FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION, 25 



This does not imply that the land is stripped or denuded of its forest covering ; for, 

 as a general rule, the hardwoods, which form about seventy per cent, of the timber, 

 are left untouched. But our northern forests yield, on an average, about 3,500 feet 

 of softwood timber per acre — sawlogs and pulpwood — under the close cutting 

 which now prevails. With this factor as a divisor one can easily determine the area 

 that is cut over each year, and, approximately, the number of years that must elapse 

 before there will be no merchantable softwood left except that which is on the State 

 preserve. 



The amount of timber — log measure — taken from the Adirondack forests in 

 1899 was as follows: 



FEET. 



Spruce (sawmills), --------- 148,203,491 



Spruce (pulpmills), - - - - -'- - - 195,568,623 



Hemlock, - 46,545,772 



Pine, - - - - ' 33,132,807 



Hardwood, --.- 24,296,554 



Total, - - - - 447,747,247 



Shingles, ----------- 33,619,000 



Lath, ------ 49,329,090 



The spruce used by the pulpmills was reported in cords — 345,180 cords. In con- 

 verting this quantity into feet as reported above (189,503,820 feet), I estimated a cord 

 as equivalent to three markets or 549 feet, log measure. 



By referring to the table showing the product for each year — 1890 to 1899^ it 

 will be seen that the output for 1899 is much less than that of the preceding year, the 

 sawmills showing a decrease of 31 per cent., and the pulpmills 17 per cent., while 

 in the production of hemlock, pine and hardwood there was little or no change. 

 The decrease in the spruce output may be due to the extreme drought and low water 

 which prevailed in the summer and fall of 1899, during which many mills were shut 

 down. Many of the large pulpmills increased their Canadian purchases of pulp- 

 wood and bought less from the Adirondacks, which accounts for some of the 

 decrease in production. It should be noted, also, that the production for 1898 

 exceeded that of any other year. The maximum output was then reached, and it is 

 doubtful if it will ever be attained again. 



