REDWOOD FORESTS OF THE PACIFIC COAST 151 



is not as heavy or continuous, nor are the trees as valuable for . 

 lumber, as they branch lower down. The wood is, however, of 

 slower growth, is denser and harder, and perhaps more durable. 

 The best lumber and the heaviest growth is everywhere in the 

 valleys and on the flats. On the hillsides the trees are smaller 

 and not so close. Nowhere is there any young growth. The 

 youngest trees, which are found only in the northern portion of 

 the belt, are several hundred years of age. 



When the timber has been cut there is no sign of reproduction 

 from seed. In many localities sprouts are growing from stumps 

 in the cut areas, but even this form of reproduction is limited. 

 Indeed, everything appears to indicate that for some reason, 

 probably a progressive drying of the climate, the present environ- 

 ment is not favorable to the growth of redwood ; and that with 

 the clearing away of the present forests the end of the species as 

 a source of lumber will be at hand. 



The area of the redwood belt has been carefully mapped, and 

 is, as nearly as can be estimated, 2,000 square miles, or 1,280,000 

 acres. The stand of timber on this area is not so easy to ascer- 

 tain. The figures given above in this article are the best that 

 have been obtained. I will recapitulate them with additions. 

 In Del Norte county, out of 67,000 acres of redwood land. 11,000 

 acres are estimated to contain an average stand of 60,000 feet. 

 In Humboldt county, out of an area of 500,000 acres, 96,443 acres 

 have an average stand of 84,000 feet, with a range in different 

 tracts from 25,000 to 200,000 feet. These figures are corrobo- 

 rated by the result of all the cutting done in the neighborhood 

 of Eureka, where nearly all the lumbering of the county is done- 

 The companies report an average yield of between 75,000 and 

 100,000 feet per acre. In Mendocino county, out of a redwood 

 area of 640,000 acres, 173,000 acres are reported to contain an 

 average of 44,000 feet, with a range from 12,000 to 75,000 feet. 

 In Sonoma county the timber is so scattering that the total 

 amount, which is spread over an area of some 75,000 acres, is 

 comparatively slight. 



Using the above figures, we obtain as the amount of standing 

 redwood the following: 



Feet 



Del Norte county • 4,000,000,000 



Humboldt county, : 42,000,000,000 



Mendocino county 28,160,000,000 



Sonoma county, say 1,000,000,000 



75,100,000,000 



