 
22, he shows that in 1913, of the total exports, 
SMALL LOGS OF 
CHARCOAL 
WOOD BUNDLED 
FOR RIVER 
DRIVING 
preciation by the public of the value of forests 
and of forestry. This is of course accounted 
for by the high place that forest products have 
in the industries of the country, but it is sig- 
nificant that the great majority of the people 
so well understand the situation as to be will- 
ing to submit practically without question to 
the regulations that have been laid down with 
the purpose of keeping the forests on a basis 
of sustained yield. Like most other countries 
Sweden in the past made inroads into her 
forest capital. Under the program now in force 
she is living within her forest income and is 
in the way steadily to increase the amount that 
may be cut for local consumption and for ex- 
port. 
The writer of this letter is a forester and 
forest and lumber products ranked 26.54 per- 
cent, and pulp and paper products 17.76 per- 
cent; together a total of 44.3 percent of the 
exports of Sweden. Another diagram on page 
171, shows that for 1913, pine and spuce made 
99.3 percent of wood of all kinds exported; 
divided into classes as follows: rough lumber 
64.1 percent, planed lumber 10.9 percent, round 
timber 11.2 percent, hewn 7.9 percent, firewood 
5.9 percent. 
The countries of destination of Swedish tim- 
ber that headed the list in 1913, were Great 
Britain (564,700 M.Ft.B.M.), France (383,540 
M.Ft.B.M.), Germany (246,159 M.Ft.B.M.) and 
Denmark (205,868 M.Ft.B.M.), with small 
amounts to other countries in Europe and else- 
(19) 
